{"id":29598,"date":"2025-09-30T09:31:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T07:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/?p=29598"},"modified":"2025-10-30T16:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T15:24:13","slug":"basson-charles-joseph-bizey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vichy-encheres.com\/en\/2025\/09\/30\/basson-charles-joseph-bizey\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u00e9couverte majeure dans l\u2019\u0153uvre de Charles Bizey : le plus ancien basson fran\u00e7ais connu et attribu\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ce basson en \u00e9rable ond\u00e9 \u00e0 4 cl\u00e9s de Charles Bizey, constitue un jalon dans l\u2019histoire de la facture instrumentale fran\u00e7aise. Estampill\u00e9 \u201cBIZEY \/ \u00c0 PARIS\u201d sur chacun de ses corps, il est consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme le plus ancien basson fran\u00e7ais complet connu. Actif \u00e0 Paris d\u00e8s 1716, Bizey est l\u2019un des premiers facteurs \u00e0 avoir d\u00e9fini les caract\u00e9ristiques du basson \u00e0 la fran\u00e7aise. Tr\u00e8s peu de bassons de sa main sont conserv\u00e9s – seuls deux exemplaires originaux sont actuellement recens\u00e9s – dont un dont il ne reste que la culasse. Fondateur d\u2019une v\u00e9ritable \u00e9cole parisienne, Bizey a exerc\u00e9 une influence d\u00e9cisive sur ses successeurs, parmi lesquels son neveu et \u00e9l\u00e8ve Prudent Thieriot, puis Dominique Porthaux et la dynastie Savary, qui feront perdurer son mod\u00e8le avant l\u2019essor de celui allemand au XIXe si\u00e8cle. Int\u00e9gralement marqu\u00e9 et complet, cet instrument est exceptionnel par son \u00e9tat et sa raret\u00e9, et s\u2019offre \u00e0 nous comme une pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence pour l\u2019\u00e9tude des bois anciens.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Charles Joseph Bizey (c.1695 – 1758) : le fondateur de la dynastie de la rue Dauphine<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"A<\/a>
A musical party, par William Hosgarth – 1730.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Au d\u00e9but du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle, la facture parisienne conna\u00eet un nouvel essor, impuls\u00e9 notamment par l\u2019atelier de Charles Joseph Bizey, l\u2019un des meilleurs facteurs de son temps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re\u00e7u ma\u00eetre de la communaut\u00e9 des facteurs d\u2019instruments et musiciens de Paris en 1716, on sait qu\u2019il \u00e9tait \u00e9tabli rue Mazarine de 1728 \u00e0 1734, puis rue Dauphine \u00e0 partir de 1749[1]<\/sup><\/a>. D\u00e8s 1721, sa r\u00e9putation d\u00e9passait d\u00e9j\u00e0 les fronti\u00e8res, puisqu\u2019il fournissait deux hautbois \u00e0 la cour de Munich cette ann\u00e9e-l\u00e0[2]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En 1752, il \u00e9tait l\u2019un des cinq ma\u00eetres luthiers r\u00e9f\u00e9renc\u00e9s \u00e0 Paris. Puis, comme on peut le lire dans l\u2019ouvrage de Constant Pierre, il cessa vraisemblablement de travailler jusqu\u2019en 1769, car son nom n’appara\u00eet plus dans l\u2019Almanach[3]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> William Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, A Dictionary of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers and Inventors, Tony Bingham, London, 1993<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Susannah Cleveland, Eighteenth-Century French Oboes: A Comparative Study. Master of Music <\/em>(Musicology), Mai 2001, p.14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> Constant Pierre, Les facteurs d\u2019instruments de musique<\/em>, Paris, Ed. Sagot, 1893<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Rue<\/a>
Rue Mazarine – dessin de L\u00e9on Leymonnerye – Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Rue<\/a>
Rue Dauphine- dessin de L\u00e9on Leymonnerye – Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Outillage<\/a>
Outillage d’un facteur d’instruments \u00e0 vent, en bois – L’Encyclop\u00e9die de Diderot et d’Alemberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Charles Bizey est \u00e9galement connu pour avoir form\u00e9 plusieurs apprentis. A partir de 1747, il eut Prudent Thieriot en apprentissage pendant six ans, comme en attestent les instruments sign\u00e9s \u201cPrudent Bizey\u201d jusqu\u2019en 1751. Il forma \u00e9galement Paul Villars<\/a>. Charles Bizey se maria \u00e0 trois reprises, avec des \u00e9pouses issues du milieu de la facture d\u2019instruments. Il \u00e9pousa en premi\u00e8res noces Elizabeth Simonne Chalopet en 1742, paroisse Saint-Sulpice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apr\u00e8s le d\u00e9c\u00e8s de celle-ci, il se remaria en janvier 1748 avec Anne Simonne Villars, membre de la famille de son apprenti Paul Villars. Enfin, Bizey prit pour troisi\u00e8me \u00e9pouse Anne Marguerite Chalopet le 18 avril 1751 \u00e0 Saint-Andr\u00e9-des-Arts[2]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bizey est le premier d\u2019une dynastie de facteurs de grande renomm\u00e9e install\u00e9s dans l\u2019atelier de la rue Dauphine. \u00c0 sa mort en 1758, l\u2019atelier fut repris par son \u00e9l\u00e8ve Prudent, qui \u00e9pousa en 1758 la s\u0153ur de sa 3\u00e8me \u00e9pouse. Apr\u00e8s Prudent, l\u2019atelier fut rachet\u00e9 par Dominique Porthaux, qui \u00e9pousa en 1777 la s\u0153ur de celui-ci.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L\u2019atelier de la rue Dauphine \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s r\u00e9put\u00e9 et marqua l’histoire, notamment gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 sa production d\u2019instruments \u00e0 anche double de grande qualit\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comme on peut l\u2019observer sur le basson en vente \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res, Charles Bizey marquait ses instruments par une fleur-de-lys au-dessus de son nom, suivi parfois de la localisation \u201cA PARIS\u201d et d\u2019un soleil. Villars et Prudent adopt\u00e8rent tous deux la fleur-de-lys de leur ma\u00eetre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[2]<\/sup><\/a> William Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, A Dictionary of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers and Inventors, Tony Bingham, London, 1993<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Charles Joseph Bizey, marque – Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 15 novembre 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Prudent.\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 3 novembre 2019.\n\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Dominique Porthaux.\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 16 d\u00e9cembre 2006.\n\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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La production de Charles Bizey<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"L'atelier<\/a>
L’atelier du fabricant d’instruments – planche XVIII – 1772 – L’Encyclop\u00e9die de Diderot et d’Alemberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hautbois<\/a>
Hautbois de Charles Bizey – marque.
Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 7 mai 2022.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Charles Bizey a fabriqu\u00e9 une large gamme d\u2019instruments de la famille des bois, refl\u00e9tant la polyvalence des ateliers parisiens de l\u2019\u00e9poque. Malheureusement, peu d\u2019instruments sont parvenus jusqu\u2019\u00e0 nous. On en conna\u00eet environ une trentaine, comprenant trois fl\u00fbtes \u00e0 bec, des fl\u00fbtes traversi\u00e8res, une fl\u00fbte basse \u00e0 cinq cl\u00e9s, des hautbois, des hautbois da caccia, des bassons et des cervelas. Bizey fut notamment l\u2019un des premiers facteurs \u00e0 r\u00e9aliser des fl\u00fbtes traversi\u00e8res en quatre corps[1]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il s\u2019est surtout fait un nom gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 ses instruments \u00e0 anche double, en particulier ses hautbois, r\u00e9put\u00e9s d\u2019une qualit\u00e9 exceptionnelle, \u00e0 l\u2019exemple du remarquable mod\u00e8le vendu \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 7 mai 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charles Bizey est aussi connu pour avoir con\u00e7u un hautbois baryton d\u2019un grand int\u00e9r\u00eat, que le facteur Guillaume Tri\u00e9bert <\/a>redessina en 1823. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Un entrefilet publi\u00e9 dans le Mercure de France <\/em>de d\u00e9cembre 1749 soulignait l\u2019esprit inventif de Bizey, pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 comme un \u201cinventeur de plusieurs instruments \u00e0 vent\u201d qui \u201ctravaille toujours avec succ\u00e8s et perfectionne plus que jamais ces sortes d\u2019instruments [\u2026].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il a m\u00eame depuis peu invent\u00e9 des hautbois qui descendent jusqu\u2019au G\u00e9rosol, comme le violon; il en a aussi invent\u00e9 d\u2019autres qui sont \u00e0 l\u2019octave des hautbois ordinaires, imitant parfaitement le cor de chasse\u201d[2<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ces mentions laissent entendre que Bizey avait mis au point des hautbois t\u00e9nors descendants plus bas que la tessiture habituelle – jusqu\u2019au sol di\u00e8se, registre du violon – ainsi que des hautbois petits format \u00e0 sonorit\u00e9 de type cor de chasse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Tula Giannini, Great Flute Makers of France, The Lot and Godfroy families, 1650 \u2013 1900, Tony Bingham, 1993<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Le Mercure de France<\/em>, d\u00e9cembre 1749, dans William Waterhouse, The New Langwill<\/em>, Tony Bingham, 1993, p.34<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Flageolet<\/a>
Flageolet oiseau de Charles Bizey. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 17 d\u00e9cembre 2011. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Fl\u00fbte<\/a>
Fl\u00fbte \u00e0 bec de Charles Bizey – 1716 – Library of Congress, Washington.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hautbois<\/a>
Hautbois de Charles Bizey – 1730. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 7 mai 2022. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Les bassons de Charles Bizey<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Charles Joseph Bizey.
Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 15 novembre 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Cervelas<\/a>
Cervelas de Charles Bizey. \u00a9 Jean-Claude Billing – Mus\u00e9e de la Musique \u00e0 Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Reproduction<\/a>
Reproduction par Barton du basson Bizey conserv\u00e9 au Beethoven Haus de Bonn.
