fords additional support. The notes are
produced by means of seven holes and 16, 17, or 19 keys. The mechanism and
fingering are very intricate. Theoretically the whole construction of the
bassoon is imperfect and arbitrary, important acoustic principles being
disregarded, but these mechanical defects only enhance its value as an
artistic musical instrument. The player is obliged to rely very much on his
ear in order to obtain a correct intonation, and next to the strings no
instrument gives greater scope to the artist.

The bassoon has an eight foot tone, the compass extending from Bb bass [1]
[Notation: B1b.] to Ab treble [Notation: A4b.], or in modern instruments by
means of additional mechanism to C or even F [Notation: C5 or F5.]. These
extra high notes are from their extreme sweetness called _vox humana_. The
pitch of the bassoon apparently lies two octaves below that of the oboe,
since the lowest note of both is B, but in reality the interval is only a
twelfth, as may be ascertained by comparing their fundamental scales. On
the bassoon the fundamental scale is that of F maj., obtained by opening
and closing the holes; the notes downwards from F to Bb [Notation: F2 to
B1b.] are extra notes obtained by means of interlocking keys on the long
joint, worked by the left thumb; they have no counterpart on the oboe and
do not belong to the fundamental scale of the bassoon. The fundamental
scale of the oboe is that of C, although the compass has been extended a
tone to Bb [Notation: B3b.]. Therefore the difference in pitch between the
bassoon and the oboe is a twelfth. In the first [v.03 p.0496] register of
the bassoon, seven semitones [Notation: B1b to E2.] are obtained, as stated
above, by means of keys in the long joint and bell; the next eight notes
(holes and keys) each produce two sounds--the fundamental tone, and, by
increased pressure of the breath, its harmonic octave. The remaining notes
are obtained by cross fingering and by overblowing the notes of the
fundamental scale a twelfth as far as Ab [Notation: A4b.] which forms the
normal compass. From A to Eb the _vox humana_ notes are produced by the
help of small harmonic holes opened by means of keys at the top of the wind
joint; exceptional players obtain, without additional keys, two or more
higher harmonic notes, which, however, are only used by _virtuosi_. This
then forms the intricate scheme of fingering for the bassoon, and in order
to appreciate the efforts