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Bassoon Music

TYPICAL AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

• All major, harmonic minor, and chromatic scales for the full range of the instrument
• A solo work such as a standard major concerto (e.g. Mozart, Weber, Hummel, Vivaldi) that demonstrates the applicant's strengths musically and technically
• Sight reading
• Possible section playing


• Excerpts to be chosen from the following lists:

Principal Bassoon

Bartok	Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 (Excerpts)
Beethoven	Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60 (Excerpts)
Beethoven	Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" (Excerpts)
Beethoven	Symphony No. 9 in D-Minor, Op. 125 "Choral" (Exerpts)
Berlioz	Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 (Excerpts)
Brahms	Symphony No. 3
Brahms	Violin Concerto
Mozart	Bassoon Concerto - 1st movement exposition and cadenza
Mozart	Serenade No. 10 (Grand Partita)
Mozart	Overture, Marriage of Figaro - opening
Mozart	Symphony No. 35 (Haffner) - 4th movement
Mozart	Symphony No. 41 - 4th movement
Prokofiev	Classical Symphony - 4th movement
Prokofiev	Peter and the Wolf - "Grandfather" solo
Ravel	Bolero - solo
Ravel	La Valse
Ravel	Piano Concerto in G
Rimsky-Korsakov	Scheherazade - movement 2, solo and cadenzas
Rossini	Overture, La Gazza Ladra
Shostakovich	Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat, Op. 70 (Excerpts)
Shostakovich	Symphony No. 10
Sibelius	Symphony No. 1
Strauss	Also Sprach Zarathustra
Strauss	Til Eulenspiegel
Stravinsky	Firebird Suite -"Berceuse"
Stravinsky	Rite of Spring - beginning to number 13
Stravinsky	Pulcinella - Variation IIa
Tchaikovsky	Symphony No. 4 - 2nd movement, 3rd movement solos , 4th movement
Tchaikovsky	Symphony No. 5 - movements I, II, III
Tchaikovsky	Symphony No. 6 - opening solos

 

2nd Bassoon

Bach	Mass in b minor
Bartok	Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 (Excerpts)
Berlioz	Overture, Benvenuto Cellini (Excerpt)
Berlioz	Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 (Excerpts)
Brahms	Symphony No. 3 - 2nd movement
Brahms	Violin Concerto -2nd movement
Mozart	Overture, Marriage of Figaro - opening
Mozart	Symphony No. 3 (Haffner) - 4th movement
Ravel	Rhapsodie Espagnole - Cadenza
Sibelius	Symphony No. 2 - 1st and 2nd movements
Strauss	Don Quixote - Variation IX
Tchaikovsky	Symphony No. 6 - Finale to the Andante
Wagner	Overture, Tannhauser - opening

 

3rd Bassoon

Bartok	Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 (Excerpts)
Berlioz	Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 (Excerpts)
Brahms	Violin Concerto -2nd movement
Mozart	Overture, Marriage of Figaro - opening
Shostakovich	Symphony No. 10
Strauss	Also Sprach Zarathustra
Tchaikovsky	Symphony No. 4 - 2nd movement solo

 

Contrabassoon

Beethoven	Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 - movement IV
Beethoven	Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 - movement IV
Brahms	Variations on a Theme by Hayden, Op. 56a (Excerpts)
Brahms	Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68 (Excerpts)
Brahms	Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90 (Excerpts)
Gliere	Symphony No. 3
Mahler	Symphony No. 5
Mahler	Symphony No. 9
Ravel	Mother Goose Suite - "Beauty and the Beast"
Ravel	Concerto for the Left Hand
Schoenberg	Chamber Symphony, Op. 9
Shostakovich	Symphony No. 5
Strauss	Death and Transfiguration
Strauss	Salome

Audition Repertoire

Orchestral Excerpts for Bassoon Audition
On this page are the most commonly requested musical selections for symphony auditions. This list is by no means absolute because every musical organization is unique and it is not possible to know what they will require, but this is a good place to start.

Although, specific movements and sections are noted here, it is always a good idea to become familiar with an entire piece on the chance that another section might be chosen instead or used for sight reading. In addition, listening to a good recording will give you a sense of how the bassoon part fits into the overall composition along with how to emotionally interpret the music and play correct style, rhythm, and tempo.

Often a position in the symphony orchestra for contrabassoon requires doubling on 3rd bassoon parts. Possible excerpts that might be chosen for an audition on 3rd bassoon are included here as well.