Julius Weissenborn
Encyclopedia
Christian Julius Weissenborn (April 13, 1837, in Friedrichs-Tanneck near Eisenberg
, Thuringia
- April 21, 1888, Leipzig
) was a bassoon
ist, teacher and composer. He was principal bassoonist of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
from 1857 - 1887. He taught at the Leipzig Conservatory beginning in 1882. Apart from a small canon of Romantic
works, he is chiefly remembered for his pedagogical works, the Practical Bassoon School and the Bassoon Studies, Opus 8 (which includes the "Fifty Advanced Studies"), which are still in widespread use.
The Practical Bassoon School (called "Practical Method for the Bassoon" in the American editions) consists primarily of 25 sets of exercises that gradually increase in difficulty, from the most elementary level to intermediate. Following this there is a brief introduction to the tenor clef
and a fairly detailed discussion of various ornaments
, with a 26th section applying these concepts.
The Bassoon Studies, Opus 8 is published in two parts. The first part is subtitled "For Beginners" and consists of several sections:
https://urresearch.rochester.edu/retrieve/3251/39087009993538heftI.pdf
The second part is the famous Fifty Advanced Studies that nearly all bassoonists are required to learn during their formative years. While some of these are at an intermediate level, most of them are quite challenging, exploring all keys and even the extreme ranges of the bassoon.
https://urresearch.rochester.edu/retrieve/3250/39087009993538heftII.pdf
Eisenberg, Thuringia
Eisenberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Saale-Holzland.Neighboring municipalities are Jena and Gera . West of Eisenberg runs the motorway A 9 from Berlin to Munich...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
- April 21, 1888, Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
) was a bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
ist, teacher and composer. He was principal bassoonist of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is one of the the oldest symphony orchestras in the world...
from 1857 - 1887. He taught at the Leipzig Conservatory beginning in 1882. Apart from a small canon of Romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
works, he is chiefly remembered for his pedagogical works, the Practical Bassoon School and the Bassoon Studies, Opus 8 (which includes the "Fifty Advanced Studies"), which are still in widespread use.
The Practical Bassoon School (called "Practical Method for the Bassoon" in the American editions) consists primarily of 25 sets of exercises that gradually increase in difficulty, from the most elementary level to intermediate. Following this there is a brief introduction to the tenor clef
Clef
A clef is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff...
and a fairly detailed discussion of various ornaments
Ornament (music)
In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
, with a 26th section applying these concepts.
The Bassoon Studies, Opus 8 is published in two parts. The first part is subtitled "For Beginners" and consists of several sections:
- I. Essential Kinds of Expression (Tenuto, Legato, Staccato, Portato, Dynamics, Accents);
- II. The Tenor Clef (brief);
- III. Scale Exercises in All Keys;
- IV. Arpeggios and chords;
- V. Chromatic scales;
- VI. Thirds, Fourths, Sixths, Octaves and Tenths;
- VII. Embellishments
https://urresearch.rochester.edu/retrieve/3251/39087009993538heftI.pdf
The second part is the famous Fifty Advanced Studies that nearly all bassoonists are required to learn during their formative years. While some of these are at an intermediate level, most of them are quite challenging, exploring all keys and even the extreme ranges of the bassoon.
https://urresearch.rochester.edu/retrieve/3250/39087009993538heftII.pdf