François-René Gebauer (15 March 1773,

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

, France – 28 July 1845, Paris) was a French composer, professor, and

bassoonist The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

and the son of a German military musician. He had four brothers, Michel-Joseph Gebauer (1763–1812), Pierre-Paul Gebauer, Jean-Luc Gebauer, and Étienne-François Gebauer, all of whom were also musicians and composers. The brothers played together in a quintet that was modeled on woodwind quintet instrumentation but modified by removing the flute parts to include their brother Jean-Luc, who was a percussionist. The quintet received favorable reviews from critics, who found the music to be "unusually lively for a wind quintet" and "full of earthly elegance". He took music lessons first with his brother Michel-Joseph Gebauer, which ended soon due to artistic differences between the two. He then took lessons with

François Devienne François Devienne (; 31 January 1759 – 5 September 1803) was a French composer and professor for flute at the Paris Conservatory. Career Devienne was born in Joinville, as the youngest of fourteen children of a saddlemaker. After receiving h ...

, which proved to be more successful. In 1788 he joined the

Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...

in Versailles as a bassoonist. In 1790 he joined the orchestra of the ''Musique de la garde nationale de Paris''. From 1801 to 1826 he was a bassoonist in the orchestra of the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

. In 1795 he was appointed professor of bassoon at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, a post he held until 1802 and then from 1824 to 1838. His most famous work was ''Duos Concertants'', Op. 48, for horn and bassoon, which featured repetitive rhythmic motifs in phase shifting patterns and strikingly modern asymmetrical melodies. The most memorable effect he achieved with this piece was the portrayal of

schadenfreude Schadenfreude (; ; 'harm-joy') is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another. It is a borrowed word from German, with no direct translation ...

through jarring note patterns in the bassoon line.

Works

Works for orchestra

Variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individuals ...

on "

Au clair de la lune "" (, ) is a French folk song of the 18th century. Its composer and lyricist are unknown. Its simple melody () is commonly taught to beginners learning an instrument. Lyrics The song appears as early as 1820 i''Le Voiture Verseés'' with only ...

" for bassoon and orchestra

Works for wind ensemble

* ''Pas de manœuvre'' (No. 1) * ''Pas de manœuvre'' (No. 2)

Chamber music

* Six arias from ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'' by

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

for two bassoons (1816) *#

Ecco, ridente in cielo "" is a cavatina from Gioachino Rossini's 1816 opera ''The Barber of Seville'', sung by the tenor Count Almaviva, disguised as the poor student Lindoro, at the beginning of act 1. Music The aria is an example of the bel canto style. The key signa ...

Largo al factotum "" (Make way for the factotum) is an aria from ''The Barber of Seville'' by Gioachino Rossini, sung at the first entrance of the title character, Figaro. The repeated "Figaro"s before the final patter section are an icon in popular culture of oper ...

*# Una voce poco fa *# Dunque io son *# Zitti zitti, piano piano *# Di si felice innesto * Six Concert Duos, Op. 2, for two clarinets * Six Concert Duos, Op. 8, for clarinet and bassoon * "Menuet du Diable" for bassoon * Three wind quintets * Three arias from ''The Barber of Seville'' by Gioachino Rossini for two Bassoons *# Ecco ridente in cielo *# Una voce poco fa *# Largo al factorum * Nocturno Nr. 2 of arias by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

and Gioachino Rossini for bassoon and piano * Three quartets, Op. 20, for flute, oboe, horn and bassoon * Three quartets, Op. 27, for flute, oboe, horn and bassoon * Ten trios for three bassoons, Op. 33 (also for violin, cello and bassoon) * 3 quartets, Op. 37, for horn, violin, viola and double bass * Quartet in G minor, Op. 41, for flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon * Three trios for flute, clarinet and bassoon, Op. 42 * Duos concertants, Op. 44, for two bassoons * Duos concertants, Op. 48, for horn in F and bassoon * Three trios for clarinet, horn und bassoon * Variations sur "Au clair de la lune" for two bassoons

Works

Works for orchestra

Works for wind ensemble

Chamber music

References

Further reading