The Paris Conservatoire’s annu­al con­cours (con­test) has added a great num­ber of solo works to the bas­soon’s reper­toire. From 1797 until 2011, these con­cours award­ed prizes to the top-ranked stu­dents in each dis­ci­pline. Attaining a pre­mier prix (first prize) prac­ti­cal­ly guar­an­teed the musi­cian a good job, and at var­i­ous times also earned the play­er a new instru­ment, musi­cal scores, and/or money.

For the first cen­tu­ry of the Conservatoire’s exis­tence, the pieces for the com­pe­ti­tion were most­ly writ­ten by the bas­soon pro­fes­sors (Willent-Bordogni, Cokken, Jancourt, etc.). The “gold­en age” of con­cours pieces was 1898–1984, dur­ing which the Conservatoire most­ly com­mis­sioned new works from estab­lished com­posers. After 1985, new works were only occa­sion­al­ly ordered, and Alexandre Ouzounoff’s NAIROBI, la nuit of 1999 seems to have been the last new­ly-com­mis­sioned work for bas­soon. The main table below is a list of the known bas­soon morceaux de con­cours for the years 1824–2010. Information for the years 1825–1834, 1837–1839, and 2011 sad­ly isn’t avail­able. There was no con­cours in 1871, due to the Franco-Prussian War.1Leon Letellier and Édouard Flament, “Le Basson,” in Encyclopédie de la musique et dictionnaire du Conservatoire, ed. Albert Lavignac, Part 2, Vol. 3 (Paris: Librairie Delgrave, 1925): 1593.

After 2011, the Conservatoire’s exam­i­na­tion process changed, and it stopped award­ing prizes as such. According to  Marie Boichard, who com­plet­ed her stud­ies with Gilbert Audin at the Conservatoire in 2019, the  Prix de License is now the clos­est thing to the old con­cours. This typ­i­cal­ly occurs at the end of a stu­den­t’s third year of study, con­sists of a big pub­lic recital, and includes at least one required piece.2 Marie Boichard, e-mail message to author, December 29, 2022.  Students who pass this earn the degree of DNSPM (Diplôme National Supérieur Professionnel de Musicien), and are eli­gi­ble to go on to mas­ter’s study.3“Diplômes,” Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de dance de Paris, https://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/fr/diplomes Sophie Levy, the Conservatoire’s Archives Manager, has also called atten­tion to the end-of-first-year exam in the mas­ter’s pro­gram, which occurs at rough­ly the same time in a stu­den­t’s stud­ies as the con­cours did under the old sys­tem.4Sophie Levy, e-mail message to author, March 22, 2019. Boichard though points out that this is a rel­a­tive­ly minor exam, which is not open to the pub­lic. In any case, par­tial lists of the required pieces for both of these exams are pro­vid­ed in sep­a­rate tables at the bot­tom of the page.

The bulk of the infor­ma­tion for the years 1824–1984 is tak­en from Kristine Fletcher’s book, The Paris Conservatoire and the Contest Solos for Bassoon, to which I added just a few minor details.5Kristine Klopfenstein Fletcher, The Paris Conservatoire and the Contest Solos for Bassoon (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1988). Fletcher’s book is one of the great bas­soon ref­er­ence works, but it has long been out of print and copies are hard to come by today. The sim­ple list below pro­vides only a small frac­tion of the wealth of infor­ma­tion in Fletcher’s book— seek out a copy of it in a uni­ver­si­ty library if you want more details about the Conservatoire, the con­cours, or any of the indi­vid­ual works or com­posers. If you have access to ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, her dis­ser­ta­tion pro­vides much—but not all—of the same infor­ma­tion. Information for the years 1986–2004 comes from Jeffrey Lyman’s arti­cle “The Morceaux de Concours for Bassoon Since 1984: A Parisian Tradition Continues.“6Jeffrey Lyman, "The Morceaux de Concours for Bassoon Since 1984: A Parisian Tradition Continues," The Double Reed 28, no. 2 (2005): 101-105. If you’re an IDRS mem­ber (which I’d high­ly rec­om­mend), you should be able to access the arti­cle here. Ryan Romine was kind enough to fill in 1985 for me, from his own cor­re­spon­dence with bas­soon­ist Frédéric Bouteille.7Frédéric Bouteille, e-mail message to Ryan Romine, May 5, 2012.

