How long does a bassoon reed last? How about 200 years!

The Veriam Music Trust has many rare exhibits, with few being rarer than this original classical-era bassoon reed. More than 200 years old, it is a miracle something so delicate has survived that long. As far as we are aware there are only a handful of reeds still in existence from this era.

There are two lines of words inscribed on the reed; the lower line reads ‘London’ but we can’t make out the upper line. Presumably it is the name of the maker or the shop which sold it, but it would be wonderful to know what it says so – if your eyesight is up to it and/or you have an intimate knowledge of bassoon and/or reed makers and sellers in London several hundred years ago – let us know.

Front

Back

Christin Schillinger (1) states that up to this period most reeds were made by bassoon makers so the writing could very well indicate a London bassoon maker. Schillinger asserts that bassoonists in Europe rarely made their own reeds until later in the 19th century.

Interestingly, the first proper description of how to make a bassoon reed (and therefore guidance for the bassoonist to make their own rather than buy them) was by Etienne Ozi (1754-1813) of the Paris Conservatoire, who in 1803 published his Nouvelle Méthode de Basson (2). However, this publication references tools which were available in the Conservatoire but not widely available elsewhere at the time, and so probably did not contribute to more reed-making among the general bassoonist population. Nevertheless, it is used as a reference today for making historical reeds.

One notable feature of this reed is that it has a metal ring instead of the wires we use now. This appeared to be a common method up to this time. Ozi described how to fit such a ring in 1803 and Carl Almenräder (1786-1843), the composer, bassoonist and bassoon maker – he was a partner with Johann Adam Heckel in the firm which eventually became Heckel – also referenced this ring in a publication in 1842.

Both sources indicate that the metal ring is made on a mandrel, pushed into position on the reed and then squeezed to the right shape using pliers. Jennifer Harris provides a translation of Almenräder’s writing on the topic, which is available on the internet (3).

The reed is 73mm in length, 15mm wide at the blade tip and 10mm wide at the collar. The opening for the crook is about 5.5mm wide but as it is no longer round it is difficult to be precise.

The reed came to us in a wooden reed case with two other reeds which are very likely at least 100 years old themselves – a remarkable age for a bassoon reed of course, albeit somewhat overshadowed by the 200-plus year old reed.

The Veriam Music Trust houses a collection of more than 50 woodwind instruments and associated items, about a third of which are bassoons, dating back up to 250 years.

It also has a collection of woodwind-related sheet music of historical interest from the estate of the late Archie Camden including, for example, a first edition of the Galliard Sonatas for the Bassoon from 1733 and a collection of original manuscripts of pieces premiered by Archie Camden last century.

References

1. Bassoon Reed Making, a Pedagogic History, Christin Schillinger, Indiana University Press, 2016

2. Nouvelle Méthode de Basson, Etienne Ozi, 1803. An edited English translation is available: New Method for Bassoon, Jeffrey Lyman, Sarasota, Florida, TrevCo Music Publishing, 2013

3. Bassoon Reed Making According to Historical Methods, as Found in Sources and Interpreted for Practical Use, Jennifer Harris. Last updated: February 2016 Translation: January/February 2016