Template:POTD/2007-06-05

Two views of a Renard bassoon, a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that plays in the tenor range and below. The instrument is made of black maple, with silver-plated nickel silver keys.

The bassoon evolved from the dulcian. Although the process of evolution from its predecessor is unknown, the bassoon much as it appears in its current form appeared in a late 17th century painting, and a three-keyed bassoon has been dated to 1699. The modern bassoon exists in two distinct primary forms, the Buffet system and the Heckel system. The Buffet system is played primarily in France but also in Belgium and parts of Latin America, while the Heckel system is played in the majority of the world.

Photo credit: Gregory Maxwell
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