For infor­ma­tion post-2004, I’m indebt­ed to both Conservatoire archivist Sophie Levy and bas­soon­ist and Conservatoire alum­na Marie Boichard. Levy pro­vid­ed a list of con­cours pieces for the years 2005–2010, a brief expla­na­tion of the dis­con­tin­u­a­tion of the award­ing of prizes after 2011, and a list of the works used for the end-of-first-year Master’s exam for 2012–2018.8Sophie Levy, e-mail message to author, March 22, 2019. Boichard clar­i­fied the new degree pro­grams and sup­plied a list of the pieces used for the Prix de License for 2014–2022.9Marie Boichard, e-mail message to author, January 4, 2023

Some notes on this list:

  • I’ve pro­vid­ed links for pieces which are down­load­able from IMSLP. I’ve uploaded a few pieces myself, and will con­tin­ue to hunt for copies of oth­ers that are in the pub­lic domain. I’ll try to keep on top of adding new links as more pieces are added — please let me know if you add one of the miss­ing pieces to IMSLP.
  • The table is sortable by any col­umn (pro­vid­ed you have Javascript enabled). Click a col­umn head­er to sort by that field.
  • Works com­mis­sioned specif­i­cal­ly for that year’s con­cours are marked with an orange dag­ger ().
  • Works are for bas­soon and piano, unless oth­er­wise specified.
  • From 1970 until 2005 a sec­ond piece, usu­al­ly a stan­dard of the reper­toire, was required each year. I’ve split each of those years into two rows (e.g. 1970a and 1970b) so that the list will remain entire­ly sortable.

