Hello and welcome to the official Double Reed Ltd. bassoon
blog. The aim of this blog is to share my thoughts on a number of bassoon
related topics. Hopefully these will be of use to those of you interested in
bassoon playing! Your feedback and comments are welcome.
As a director of Double Reed Ltd., I get the opportunity to
regularly try out different bassoons by different makers, and I will partly use
this blog to give feedback on the particular bassoons I try. We currently have
a 2008 Fox 201D professional bassoon, which I am looking forward to unleashing
at an orchestra rehearsal soon.
My own bassoon is a pre-war instrument made by Ernst Karl
Riedl (1896-1967). Riedl was trained as a bassoon maker at the Kohlert factory
in Graslitz, but he set up his own manufacturing business in 1924. He ran a
small workshop, making only one or two top quality bassoons a month. By doing
this he was able to make bassoons to the highest standard without going into
competition with Kohlert, who were making bassoons on a larger scale. Under the
Riedl name he produced bassoons between 1930 and 1945.
I use a post-war Heckel CC2 crook, which has been cut short
at the large and lengthened at the reed end. This is peculiar! But it seems to
like my bassoon. The key-work is original and quite basic by modern standards
(no high D key etc), so it takes a bit more effort to play, but it has a
beautiful sound and I think well worth the effort. It plays well in tune, has
excellent projection for a pre-war bassoon, and most of all has a richness of
sound that rivals the finest pre-war Heckels.
If you own a pre-war Ernst Riedl bassoon, or have some
information about pre-war Riedl bassoons that I have missed, or have a
question, then please feel free to comment!
You can see a picture of my pre-war Riedl bassoon here:
hey!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to figure out where and when my bassoon came from. I inherited it when I was younger and was a regular player. That was 15 years ago and I still have it.
I believe that it needs some fixing up and then I'd like to insure it but I know nothing about it and can't find any information online.
Any thoughts you have would be appreciated as it looks entirely the same as yours (from the pictures above)...
On the bell:
Ernst Riedl
Made in Czechoslovakia
326940
Number 10 stamped on the butt.
Thanks so much!
Liz
After the war, the Czech government forced all of the instrument makers to form one company, which became known as the Amati Company. They built instruments both for the domestic market, was well as for export to the west. One of the companies that was forced into this relationship was Ernst Riedl's bassoon workshop, as well as all of the other companies that were in the area, including Kohlert. As time went by, many of the skilled workers left Czechoslovakia and settled in Germany and re-started the companies that existed before the merger. Both Kohlert and Puchner were among them, although I do not know what ended up happening to Riedl.
DeleteIf your bassoon looks like the one above, you might ber very lucky. In the immediate postwar period, good wood was hard to come by, so many of the instruments of that time were not the greatest. Other makers still had stocks of wood and parts left over, and were able to produce good instruments. If yours looks like the one above with a standard lever actuated low B flat and C, then you are probably lucky. If it has a low C and B flat that are actuated by swiveling posts, then you have an Amati that was made with input by Riedl.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have a Riedl bassoon numbered 80 on the butt. There are no other numbers on the bell or elsewhere. It is in fair condition and I am improving it as I can afford to. Do you know approximately when and where a serial number 80 bassoon would have been produced? It is visually the same as the one pictured in the article. I also have a Fox Renard and must say the Riedl sounds much nicer, more mellow and full of rich tones.
ReplyDeleteHi Keith. Thanks for sharing details of your Riedl bassoon. It is difficult to date your bassoon from the serial number as there is no list of serial numbers anywhere as far as I know. Mine is number 1433, which would suggest it is quite a bit later than yours. Riedl started making bassoons sometime in the 1930's, but I don't know if he started at number 1 for his serial numbers. Could you post a picture of your bassoon? This may help determine its age.
DeleteBest wishes
Oliver Ludlow
Double Reed Ltd.
How do I post a photo Oliver?
DeleteHi Keith. I'm afraid this blog is now inactive. What is the picture of?
DeletePS do take a look at our new blog here: https://www.doublereed.co.uk/news/
ReplyDeleteHey! Thank you so much for sharing your info. I was wondering if you know what kind of wood your bassoon is made from? I have a Riedl that looks almost identical and am curious about the wood type. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI have one as well, the only numbers on it I'd 23
ReplyDelete