Harmonic Structure of the Tone of the Bassoon

The purpose of this investigation was to examine quantitatively and in greater detail than had previously been possible the harmonic structure of the steady-state tone of the basson. First, an attempt was made to determine the general characteristics of the tone of the instrument, particularly with respect to the presence and location of formants and the extent to which the harmonic structure varies with intensity. In addition, an attempt was made to determine the extent to which the harmonic structure of the tone varies among players of recognized ability. Eleven bassoonists from the Philadelphia, Boston, Berlin, Cleveland, and Detroit symphony orchestras participated in this study. Finally, seven tests were made of the tone of the author in an attempt to determine the extent to which the harmonic structure varies from sampling to sampling in the tone of a single individual. In each test, every chromatic pitch from low B-flat through high C was examined at three dynamic levels. It was found that there is a strong formant extending approximately from 440 to 494 cps and a weaker formant from 1220 to 1280 cps. Although the spectra of different players resemble one another in general, they differ sufficiently in detail so that no one sampling can be said to characterize adequately the tone of the instrument. To a lesser extent, the same is true of different samplings of the tone of a single individual.