CONTRAFAGOTTO, DOUBLE BASSOON or CON TRABASSOON, a wood-wind instrument of the double reed family, which it completes as the bass, the other members being the oboe, cor anglais, and bassoon. The modern wooden contra fagotto (there is also a type made of brass) has a pitch one octave below that of the bassoon and three below that of the oboe, its compass extending from i6ft. C. to middle C. The notes of both extremes are difficult to produce. The quality of tone is somewhat rough. The contrafagotto has a complete chromatic compass, and it may therefore be played in any key. It forms a fine bass to the reed family, and supplies in the orchestra the notes missing in the double-bass in order to reach i6ft. C.
The origin of the contrafagotto, like that of the oboe (q.v.) must be sought in the highest antiquity (see AULos). Its imme diate forerunner was the double bombard or bombardino, or the great double quint-pommer. Handel scored for the instrument and it was used in military bands before being adopted in the orchestra. Owing to its faulty construction and harsh tone the double bassoon fell into disuse, in spite of the fact that Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven all scored for it abundantly ; the last used it in the C minor and choral symphonies and wrote an ob bligato for it in Fidelio. Improved methods of construction have, however, restored it to favour as an instrument of value for sparing use.