Bassoon Concerto

The Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191/186e, written in 1774 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is the most often performed and studied piece in the entire bassoon repertory.^[1] Nearly all professional bassoonists will perform the piece at some stage in their career, and it is probably the most commonly requested piece in orchestral auditions – it is usually requested that the player perform the excerpts from concerto's first two movements in every audition.

Although the autograph is lost, the exact date of the finishing is known: 4 June 1774^[2].

Mozart wrote the bassoon concerto when he was 18 years old, and it was his first concerto for a wind instrument.^[3] Although it is believed that it was commissioned by an aristocratic amateur bassoon player Thaddäus Freiherr von Dürnitz, who owned seventy-four works by Mozart, this is a claim that is supported by little evidence.^[4] Scholars believe that Mozart wrote perhaps three bassoon concerti, but that only the first has survived.

Instrumentation

The concerto is scored for a solo bassoon and an orchestra consisting of 2 oboes, a bassoon, 2 horns in F and strings.

Structure

The piece itself is divided into three movements:

• I. Allegro
• II. Andante ma Adagio
• III. Rondo: tempo di menuetto

The first movement is written in the common sonata form with an orchestral introduction. The second movement is a slow, lyrical movement that contains a theme which was later featured in the Countess's aria "Porgi, Amor" at the beginning of the second act of Mozart's opera Le nozze di Figaro. The final movement is in rondo form and is probably reminiscent of a dance of the time.

Media

Allegro 1st movement. Performed by Arthur Grossman, bassoon, with the 7th Army Symphony Orchestra (1957) Bassoon Concerto in B flat Major, I. Allegro Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra. Courtesy of Musopen Andante ma adagio. 2nd movement. Performed by Arthur Grossman with the 7th Army Symphony Orchestra (1957) Rondo Tempo di Menuetto 3rd movement. Performed by Arthur Grossman with the 7th Army Symphony Orchestra (1957)

Problems listening to these files? See media help.

Notes

See also

• Bassoon concerto

External links

• Konzert in B für Fagott und Orchester KV 191 (186^e): Score and critical report (German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
• Bassoon Concerto: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.