\u00a9 https:\/\/barton-bassoon.it\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bien que moins nombreux que ses hautbois, les bassons de Bizey repr\u00e9sentent un jalon essentiel dans l\u2019histoire du basson \u201c\u00e0 la fran\u00e7aise\u201d. Jusqu\u2019\u00e0 ce jour, seulement deux mod\u00e8les lui \u00e9taient attribu\u00e9s avec certitude. Le premier, conserv\u00e9 au Beethoven-Haus de Bonn, est un instrument complet, en \u00e9rable, muni de cinq cl\u00e9s en laiton. Il est dat\u00e9 du premier tiers du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle et, de part sa raret\u00e9, il a servi de mod\u00e8le de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence pour des copies modernes. Avant la d\u00e9couverte de ce nouveau basson \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res, aucun autre exemplaire aussi complet que le mod\u00e8le de Bonn n\u2019\u00e9tait connu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le second instrument connu jusque-l\u00e0 est une culasse – la pi\u00e8ce inf\u00e9rieure du basson – portant la marque Bizey. Elle est aujourd\u2019hui conserv\u00e9e dans la collection particuli\u00e8re d\u2019un c\u00e9l\u00e8bre bassoniste<\/a>. Les autres parties ont \u00e9t\u00e9 refaites pour permettre la reconstitution de l’instrument.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Le basson mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res pr\u00e9sente une configuration encore plus remarquable que ces deux mod\u00e8les, puisqu\u2019il est complet – seul le bocal manque – et en \u00e9tat d\u2019origine, avec ses quatre cl\u00e9s en laiton d\u2019\u00e9poque et une touche papillon typique de la facture fran\u00e7aise. La pr\u00e9sence de la marque sur les quatre corps le rend unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il s\u2019agit, en l\u2019\u00e9tat des connaissances, du plus ancien basson fran\u00e7ais complet attest\u00e9. R\u00e9alis\u00e9 durant le premier tiers du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle, il est donc une pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence absolue pour l\u2019organologie et l\u2019histoire de l\u2019instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notons enfin que le Mus\u00e9e de la Musique de Paris conserve un rare cervelas du facteur, recouvert de cuir fleurdelis\u00e9.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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L’histoire du basson et l’\u00e9mergence de l’\u00e9cole fran\u00e7aise<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Le basson : des origines incertaines aux premiers mod\u00e8les baroques<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Paolo<\/a>
Paolo di Giovanni, “Cinq anges dansant” – vers 1430 – Mus\u00e9e Cond\u00e9 \u00e0 Chantilly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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L’histoire du basson remonte au XVIe si\u00e8cle, o\u00f9 son anc\u00eatre le plus direct, le dulcian – ou curtal –  \u00e9tait utilis\u00e9 dans les ensembles de musique ou les chapelles princi\u00e8res. Ce type d’instrument, monobloc et sans cl\u00e9 ou presque, \u00e9tait taill\u00e9 dans une seule pi\u00e8ce de bois et pr\u00e9sentait une perce repli\u00e9e en U interne. Il \u00e9tait jou\u00e9 avec une anche double semblable \u00e0 celle du hautbois et son registre couvrait les lignes graves de la polyphonie[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Le basson d\u00e9rive aussi du fagotto<\/em> italien, con\u00e7u au XVIIe si\u00e8cle pour remplacer le dulcian de la Renaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Gunther Joppig, Hautbois et basson, leur histoire, leur famille, leur r\u00e9pertoire, Payot Lausanne, 1981<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Denis<\/a>
Denis van Asloot – Procession en l’honneur de Notre Dame des Sablons de Bruxelles -d\u00e9tail de musiciens avec un joueur de doucaine base \u00e0 gauche.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Ange<\/a>
Ange jouant du basson baroque dans une \u00e9glise allemande.\n\u00a9 councilofcanadianbassoonists.ca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Christoph<\/a>
Christoph Wiegel – Der Pfeiffenmacher -1698.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dulcian<\/a>
Dulcian – G\u00f6rlitzer Sch\u00fctzen – 1660.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Johann<\/a>
Johann Christoph Weigel – vers 1710 – Musicalisches Theatrum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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C’est au tournant des XVIIe et XVIIIe si\u00e8cles que le basson moderne \u00e9merge progressivement. La transformation essentielle consista \u00e0 diviser le corps en plusieurs sections, quatre corps, facilitant \u00e0 la fois le transport et l’accord. Cette \u00e9volution s’op\u00e9ra de mani\u00e8re simultan\u00e9e dans plusieurs centres europ\u00e9ens. L\u2019Allemagne et la France jou\u00e8rent un r\u00f4le majeur dans ce d\u00e9veloppement, avec des repr\u00e9sentants comme la famille Grenser en Allemagne – Vichy Ench\u00e8res a vendu plusieurs exemplaires exceptionnels de Heinrich Grenser <\/a>– et Charles Bizey et ses successeurs en France.  Le basson devint \u00e0 cette \u00e9poque un instrument \u00e0 part enti\u00e8re de l\u2019orchestre baroque, apparaissant dans les effectifs d\u00e8s Lully et Campra, puis dans ceux de Rameau, Haendel ou Vivaldi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Heinrich Grenser.\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 10 mai 2025.\n\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Grenser. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 16 juin 2012. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Les premiers bassons fran\u00e7ais : vers une \u00e9cole parisienne<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Le<\/a>
Le basson et ses parties, Encyclop\u00e9die Diderot et d”Alemberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Duo<\/a>
Duo de clavecin et de basson – 1780.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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En France, l’utilisation du basson est attest\u00e9e au XVIIe si\u00e8cle, mais les instruments conserv\u00e9s ne remontent gu\u00e8re au-del\u00e0 du premier tiers du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle. Les sources documentaires \u00e9voquent les familles Philidor, Hotteterre ou Naust comme les premiers facteurs actifs[1]<\/sup><\/a>, mais aucun instrument de leur main n’est parvenu jusqu’\u00e0 nous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il faut attendre le XVIIIe si\u00e8cle pour que se constitue une v\u00e9ritable \u201c\u00e9cole parisienne\u201d du basson, avec des caract\u00e9ristiques identifiables, telles que l\u2019\u00e9rable finement tourn\u00e9, les cl\u00e9s en laiton mont\u00e9es dans des blocs, le profil mince et droit du pavillon, les estampilles ornement\u00e9es.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u00e8s les ann\u00e9es 1720-1730, l\u2019atelier parisien de Bizey contribue \u00e0 l\u2019essor du basson en France. L\u2019usage de l\u2019instrument grandit au sein des orchestres royaux et du Concert Spirituel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il ouvre ainsi une lign\u00e9e qui inclut Prudent Thieriot, Dominique Porthaux (actif dans les ann\u00e9es 1770) et Nicolas Savary (actif jusqu’au XIXe si\u00e8cle). Ces facteurs fournissent les musiciens de la Chapelle royale, de l\u2019Op\u00e9ra de Paris et du Conservatoire cr\u00e9\u00e9 en 1795. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il faudra attendre l\u2019invention du basson “romantique” \u00e0 16 ou 17 cl\u00e9s par Johann Adam Heckel au XIXe si\u00e8cle en Allemagne pour mettre fin \u00e0 la pr\u00e9\u00e9minence de l\u2019instrument fran\u00e7ais, mais de nombreux musiciens, \u00e0 l\u2019instar de Jean-Marie Heinrich ou Maurice Allard, joueront sur des mod\u00e8les fran\u00e7ais, perp\u00e9tuant cette tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Voir notamment Ernest Thoina, Les Hotteterre et les Ch\u00e9deville, c\u00e9l\u00e8bres joueurs et facteurs de fl\u00fbtes, hautbois, bassons et musettes des XVIIe et XVIIIe si\u00e8cles, Paris, Edmond Sagot, 1894<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Heckel.\nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 6 mai 2023.\n\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson \u00e0 dix cl\u00e9s de Savary Jeune.
Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 14 d\u00e9cembre 2002.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Jean-Jacques Baumann. \nInstrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 11 d\u00e9cembre 2019.\n\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Les premiers bassons document\u00e9s dans les collections publiques<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Les premiers bassons fran\u00e7ais parvenus jusqu\u2019\u00e0 nous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Basson,<\/a>
Basson, probablement de Dondeine, France – 1720 – Bate Collection Oxford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Jean-Jacques Baumann, – c.1813-1825 – Metropolitan Museum New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Dominique Antony Porthaux – 1790-1800 – Metropolitan Museum de New-York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Si l\u2019Italie, l\u2019Allemagne et les Pays-Bas ont fourni des t\u00e9moignages pr\u00e9coces, la France, malgr\u00e9 son r\u00f4le central dans la musique europ\u00e9enne, conserve peu de traces mat\u00e9rielles de ses tout premiers bassons. Les exemplaires subsistants du d\u00e9but du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle sont rares, souvent attribu\u00e9s \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9tranger, et parfois modifi\u00e9s. Parmi les premiers bassons identifi\u00e9s, le plus ancien document\u00e9 dans une collection publique est conserv\u00e9 \u00e0 la Bate Collection <\/em>de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 d\u2019Oxford. Dat\u00e9 autour de 1720, cet instrument \u00e0 quatre cl\u00e9s n\u2019est malheureusement pas sign\u00e9 mais pourrait \u00eatre l’\u0153uvre du facteur fran\u00e7ais Dondeine. Il s\u2019agit d\u2019un exemple pr\u00e9cieux de la facture fran\u00e7aise baroque, identifiable \u00e0 ses proportions et son per\u00e7age \u00e9troit, t\u00e9moignant des premi\u00e8res standardisations du mod\u00e8le \u00e0 quatre parties. Cette pi\u00e8ce constitue un t\u00e9moin rare des d\u00e9buts du basson moderne tel qu\u2019il s\u2019est fix\u00e9 en France au tournant du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle. Le Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/em> de New York conserve \u00e9galement un basson fran\u00e7ais, attribu\u00e9 \u00e0 Dominique Antony Porthaux, actif \u00e0 Paris entre 1790 et 1800.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

On retrouve, dans la m\u00eame collection, un basson du facteur parisien Jean-Jacques Baumann, fabriqu\u00e9 entre 1813 et 1825 qui atteste du d\u00e9veloppement des cl\u00e9s et de l\u2019adaptation progressive du basson aux exigences du r\u00e9pertoire du XIXe si\u00e8cle. Il faut aussi mentionner le basson de Jean-Nicolas Savary dat\u00e9 de 1824, conserv\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019Universit\u00e9 d\u2019\u00c9dimbourg (Music Museum<\/em>). Enfin, le Mus\u00e9e de la Musique de Paris conserve un rare exemplaire de basson ottavino r\u00e9alis\u00e9 par Jacoby Fils, facteur actif en France au XVIIIe si\u00e8cle. \u00c0 cette liste s\u2019ajoute un basson anonyme fran\u00e7ais du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle conserv\u00e9 au Museu de la M\u00fasica<\/em> de Barcelone et un autre basson anonyme de l\u2019\u00e9cole fran\u00e7aise conserv\u00e9 au Mus\u00e9e de la Musique de Paris. Au regard de cet inventaire, l\u2019instrument de Bizey d\u00e9couvert \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res peut donc \u00eatre consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme le plus ancien basson fran\u00e7ais connu et attribu\u00e9 de mani\u00e8re certaine, qui nous soit parvenu. Il s\u2019agit donc d\u2019une pi\u00e8ce exceptionnelle et historique.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Jean-Nicolas Savary – 1824 – Music Instruments, Universit\u00e9 d’Edimbourg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson anonyme, \u00e9cole fran\u00e7aise – XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle – Museu de la Musica, Barcelone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Jacoby Fils – XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle – Mus\u00e9e de la Musique, Paris.
\u00a9 Jean-Claude Billing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson anonyme, \u00e9cole fran\u00e7aise – XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle – Mus\u00e9e de la Musique, Paris.
