contrabassoon
noun
con·tra·bas·soon
| \ ˌkän-trə-bə-ˈsün
, -ba-\
, -ba-\
Definition of contrabassoon
: a double-reed woodwind instrument having a range an octave lower than that of the bassoon
— called also double bassoon
Examples of contrabassoon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
LoPiccolo said, which includes instruments like a contrabassoon and a variety of percussion. — Emily Sorensen, Pomerado News, "Poway Symphony Orchestra seeking string players for Beethoven’s ‘Ninth Symphony’," 22 Aug. 2019 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. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "A Revelatory Performance by the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra," 31 July 2019 Below the noise and brutally driving rhythms the music seethes with weird effects — queasy lyricism in the strings, sinister grunts from the contrabassoon, trombones and tuba. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Riccardo Muti and Yo-Yo Ma turn up the heat in an all-Russian program," 15 June 2018 Details stood in high relief against the roiling sound mass, such as the sinister contrabassoon trailed by muted horns, also the strange little duet between flute and horn later on. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the CSO in an eloquent Mahler Ninth Symphony," 18 May 2018 From the resounding contrabassoon of Jonathan Sherwin to the melodious bow of concertmaster William Preucil, this was a display of orchestra-wide virtuosity and collective eloquence. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Orchestra shines in Ravel, with notable assists from Pintscher, Thibaudet (review)," 23 Feb. 2018 The deep-sea contrabass clarinet and contrabassoon that Salonen love contribute a strange bottom to the orchestral sound. — Mark Swed, latimes.com, "Salonen's 'Pollux' supplies some grunge for L.A. Phil tour," 16 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contrabassoon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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