Concours Pieces

YearCom­pos­erWorkNotes
1824Rethaler, [Auguste]Con­cer­to
1835Gebauer, François RenéCon­cer­to in Cunspec­i­fied excerpt
1836Gebauer, François RenéAir Suisse en Sol
1840Berbigu­ier, [Tran­quille]Con­cer­to
1841Barizel, CharlesCon­cer­to
1842Barizel, Charles/Berr, FrédéricCon­cer­to
1843Barizel, CharlesCon­cer­to
1844Barizel, CharlesCon­cer­to
1845Barizel, Charles/Berr, FrédéricCon­cer­to in G minor
1846Barizel, Charles/Berr, FrédéricCon­certi­no
1847unknownCon­certi­no
1848Berbigu­ier, [Tran­quille]Con­cer­to
1849Wil­lent-Bor­dog­ni, Jean BaptisteFan­taisie
1850Berr, FrédéricFan­taisie
1851Wil­lent-Bor­dog­ni, Jean BaptisteLa Mélan­col­ie, Fantaisie
1852Cokken, Jean-FrançoisAndante et Rondo
1853Berr, FrédéricCon­certi­no
1854Cokken, Jean-FrançoisAndante et Rondo
1855Berr, Frédéric/Cokken, Jean-FrançoisCon­cer­tounspec­i­fied excerpt
1856Wil­lent-Bor­dog­ni, Jean BaptisteFan­taisie
1857Cokken, Jean-FrançoisSolo
1858Tulou, Jean-Louis/­Cokken, Jean-FrançoisSolo
1859Tulou, Jean-Louis/­Cokken, Jean-FrançoisSolo
1860Cokken, Jean-FrançoisSolo
1861Cokken, Jean-FrançoisSolo
1862Cokken, Jean-FrançoisPre­mier Solo
1863Berr, FrédéricDeux­ième Concerto
1864Cokken, Jean-FrançoisCon­certi­no
1865Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75unspec­i­fied excerpt
1866Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75mvt. I
1867Berr, FrédéricCon­cer­to in C minor
1868unknownCon­cer­tounspec­i­fied excerpt
1869Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75unspec­i­fied excerpt
1870Berr, FrédéricCon­cer­tounspec­i­fied excerpt
1872Bervil­liersCon­certi­no
1873Cokken, Jean-FrançoisCon­cer­to in D minorunspec­i­fied excerpt
1874Cokken, Jean-FrançoisDeux­ième Concerto
1875Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75mvts. II & III
1876Jan­court, EugèneTroisième Solo, Op. 53
1877Mozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvt. I
1878Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75
1879Jan­court, EugèneQua­trième Solo, Op. 54unspec­i­fied excerpt
1880Jan­court, EugèneDeux­ième Solo, Op.52
1881David, Fer­di­nandCon­certi­nounspec­i­fied excerpt
1882Jan­court, EugèneSix­ième Solo, Op. 66
1883Jan­court, EugènePre­mier Solo, Op. 23
1884Mozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvt. I
1885Jan­court, EugèneCinquième Solo, Op. 57
1886Jan­court, EugèneSep­tième Solo, Op. 99
1887Jan­court, EugèneHuitième Solo, Op. 100
1888Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75mvts. II & III
1889Jan­court, EugèneCon­certi­no in A minor, Op. 118
1890Jan­court, EugèneQua­trième Solo, Op. 54
1891Jan­court, EugèneNeu­vième Solo, Op. 123
1892Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75
1893Mozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191
1894Bour­deau, EugènePre­mier Solo
1895Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75mvts. II & III
1896Weber, Carl Maria vonAndante e Ron­do Ongarese, Op. 35
1897Mozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvts. II & III
1898Pierné, GabrielSolo de Con­cert, Op. 35
1899Puget, PaulSolo de Bas­son
1900Bour­gault-Ducoudray, Louis-AlbertFan­taisie
1901René, CharlesSolo de Con­cert
1902Bloch, AndréFan­taisie Var­iée
1903Dal­li­er, HenriSonata in B‑flatAlle­gro
1904Tau­dou, AntoineMorceau de Con­cours
1905Bertelin, AlbertIntro­duc­tion et Ron­do
1906Pierné, GabrielSolo de Con­cert, Op. 35com­mis­sioned for 1898
1907Bour­deau, EugèneDeux­ième Solo
1908Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75mvt. I
1909Büss­er, HenriRéc­it et Thème Var­ié
1910Cools, EugèneCon­cer­stück, Op. 80
1911Jean­jean, PaulPrélude et Scher­zo
1912Mou­quet, JulesBal­lade, Op. 34
1913Dal­li­er, HenriSonata in B‑flatAlle­gro; com­mis­sioned for 1903
1914Pierné, GabrielSolo de Con­cert, Op. 35com­mis­sioned for 1898
1915Tau­dou, AntoineMorceau de Concourscom­mis­sioned for 1904
1916Puget, PaulSolo de Bassoncom­mis­sioned for 1899
1917Büss­er, HenriPièce de Con­cours, Op. 66
1918Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75mvt. I
1919Mou­quet, JulesBal­lade, Op. 34com­mis­sioned for 1912
1920Dal­li­er, HenriSonata in B‑flatmvt. I
1921Bour­deau, EugènePre­mier Solofirst used 1894
1922Pierné, GabrielSolo de Con­cert, Op. 35com­mis­sioned for 1898
1923Mozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvt. I
1924Saint-Saëns, CamilleSonate, Op. 168
1925Büss­er, HenriCan­tilène et Ron­do
1926Weber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75mvts. II & III
1927Büss­er, HenriRéc­it et Thème Variécom­mis­sioned for 1909
1928Ollone, Max d’Romance et Taran­telle
1929Vidal, PaulAda­gio et Saltarelle
1930Grovlez, GabrielSicili­enne et Alle­gro Gio­coso
1931Mazel­li­er, JulesPrélude et Danse
1932Pierné, GabrielSolo de Con­cert, Op. 35com­mis­sioned for 1898
1933Pierné, GabrielPrélude de Con­cert, Op. 53
1934Mozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvt. I
1935Boz­za, EugèneRéc­it, Sicili­enne et Ron­do
1936Bloch, AndréFan­taisie Variéecom­mis­sioned for 1902
1937Weber, Carl Maria vonAndante e Ron­do Ongarese, Op. 35
1938Forêt, Féli­cienPièces Brèves
1939Büss­er, HenriPor­tugue­sa, Op. 106
1940Mozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvts. II & III
1941Pierné, PaulThème et Vari­a­tions
1942Dutilleux, Hen­riSara­bande et Cortège
1943Pierné, GabrielSolo de Con­cert, Op. 35com­mis­sioned for 1898
1944Presle, Jacques de laPetite Suite en Fa
1945Boz­za, EugèneFan­taisie
1946Duc­los, RenéFagot­ti­no
1947Bloch, AndréDanc­ing Jack
