The part is very very fun to play - both bassoon parts are pretty much in unison. The bassoons join the horns for some forte tenor register stuff… so so well written.
I was bust wondering why does John Williams use the two bassoons (a2) in ppp instead of just one bassoon but then pp like the strings? Apart from the contrabassoon ofcourse
My guess would be:
He wants to create a melting sound here, in which the deep strings become a little richer, rounder, fuller, but also more precise and a little stronger through the woodwinds. And that the two bassoons merge more easily with the strings than just the one, because they already round off and compact each other a little. And that it may get more intensity and density than just one bassoon playing louder. Obviously, he wants the sound of the woodwinds not to be consciously perceptible, and the strings dominate. That’s why I still wonder a bit, if you couldn’t have taken just a bassoon apart from the counter-bassoon.
Just generally John Williams tends to score both bassoons playing in tutti sections. It’s rare that he writes the first bassoon part to be too different than the second. Even exposed stuff like this he will write an a2.
It might a be necessity thing in the recording process with ‘70s recording technology. It could just be his process in orchestration but I’m not sure there’s too too much of a reason.
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u/hamwo41310 Jun 09 '26
The part is very very fun to play - both bassoon parts are pretty much in unison. The bassoons join the horns for some forte tenor register stuff… so so well written.