\u00a9Jean-Claude Billing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Autres bassons des premiers si\u00e8cles parvenus jusqu\u2019\u00e0 nous : mod\u00e8les \u00e9trangers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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En dehors des collections publiques fran\u00e7aises, on retrouve des bassons du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle dans les collections \u00e9trang\u00e8res, et notamment en Allemagne. Le Germanisches Nationalmuseum <\/em>de Nuremberg poss\u00e8de un ensemble particuli\u00e8rement riche de bassons et dulcians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il conserve, entre autres, un dulcian de Johann Christophe Denner r\u00e9alis\u00e9 avant 1700 et un basson \u00e0 quatre cl\u00e9s de Jacob Denner, dat\u00e9 d\u2019avant 1735. Le m\u00eame mus\u00e9e conserve un basson de Johann Wolfgang K\u00f6nigsberger, dat\u00e9 vers 1740. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Un autre mod\u00e8le, probablement fabriqu\u00e9 \u00e0 la m\u00eame \u00e9poque par Johann Heinrich Eichentopf, figure dans la collection avec une facture qui \u00e9voque l\u2019influence de Leipzig ou Dresde. Toujours au Germanisches Nationalmuseum<\/em>, un instrument attribu\u00e9 \u00e0 Johann August Crone, dat\u00e9 vers 1770, t\u00e9moigne d\u2019une facture saxonne plus tardive. D\u2019autres bassons de facteurs allemands sont repr\u00e9sent\u00e9s dans cette collection, comme L. Kraus et Ignaz Huittl, respectivement de la premi\u00e8re et de la deuxi\u00e8me moiti\u00e9 du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Une documentation iconographique compl\u00e9mentaire est \u00e9galement conserv\u00e9e dans ce mus\u00e9e, \u00e0 l\u2019image d\u2019un dessin de Peter Jakob Horemans repr\u00e9sentant un jeune homme jouant du basson, qui fournit un t\u00e9moignage sur l\u2019usage de l\u2019instrument en contexte civil ou domestique au XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/em> de New York conserve \u00e9galement plusieurs bassons du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle et d\u00e9but du XIXe si\u00e8cle, dont un basson de Johannes Scherer, vers 1750-1770, et de Wolfgang Thomae, r\u00e9alis\u00e9 \u00e9galement vers 1750. Plus rare encore, est conserv\u00e9 dans la collection un basson fabriqu\u00e9 vers 1811 par John Meacham, facteur actif aux \u00c9tats-Unis. On peut \u00e9galement signaler un mod\u00e8le r\u00e9alis\u00e9 en 1771 par l\u2019atelier Jeanneret, probablement d\u2019origine suisse, de facture interm\u00e9diaire entre les mod\u00e8les fran\u00e7ais et germaniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Albrecht<\/a>
Albrecht D\u00fcrer, “Titelbordure mit laute spielendem engel” – bois grav\u00e9 – 1526 – Germanisches Museum de N\u00fcremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Felix<\/a>
Felix Reiner, bassoniste, par Peter Jakob Horemans – 1774.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"Jeune<\/a>
Jeune homme jouant du basson, dessin, de Peter Jakob Horemans – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Dulcian<\/a>
Dulcian de Johann Christoph Denner, -avant 1700 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Jacob Denner – avant 1735 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Johann Wolfgang K\u00f6nigsberger -vers 1740 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Johann Heinrich Eichentop -vers 1740 -Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de Johann August Crone – vers 1770 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Basson de L. Kraus – premi\u00e8re moiti\u00e9 du XVIII\u00e8me si\u00e8cle – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Johann<\/a>
Johann August Crone, Basson – vers 1770 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Wolfgang<\/a>
Wolfgang Thomae, Basson – vers 1750 – Metropolitan Museum, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"John<\/a>
John Meacham, Basson, -1811 – Metropolitan Museum, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Atelier<\/a>
Atelier Jeanneret, Basson, 1771, Metropolitan Museum, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Johannes<\/a>
Johannes Scherer, basson – vers 1750-1770 – Metropolitan Museum of New-York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

La red\u00e9couverte de ce basson de Charles Bizey vient donc enrichir notre connaissance de l\u2019histoire de l\u2019instrument en nous fournissant un nouvel exemple de la facture fran\u00e7aise. R\u00e9alis\u00e9 durant le premier tiers du XVIIIe si\u00e8cle et enti\u00e8rement estampill\u00e9 \u201cBIZEY \/ \u00c0 PARIS\u201d, cet instrument est aujourd\u2019hui consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme le plus ancien basson fran\u00e7ais complet connu et attribu\u00e9. Son \u00e9tat de conservation exceptionnel et sa provenance en font une pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9f\u00e9rence pour l\u2019\u00e9tude du \u201cbasson \u00e0 la fran\u00e7aise\u201d et des d\u00e9buts de l\u2019\u00e9cole parisienne. T\u00e9moignage direct de la ma\u00eetrise et de l\u2019inventivit\u00e9 de Bizey, il \u00e9claire la transition entre les mod\u00e8les baroques europ\u00e9ens et la facture fran\u00e7aise classique. Alors ne manquez pas la vente de ce basson historique \u00e0 Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 15 novembre 2025 – une occasion unique d\u2019approcher un instrument fondateur de l\u2019histoire de la lutherie fran\u00e7aise.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A MAJOR DISCOVERY IN CHARLES BIZEY\u2019S OUTPUT: THE OLDEST KNOWN ATTRIBUTED FRENCH BASSOON<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This four-keyed flamed maple bassoon by Charles Bizey is a milestone in the history of French instrument making. It is stamped \u201cBIZEY \/ \u00c0 PARIS\u201d on each of its bodies, and is thought to be the oldest known complete French bassoon. Bizey, who was active in Paris from 1716, was one of the first makers to define the characteristics of the French bassoon. Very few bassoons by him are still in existence: only two original examples are currently known, and for one of those the breech is the only element that remains. Bizey was the founding father of a true Parisian school, and he had a lasting influence on his successors, including his nephew and student Prudent Thieriot, and later Dominique Porthaux and the Savary dynasty, who continued producing instruments based on his model, before the rise of the German one in the 19th century. This instrument, which is fully branded and complete, is exceptional for its condition and rarity, and constitutes a reference for the study of antique woodwind instruments.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Catalog<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 14 November 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sale of 15 November 2025<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Contact<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Experts<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Version fran\u00e7aise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Charles Joseph Bizey (c. 1695 \u2013 1758): founder of the dynasty at rue Dauphine<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"A<\/a>
