Julius Weissenborn

Who was Julius Weissenborn?

Christian Julius Weissenborn was a bassoonist, teacher and composer.

Weissenborn was born in Friedrichs-Tanneck near Eisenberg, Thuringia. He was principal bassoonist of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1857 – 1887. He taught at the Leipzig Conservatory beginning in 1882. Apart from a small canon of Romantic works, he is chiefly remembered for his pedagogical works, the Practical Bassoon School and the Bassoon Studies, Opus 8, which are still in widespread use. He died, aged 51, in Leipzig.

The Practical Bassoon School consists primarily of 25 sets of exercises that gradually increase in difficulty, from the most elementary level to intermediate. Following this there is a brief introduction to the tenor clef and a fairly detailed discussion of various ornaments, with a 26th section applying these concepts.

The Bassoon Studies, Opus 8 is published in two parts. The first part is subtitled "For Beginners" and consists of several sections:

I. Essential Kinds of Expression;

II. The Tenor Clef;