The Bassoon is usually seen as a comical instrument, however it provides a very important role in the orchestra.In fact, the Saxophone was invented to replace the Bassoon and Oboe, however, was rejected because it didn't sound the same in the orchestra.
To play the bassoon, it is very important to have lots of breathing support. Like with the oboe, fast passages can be played using double tonguing (single tonguing is like saying “tu-tu-tu-tu-tu”, double tonguing is like saying “te-ke-te-ke-te-ke”). In most music, the bassoon will spend a lot of time playing a bass line, perhaps the same notes as the cello or tuba. It can sometimes sound quite amusing when playing an “um-cha-um-cha” accompaniment like in the “Dance of the Cygnets” from Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake". It can sound very tuneful and sad as in the second movement of Rimsky Korsakov’s "Sheherazade". Listen to the opening of Stravinsky’s "Rite of Spring" where it plays some quite high notes to fool people that it is the Cor anglais or the English Horn. Even a famous composer, Saint Saëns, did not know what the instrument was. Prokofiev uses the bassoon for grandfather’s tune in "Peter and the Wolf". Also, to play the bassoon, a player needs big hands because the bassoon's keys and holes are quite wide.
The holes are drilled in at an angle so that the upper register is not overblown and produces an unpleasant sound. Whisper keys were also invented to prevent overblowing. The bassoon is known for its reedy sound. Its upper register is shrill and sometimes scary. Middle register could be used for lullabies because of its majestic and soothing tone. Its lower register is deep, dark, and could be used for scary movies and such.
The bassoon developed from a renaissance instrument called the "curtal" or "dulcian". These were double reed instruments which often played with shawms. In the Baroque period the bassoon became popular as an instrument to play the bass line, perhaps playing the same as the cello. A man named Hotteterre made many parts of the modern bassoon. In the late Baroque period composers like Antonio Vivaldi wrote concertos for bassoon and orchestra. Some more famous bassoon concertos include one by Mozart, and in more recent times by Peter Maxwell Davies. The bassoon was a very important instrument in the orchestra. Mozart and Beethoven gave the bassoon important parts in the music.
In some pieces with a large orchestra a contrabassoon is used. This plays an octave lower than a bassoon, taking it right down to bottom B flat or C on the piano. Some contrabassoons are made to play a note lower, i.e. the very lowest note of the piano (A). One might expect to see the contrabassoon sticking up high above all the other instruments in the orchestra, but in fact the tube keeps doing U-turns, making four parallel rows of tubing. They are usually made with the bell pointing downwards. The weight is supported by a peg to the floor. The contrabassoon used to be shaped like a bassoon.
The contrabassoon adds richness to the sound of a full orchestra. Listen carefully for the contrabassoon in the hymn-like introduction to the last movement of "Symphony no 1" by Brahms. It can be clearly heard, growling away, in the opening of the "Piano Concerto for the Left Hand" by Ravel.
Octave
An octave is the distance between two musical notes that have the same letter name.
If a musician sings or plays a scale (‘do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do’) the first and last ‘do’ are an octave apart. It is called an ‘octave’ because there are eight notes in a scale (‘octo’ is Latin for ‘eight’).
If a musician sings or plays the first two notes of the song “Somewhere over the rainbow” (i.e. the word ‘Somewhere’) these two notes are an octave apart.
Two notes that are an octave apart sound very similar, almost like the same note. The scientific reason for this is that the top note vibrates twice as fast. For example: if someone plays Middle C on a piano, a hammer hits the Middle C strings inside and makes them vibrate 256 times a second. The C an octave higher will vibrate 512 times a second.
Young children who learn the piano will not be able to stretch an octave with one hand, if their hands are too small. Most adults can stretch an octave easily (playing one note with the thumb, and the other with the little finger). Advanced pianists can practice scales in octaves. Violinists can play scales in octaves, too, playing on two strings at once, but this is very hard.
Tinder
Tinder is a material that is used to start fires easily when lit with a match.
Some materials commonly used as tinder are:
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian economist, entrepreneur, and retired politician. He was the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is a member and the former leader of the Conservative Party, after being elected in 2004. He was elected in February 2006 and replaced Paul Martin as Prime Minister.
Harper was born in 1959 in Toronto, Ontario and lives in Calgary, Alberta. He is married to Laureen Teskey and has two children. He is the third Prime Minister, after Pierre Trudeau and John Turner, to send their children to Rockcliffe Park Public School, in Ottawa. Stephen Harper was Prime Minister for nine years, during which Canada hosted both the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games. Harper also hosted the G8 and G20 meetings.
Harper is a conservative and supports cutting government spending and taxes. As Prime Minister, he has cut the goods and services tax and approved a budget that would cut funding to several government programs. He has also shown support for the military and a bigger Canadian military presence in the northern part of Canada.
Even though Harper did win the seat in the riding of Calgary Heritage during the October 19, 2015 federal election, the Conservative Party was defeated by the Liberal Party of Canada, which was led by Justin Trudeau and who succeeded Harper as Prime Minister. It was thereafter announced Harper would resign as party leader and had requested an interim leader be chosen to serve until a leadership election can be held.
Tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog is a young frog that breathes and lives in the water. They hatch from small eggs laid in a pond or lake by their mother.
Frog eggs are round and toad eggs are laid in long strings. There is enough food in each egg to last 21 days.
After a few weeks, they begin to grow back legs, then front legs. Soon after, the froglets begin to breathe air and lose their tails. They will grow larger, and in a few months, become adults.
Most types of tadpole eat only plants. Some types of tadpole eat plants and animals, even other smaller tadpoles.
During the tadpole stage of the amphibian life cycle, most breathe by means of external or internal gills. They usually do not have arms or legs until the change to adulthood. They have a large, flattened tail with which they swim by 'lateral undulation' (side to side), similar to most fish.
As a tadpole matures, it changes by gradually growing limbs, usually the back legs first. Then it gradually loses its tail by programmed cell death (apoptosis). Lungs develop at the time of leg development: tadpoles late in development are often near the surface of the water, where they breathe air. During the final stages, the tadpole's mouth changes from a small mouth at the front of the head to a large mouth the same width as the head. The intestines shorten to accommodate the new diet. Most tadpoles are herbivorous, living on algae and plants. Some species are omnivorous, eating detritus and, when available, smaller tadpoles.
Zeulenroda-Triebes
Zeulenroda-Triebes is a German town in the rural district of Greiz in Thuringia.
It has about 18,000 inhabitants. Most famous sight of the town is the beautiful town hall.
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 - January 15, 1994) was an American singer-songwriter.