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contrabassoon

American  
[kon-truh-ba-soon, -buh-] / ˈkɒn trə bæˈsun, -bə- /

noun

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


contrabassoon British  
/ ˌkɒntrəbəˈsuːn /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of contrabassoon

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2025

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

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2023

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 • Jul. 7, 2021

The deep-sea contrabass clarinet and contrabassoon that Salonen love contribute a strange bottom to the orchestral sound.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2018

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 "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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