Contraforte

The contraforte (spelled Kontraforte in German) is a proprietary version of the contrabassoon produced by Benedikt Eppelsheim and Guntram Wolf. It is intended to have improved dynamics and intonation over the distinctive but sometimes reticent sound of the conventional contrabassoon. The contraforte uses a wide bore to produce a distinct tone, voluminous in character.

Wolf and Eppelsheim developed an accurate bore taper and precise keyworks in order to simplify fingerings in spite of the instrument's large size.

In October 2010 Lewis Lipnick, contrabassoonist for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, played it in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. According to Lipnick, the other members of the orchestra, who used to make jokes about the sound of his old contrabassoon, praised the sound of the contraforte. ^[1]

Technical specifications

The contraforte has many technical aspects that have not been associated with instruments like the bassoon and contrabassoon.

The contraforte has a written range from A1 - G5 (in scientific pitch notation), which sounds as A0 - G4.

Large toneholes allow for a free response and a very large dynamical range.

The pivot screws lie in synthetic sleeves for silent key actions, and push rods make for easy key action with low friction.

The half-hole mechanism provides a clean, silent octave for F# and G3. There are also well-built automatic octave keys from notes A3 to F4.

External links

• Contraforte page on Benedikt Eppelsheim's web site, includes recordings.
• Contraforte page on Guntram Wolf's web site.

Images

• Contraforte, pictured with a B flat Tubax

References

1. ^ Midgette, Anne. [1] "NSO's Lewis Lipnick trades in his contrabassoon for contraforte's sweeter sound", Washington Post, Washington, DC, 2010 Oct 14. Retrieved on 2010-10-17.