A musical party, from William Hosgarth – 1730.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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At the beginning of the 18th century, Parisian oboe making experienced a rapid rise, in particular thanks to the workshop of Charles Joseph Bizey, one of the finest oboe makers of his time. He was admitted as a master of the community of instrument makers and musicians of Paris in 1716, and set up shop on rue Mazarine<\/em> from 1728 to 1734, and then on rue Dauphine<\/em> from 1749[1]<\/sup><\/a>. By 1721, his reputation had already spread beyond France, as evidenced by his supplying of two oboes to the court of Munich that year[2]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1752, he was one of five master makers listed in Paris. Afterwards, as indicated in the work of Constant Pierre, he likely stopped working until 1769, as his name no longer appeared in the Almanac[3]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> William Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, A Dictionary of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers and Inventors, Tony Bingham, London, 1993<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Susannah Cleveland, Eighteenth-Century French Oboes: A Comparative Study. Master of Music <\/em>(Musicology), Mai 2001, p.14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> Constant Pierre, Les facteurs d\u2019instruments de musique<\/em>, Paris, Ed. Sagot, 1893<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
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\"Rue<\/a>
Rue Mazarine – drawing by L\u00e9on Leymonnerye – Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Rue<\/a>
Rue Dauphine- drawing by L\u00e9on Leymonnerye – Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Outillage<\/a>
Wooden tools used by a wind instrument maker – L’Encyclop\u00e9die de Diderot et d’Alemberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Charles Bizey is also known to have trained several apprentices. From 1747 to 1751, he trained Prudent Thieriot, as the \u201cPrudent Bizey\u201d signature on instruments of that period attest. He also trained Paul Villars. Charles Bizey married three times, to women within the instrument-making community. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Simonne Chalopet in 1742, in the parish of Saint-Sulpice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After her death, he remarried in January 1748 to Anne Simonne Villars, a member of the family of his apprentice Paul Villars. Finally, Bizey took Anne Marguerite Chalopet as his third wife on 18 April 1751, in Saint-Andr\u00e9-des-Arts[2]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bizey was the first of a dynasty of renowned makers established in the workshop on rue Dauphine<\/em>. Upon his death in 1758, the workshop was taken over by his apprentice Prudent, who married Bizey\u2019s third wife’s sister in 1758. After Prudent, the workshop was bought by Dominique Porthaux, who married Prudent\u2019s sister in 1777.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshop on rue Dauphine<\/em> had a great reputation and made its mark on history, particularly thanks to its production of high-quality double-reed instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is the case with the bassoon for sale at Vichy Ench\u00e8res, Charles Bizey branded his instruments with a fleur-de-lys symbol above his name, sometimes followed by the location \u201cA PARIS\u201d and a depiction of the sun. Villars and Prudent both adopted their master\u2019s fleur-de-lys branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[2]<\/sup><\/a> William Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, A Dictionary of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers and Inventors, Tony Bingham, London, 1993<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon by Charles Joseph Bizey, brand- Vichy Ench\u00e8res 15 November 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Prudent bassoon. Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Ench\u00e8res 3 November 2019. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon by Dominique Porthaux. Instrument offered for sale byVichy Ench\u00e8res16 December 2006. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Charles Bizey\u2019s output<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"L'atelier<\/a>
The instrument maker’s workshop – board XVIII – 1772 – L’Encyclop\u00e9die de Diderot et d’Alemberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hautbois<\/a>
Oboe by Charles Bizey – brand.
Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 7 mai 2022.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Charles Bizey made a wide range of woodwind instruments, which was typical for Parisian workshops at the time. Unfortunately, few of these instruments have survived. About 30 are known, including three recorders, transverse flutes, a five-keyed bass flute, oboes, oboes da caccia<\/em>, bassoons and cervelas<\/em>. Bizey was notably one of the first makers to make four-body transverse flutes[1]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He became famous mainly for his double-reed instruments, particularly his oboes \u2013 such as the remarkable example sold at Vichy Ench\u00e8res on 7 May 2022 \u2013 which were renowned for their exceptional quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charles Bizey is also known for creating a very interesting baritone oboe, which was redesigned by the maker Guillaume Tri\u00e9bert<\/a> in 1823.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short article published in the Mercure de France<\/em> in December 1749 highlighted Bizey’s inventive spirit, presenting him as an “inventor of several wind instruments” who “still works successfully and perfects these kinds of instruments more than ever [\u2026]. He has even recently invented oboes that go down to the G\u00e9rosol, like the violin; he has also invented others that are an octave above ordinary oboes, imitating perfectly the hunting horn.”[2<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These mentions suggest that Bizey had developed tenor oboes descending lower than the usual register \u2013 down to G sharp, i.e. the violin register \u2013 as well as small-form oboes with a hunting horn-like tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Tula Giannini, Great Flute Makers of France, The Lot and Godfroy families, 1650 \u2013 1900, Tony Bingham, 1993<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Le Mercure de France<\/em>, d\u00e9cembre 1749, dans William Waterhouse, The New Langwill<\/em>, Tony Bingham, 1993, p.34<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Flageolet<\/a>
Bird flageolet by Charles Bizey. Instrument mis en vente par Vichy Ench\u00e8res17 December 2011. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Fl\u00fbte<\/a>
Charles Bizey’s recorder – 1716 – Library of Congress, Washington.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hautbois<\/a>
Oboe by Charles Bizey – 1730. Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 7 mai 2022. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Charles Bizey’s bassoons<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon from Charles Joseph Bizey.
Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 15 novembre 2025.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Cervelas<\/a>
Cervelas from Charles Bizey. \u00a9 Jean-Claude Billing – Mus\u00e9e de la Musique \u00e0 Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Reproduction<\/a>
Reproduction by Barton of the Bizey bassoon kept at the Beethoven Haus de Bonn.