1948Bitsch, Mar­celCon­certi­no
1949Maugüé, Jules M. L.Diver­tisse­ments Cham­pêtres
1950Martel­li, HenriThème Var­ié, Op. 74
1951Sem­ler-Collery, JulesRéc­i­tatif et Final
1952Tans­man, AlexandreSonatine
1953Maixan­deau, Marie-VeraLied et Ron­do
1954Jolivet, AndréCon­cer­to mvt. II
1955Fla­ment, ÉdouardCapric­cio, Op. 142, No. 3
1956Mon­feuil­lard, RenéLamen­to et Final
1957Tomasi, Hen­riCon­cer­to mvt. I
1958Duc­los, RenéTrois Noc­turnes
1959Garten­laub, OdetteSonatine
1960Tans­man, AlexandreSuite
1961Casadesus, RobertDeux Pièces
1962Bernaud, AlainCon­certi­no da Cam­era
1963Chal­lan, HenriFan­taisie
1964Riv­i­er, JeanCon­cer­tomvts. II & III
1965Aubin, TonyCon­certi­no del­la Brughiera
1966Garten­laub, OdettePro­fils
1967Weber, AlainPalin­dromes
1968Vaubour­goin, MarcCon­cer­tomvts. II & III
1969Mar­goni, AlainAprès une Lec­ture de Dreis­er
1970aGotkovsky, IdaVari­a­tions Con­cer­tantes
1970bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in E minor, RV 484
1971aBoizard, GillesFan­taisie
1971bMozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvt. I
1972aBoutry, RogerInter­férences I
1972bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in B‑flat, RV 503
1973aKeller, GinetteÉbauch­es
1973bWeber, Carl Maria vonCon­cer­to in F, Op. 75
1974aCastérède, JacquesÉchanges
1974bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in A minor, RV 497
1975aManen, Chris­t­ianLes Enchant­ments de Cir­cé, Réc­it d’Ulysse, Op. 96
1975bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in E minor, RV 484
1976aPetit, PierreThème et Vari­a­tionsbas­soon alone
1976bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in B‑flat, RV 503
1977aChar­p­en­tier, JacquesGrave
1977bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in C minor, RV 480
1978aBernaud, AlainHal­lu­ci­na­tions
1978bWeber, Carl Maria vonAndante e Ron­do Ongarese, Op. 35
1979aFrançaix, JeanCon­cer­tomvt. I
1979bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in F, RV 488
1980aBoutry, RogerTim­bres
1980bMozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvts. II & III
1981aBitsch, Mar­celPar­ti­ta
1981bSaint-Saëns, CamilleSonate, Op. 168mvts. I & II
1982aBoutry, RogerPrisme
1982bMozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusCon­cer­to in B‑flat, K. 191mvt. I
1983aLan­cen, SergeSonatine
1983bHum­mel, Johann NepomukCon­cer­to in Fmvt. I
1984aDubois, Pierre MaxSonatine-Tan­go
1984bBois­morti­er, Joseph Bod­in deCon­cer­to in D, Op. 26, No. 2
1985aStock­hausen, KarlheinzIn Fre­und­schaft
1985bBach, J.C.Con­cer­to in E‑flat MajorBil­lau­dot Edi­tion (with caden­zas and piano reduc­tion by Mau­rice Allard)
1986aPhilip­pot, MichelCom­po­si­tion pour bas­soon et piano
1986bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in C minor, RV 480
1987aBar­tolozzi, BrunoCol­lagebas­soon alone
1987bTiêt, Tôn-ThâtJeu des cinq élé­ments II
1987cTele­mann, Georg PhilippSonata in F minor, TWV 41:f1
1988aBal­lif, ClaudeSolfegi­et­to, Op. 36, No. 11bas­soon alone
1988bWeber, Carl Maria vonAndante e Ron­do Ongarese, Op. 35
1988cVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in B‑flat (no RV num­ber given)could be RV 501–504
1989aStock­hausen, KarlheinzIn Fre­und­schaftbas­soon alone
1989bHum­mel, Johann NepomukCon­cer­to in Fmvts. II & III
1989cWork of the candidate’s choice
1990aCam­pana, José-LuisInvoltura Sono­rabas­soon and cello
1990bDevi­enne, FrançoisSonata in G minor, Op. 24, No. 5
1991aTiêt, Tôn-ThâtJeu des cinq élé­ments IIcom­mis­sioned for 1987
1991bOzi, Eti­enneSonata No. 3
1992aSolal, Mar­tialSeul con­tre tousbas­soon alone
1992bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in C, RV 477
1993aPer­sichet­ti, VincentPara­blebas­soon alone
1993bCrusell, Bern­hardCon­certi­nowith­out the Polonaise
1994aGag­neux, RenaudOpus 41bas­soon and clarinet
1994bSaint-Saëns, CamilleSonate, Op. 168
1995aTiêt, Tôn-ThâtJeu des cinq élé­ments IIcom­mis­sioned for 1987
1995bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in B‑flat, RV 502
1996aPichau­reau, ClaudeNymphea-Lotus
1996bOzi, Eti­enneSonata No. 2
1997aHer­sant, PhilippeHopibas­soon alone
1997bHum­mel, Johann NepomukCon­cer­to in Fmvts. II & III
1998aYun, IsangMonolog
1998bMozart, Wolf­gang AmadeusSonata, K. 292bas­soon and cello
1999aOuzounoff, Alexan­dreNAIROBI, la nuitbas­soon and percussion
1999bBerwald, FranzCon­cert Piece, Op. 2
2000aGarten­laub, OdettePro­filscom­mis­sioned for 1966
2000bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to in D minor, RV 481
2001aHer­sant, PhilippeNig­gunbas­soon alone
2001bDevi­enne, FrançoisQuar­tet in G minor, op. 73, no. 3bas­soon and strings
2002aTaïra, Yoshi­hisaMon­odrame IIbas­soon alone
2002bDevi­enne, FrançoisSonata in C, Op. 24, No. 6
2003aWin­ter, Peter vonCon­cer­to in C minor
2003bVival­di, AntonioCon­cer­to of the candidate’s choice
2004aTiêt, Tôn-ThâtJeu des cinq élé­ments IIcom­mis­sioned for 1987
2004bStock­hausen, KarlheinzIn Fre­und­schaftbas­soon alone
2005aTaïra, Yoshi­hisaMon­odrame IIbas­soon alone
2005bDevi­enne, FrançoisCan­di­date’s choice from the Six Sonatas, Op. 24
2006Brendler, EduardDiver­tisse­ment pour bas­son et orchestre
2007Saint-Saëns, CamilleSonate, Op. 168
2008Bach, J.S.Prélude from the 2nd cel­lo Suite,
Prélude from the 3rd cel­lo Suite,
or Alle­mande from the flute Partita
bas­soon alone
2009Devi­enne, FrançoisSonata of the can­di­date’s choice
2010Ver­di, GiuseppeCapric­cio per fagot­to e orchestra

