Bassoon

The musical piece for the bassoon featured on the commemorative stamp is a suite by the composer Egon Wellesz, marking the 50th anniversary of his death this year.

The versatile bassoon is the deepest instrument in the woodwind family. It is typically made from maple wood and comprises a bell, tube, wing, and boot. The metal S-bend is attached to the wing, to which the reed mouthpiece, usually handmade by bassoon players, is attached. The bassoon can be played standing or sitting, held diagonally in front of the body. It has a warm, dark timbre and is predominantly used as a bass instrument in chamber and orchestral music today.

The Austrian composer and musicologist Egon Wellesz (1885–1974) composed the Suite for Solo Bassoon, op. 77 (first movement: Pastorale) in 1957 while in exile in England, where he was forced to flee in 1938.