\u00a9 https:\/\/barton-bassoon.it\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Although rarer than his oboes, Bizey’s bassoons represent a key milestone in the history of the French-style bassoon. To date, only two examples have been attributed to him with certainty. The first, preserved at the Beethoven-Haus<\/em> in Bonn, is a complete maple instrument with five brass keys. It dates from the first third of the 18th century and, due to its rarity, has served as reference model for modern copies. Before the recent discovery of the bassoon at Vichy Ench\u00e8res, the Bonn instrument was the only known complete instrument in existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only other instrument currently known is a breech \u2013 the lower part of the bassoon \u2013 bearing the Bizey mark. It is held in the private collection of a famous bassoonist.<\/a> The other parts of the instrument have been reconstructed in order for it to be complete.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The bassoon sold by Vichy Ench\u00e8res is in an even more remarkable condition than these two examples, as it is complete (the bocal is the only part missing) and in original condition, featuring its four period brass keys and a butterfly key typical of the French school. The presence of the brand on all four bodies makes it unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the best of our knowledge, this is the oldest known complete French bassoon. It was made during the first third of the 18th century, and is therefore a definite reference piece for the study of musical instruments and their history. Finally, we should mention that the Mus\u00e9e de la Musique<\/em> in Paris holds a rare cervelas<\/em> by this maker, covered in fleur-de-lis leather.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The history of the bassoon and the emergence of the French school<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The bassoon : from its muddied origins to the first naroque models<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Paolo<\/a>
Paolo di Giovanni, “Cinq anges dansant” – around 1430 – Mus\u00e9e Cond\u00e9 \u00e0 Chantilly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The history of the bassoon dates back to the 16th century, when its most direct ancestor, the dulcian \u2013 or curtal \u2013 was used in musical ensembles and royal chapels. This type of one-piece instrument, with few or no keys, was carved from a single piece of wood and featured an internal U-shaped bore. It was played with a double reed similar to that of the oboe, and its register spanned the bass register of polyphony[1]<\/sup><\/a>. The bassoon also derives from the fagotto <\/em>in Italy, which was conceived in the 17th century as a replacement for the dulcian from the Renaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Gunther Joppig, Hautbois et basson, leur histoire, leur famille, leur r\u00e9pertoire, Payot Lausanne, 1981<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Denis<\/a>
Denis van Asloot – Procession en l’honneur de Notre Dame des Sablons de Bruxelles -detail of musicians with a doucaine player at the back left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Ange<\/a>
Angel playing the baroque bassoon in a German church. \u00a9 councilofcanadianbassoonists.ca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Christoph<\/a>
Christoph Wiegel – Der Pfeiffenmacher -1698.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dulcian<\/a>
Dulcian – G\u00f6rlitzer Sch\u00fctzen – 1660.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Johann<\/a>
Johann Christoph Weigel -around 1710 – Musicalisches Theatrum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It was at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries that the modern bassoon gradually emerged. The key evolution came from dividing the body into four sections, or bodies, to facilitate both transport and tuning. This evolution took place simultaneously in several European centres. Germany and France played a major role in this development, through makers such as the Grenser family in Germany \u2013 Vichy Ench\u00e8res has sold several exceptional examples by Heinrich Grenser <\/a>– and Charles Bizey and his successors in France. The bassoon became an integral part of the Baroque orchestra at that time, featuring in orchestras as early as those of Lully and Campra, and later in those of Rameau, Handel and Vivaldi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon by Heinrich Grenser. Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Ench\u00e8res le 10 mai 2025. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon de Grenser. Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Ench\u00e8res 16 June2012. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The firts french bassoons and the rise of a parisian school<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Le<\/a>
The bassoon and its parts, Encyclop\u00e9die Diderot et d”Alemberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Duo<\/a>
Harpsichord and bassoon duo – 1780.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In France, there is evidence of the use of the bassoons as early as the 17th century, but the earliest surviving instruments only date back to the first third of the 18th century. Historical archives mention the Philidor, Hotteterre and Naust families as the first active makers[1]<\/sup><\/a>, ], but there aren\u2019t any instruments by them still in existence nowadays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn’t until the 18th century that a true “Parisian school” of bassoon making emerged, with typical features such as finely turned maple, brass keys mounted in blocks, the thin and straight profile of the bell, and ornate stampings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the 1720s and 1730s, Bizey’s Parisian workshop contributed to the development of the bassoon in France. The instrument increasingly featured in royal orchestras and the Concert Spirituel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bizey started a tradition that was perpetuated by the likes of Prudent Thieriot, Dominique Porthaux (active in the 1770s) and Nicolas Savary (active until the 19th century). These makers supplied the musicians of the Royal Chapel, the Paris Opera and the Conservatoire, which was founded in 1795. It was not until the invention of the “romantic” bassoon, with 16 or 17 keys, by Johann Adam Heckel in 19th-century Germany that the pre-eminence of the French instrument ended, but many musicians, such as Jean-Marie Heinrich and Maurice Allard, played on French bassoons, perpetuating this tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> See in particular Ernest Thoina, Les Hotteterre et les Ch\u00e9deville, famous players and makers of flutes, oboes, bassoons and musettes from the 17th and 18th centuries, Paris, Edmond Sagot, 1894<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Basson<\/a>
Heckel bassoon. Instrument offered for sale byVichy Ench\u00e8resMay 62023. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Ten-key bassoon by Savary Jeune.
Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Ench\u00e8res14 December 2002.
