Christian Julius Weissenborn (April 13, 1837 – April 21, 1888) was a German
bassoon
The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...
ist, teacher and composer.
Biography
Weissenborn was born in
Friedrichs-Tanneck near
Eisenberg,
Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
. He was principal bassoonist of the
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...
from 1857 to 1887. He taught at the
Leipzig Conservatory
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig () is a public university in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatorium der Musik (Conservatory of Music), it is the oldest music ...
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, Op. 8 (which includes the "Fifty Advanced Studies"), which are still in widespread use. He died, aged 51, in
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
.
Music
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
A clef (from French: 'key') is a Musical notation, musical symbol used to indicate which Musical note, notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff (music), staff. Placing a clef on a staff assigns a particular pitch ...
and a fairly detailed discussion of various
ornaments
An ornament is something used for decoration.
Ornament may also refer to:
Decoration
*Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts
*Ornamental turning
*Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals tha ...
, with a 26th section applying these concepts.
The Bassoon Studies, Op. 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
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
Other works:
*Op. 3: Romance
*Op. 4: Six Bassoon Trios
*Op. 9: Six Recital Pieces (Vortragsstücke): Arioso; Humoreske; Adagio; Notturno; Scherzo; Ballade)
*Op. 10: Three Recital Pieces: Song Without Words; Romanze; Elegie
*Op. 14 Capriccio
Media
References
*
Famous Bassoon Tutors and Their (Less Known) Authors'. Jansen, Will. The Journal of The International Double Reed Society Number 2, 1974.
*New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, s.v. "Weissenborn, (Christian) Julius". 1980.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weissenborn, Julius
1837 births
1888 deaths
19th-century German classical composers
19th-century German male musicians
German classical bassoonists
German male classical composers
German Romantic composers