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

Derived Forms

• ˌcontrabasˈsoonist, noun

Other Words From

• contra·bas·soonist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contrabassoon¹

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

Example Sentences

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

The filigreed serenades of the wind section were in the foreground throughout—the growl of the contrabassoon was delightfully prominent—and the tympani rolled with a primal thunder.

From The New Yorker