\u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon by Jean-Jacques Baumann. Instrument offered for sale by Vichy Ench\u00e8res on 11 December 2019. \u00a9 Vichy Ench\u00e8res\/C. Darbelet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The first bassoons documented in public collections<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The earliest french bassoons still in existence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Basson,<\/a>
Bassoon, probably from Dondeine, France – 1720 – Bate Collection Oxford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon by Jean-Jacques Baumann, – c.1813-1825 – Metropolitan Museum New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon by Dominique Antony Porthaux – 1790-1800 – Metropolitan Museum de New-York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Whilst there is evidence of early bassoons in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, very few traces of these instruments exist in France, despite the country playing a central role in European music. Surviving early 18th-century bassoons are rare, often attributed to foreign makers, and rarely in original condition. Amongst the earliest known examples, the oldest held in a public collection is the one in the Bate Collection at Oxford University. This four-keyed instrument, dating from around 1720, is unfortunately unsigned, but could be the work of the French maker Dondeine. It is an invaluable example of French Baroque construction, notable for its proportions and narrow bore, attesting to the early standardization of the four-part model. This instrument constitutes a rare testimony to the beginnings of the modern bassoon, as it took hold in France at the turn of the 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York also holds in its collections a French bassoon attributed to Dominique Antony Porthaux, active in Paris between 1790 and 1800.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In the same collection, there is a bassoon by Parisian bassoon maker Jean-Jacques Baumann, made between 1813 and 1825, which attests to the development of keys and the gradual evolution of the bassoon to meet the demands of the 19th-century repertoire. Also worth mentioning is the bassoon by Jean-Nicolas Savary, dated 1824, held at the University of Edinburgh (Music Museum). Finally, the Mus\u00e9e de la Musique<\/em> in Paris holds a rare example of an ottavino<\/em> bassoon made by Jacoby Fils, a bassoon maker active in France in the 18th century. In addition to this list, there is an unattributed 18th-century French bassoon held at the Museu de la M\u00fasica<\/em> in Barcelona, and another unattributed bassoon from the French school at the Mus\u00e9e de la Musique<\/em> in Paris. In light of the above, the Bizey instrument discovered at Vichy Ench\u00e8res can therefore be considered the oldest known attributed French bassoon to have survived. As a result, it is an exceptional and historic example.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon by Jean-Nicolas Savary – 1824 – Music Instruments, Universit\u00e9 d’Edimbourg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Anonymous bassoon, French school – 18th century – Museu de la Musica, Barcelone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Jacoby Fils bassoon \u2013 18th century- Mus\u00e9e de la Musique, Paris.
\u00a9 Jean-Claude Billing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Anonymous bassoon, French school – 18th century- Mus\u00e9e de la Musique, Paris.
\u00a9Jean-Claude Billing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Extant bassoons of foreign origin from the early period<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Besides French public collections, 18th-century bassoons can be found in foreign collections, particularly in Germany. The Germanisches Nationalmuseum<\/em> in Nuremberg has a particularly rich collection of bassoons and dulcians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It includes, amongst others, a dulcian by Johann Christophe Denner made before 1700, and a four-keyed bassoon by Jacob Denner, dating from before 1735. The same museum holds a bassoon by Johann Wolfgang K\u00f6nigsberger, dating from around 1740.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Germanisches Nationalmuseum<\/em> collection also includes another example, probably made at the same time, by Johann Heinrich Eichentopf, whose construction follows the principles of the Leipzig or Dresden school, as well as an instrument attributed to Johann August Crone, dating from around 1770, made using the later Saxon construction principles. The collection also features bassoons by other German makers, such as L. Kraus and Ignaz Huittl, from the first and second halves of the 18th century respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museum also holds prints and documents, such as a print depicting a young man playing the bassoon, which provides evidence of the use of the instrument in popular and domestic settings in the 18th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York also holds several bassoons from the 18th and early 19th centuries, including a bassoon by Johannes Scherer, circa 1750-1770, and one by Wolfgang Thomae, also made around 1750. The collection also includes an even rarer bassoon made around 1811 by John Meacham, a bassoon maker active in the United States. Also worth noting is an example made in 1771 by the Jeanneret workshop, probably of Swiss origin, whose construction sits at the crossroads between the French and German schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Albrecht<\/a>
Albrecht D\u00fcrer, “Titelbordure mit laute spielendem engel” – engraved wood – 1526 – Germanisches Museum de N\u00fcremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Felix<\/a>
Felix Reiner, bassoniste, by Peter Jakob Horemans – 1774.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Jeune<\/a>
Jeune homme jouant du basson, dessin, of Peter Jakob Horemans – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Dulcian<\/a>
Dulcian of Johann Christoph Denner, -before 1700 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon de Jacob Denner – avant 1735 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon of Johann Wolfgang K\u00f6nigsberger -vers 1740 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon of Johann Heinrich Eichentop -around 1740 -Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon of Johann August Crone – around 1770 – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Basson<\/a>
Bassoon de L. Kraus – first half of the 18th century – Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Johann<\/a>
Johann August Crone, bassoon- around 1770- Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Wolfgang<\/a>
Wolfgang Thomae, bassoon- around 1750- Metropolitan Museum, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"John<\/a>
John Meacham, bassoon, -1811 – Metropolitan Museum, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Atelier<\/a>
Atelier Jeanneret, bassoon, 1771, Metropolitan Museum, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Johannes<\/a>
Johannes Scherer, bassoon- vers 1750-1770 – Metropolitan Museum of New-York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The rediscovery of this bassoon by Charles Bizey enriches our knowledge of the history of the instrument by providing us with a new early example made in France. Made during the first third of the 18th century, and fully stamped \u201cBIZEY \/ \u00c0 PARIS\u201d, this instrument is now considered the oldest known attributed complete French bassoon. Its exceptional condition and attribution make it a reference instrument for the study of the \u201cFrench bassoon\u201d and the early days of the Parisian school. It is a direct testament to Bizey\u2019s masterful craftsmanship and spirit of innovation, and attests to the transition from the European Baroque to the classical French bassoon making. Don\u2019t miss the sale of this historic bassoon at Vichy Ench\u00e8res on 15 November 2025: it will be a unique opportunity to come close to a pioneering instrument in the history of French bassoon making.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\ude80 Suivez-nous !<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n