contrabassoon

[kon-truh-ba-soon, -buh-]

noun

1. a bassoon larger in size and an octave lower in pitch than the ordinary bassoon; a double bassoon.

contrabassoon

/ ˌkɒntrəbəˈsuːn /

noun

1. the largest instrument in the oboe family, pitched an octave below the bassoon; double bassoon

Other Word Forms

• contrabassoonist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contrabassoon¹

First recorded in 1890–95; contra- ² ( def. ) + bassoon

Example Sentences

John Goodman, left, and Christopher Lloyd as Lou, Mark’s contrabassoon teacher, in Season 4.

From Los Angeles Times

The second movement features boisterous, fast moving lines for contrabassoon.

From New York Times

Contra — Means lower: for example a contrabassoon sounds lower than a regular bassoon43 , and a contrabass clarinet is even lower than a bass clarinet.

From Literature

The track opens with a contrabassoon playing the lowest note in the orchestra and swooping upward.

From New York Times

A shadowy mist of cymbal rises off long, sepulchral tones down in the basses and contrabassoon, before a keening fragment of bassoon pierces the quiet with melancholy song.

From New York Times