Pieces used for the Prix de Licence for the years 2014–2022

See  the note above about how the process changed after 2011

YearComposerWorkNotes
2014Bach, J.S.Partita in A Minor, BWV 1013orig­i­nal­ly for flute
2015Jolivet, MichelConcertomvt. I
2016Schumann, ClaraCandidate’s choice of two move­ments of Three Romances, op. 22
2017Françaix, JeanConcertomvt. I
2018Devienne, FrançoisSonata of can­di­date’s choice
2019Vivaldi, AntonioCello sonata of can­di­date’s choice
2020No exam (COVID-19)
2021Sestak, ZdenekCandidate’s choice of two move­ments of Five Virtuoso Inventions
2022Milde, LudwigCandidate’s choice of one study

Pieces used for the end-of-first-year exam in the master’s program for the years 2012–2018

See  the note above about how the process changed after 2011

YearComposerWorkNotes
2012Schumann, RobertAdagio et Allegro,Op. 70orig­i­nal­ly for horn and piano
2013aBitsch, MarcelConcertinoCandidate’s choice of Bitsch or Boutry (Muri Competition selections)
2013bBoutry, RogerInterference ICandidate’s choice of Bitsch or Boutry (Muri Competition selections)
2014Telemann, Georg PhilippChoice of one of the 12 Fantasias for Solo Flute
2015Dard, AntoineBassoon sonata of the can­di­date’s choiceAccolade edi­tion
2016Bach, J.S.Candidate’s choice of one of the Préludes from the Suites for Solo Cellobas­soon alone
2017Devienne, FrançoisCandidate’s choice of one sonata from The 6 Sonatas, Op. 24
2018O’Riordan, KirkTemptationbas­soon alone
  • 1
    Leon Letellier and Édouard Flament, “Le Basson,” in Encyclopédie de la musique et dic­tio­n­naire du Conservatoire, ed. Albert Lavignac, Part 2, Vol. 3 (Paris: Librairie Delgrave, 1925): 1593.
  • 2
    Marie Boichard, e‑mail mes­sage to author, December 29, 2022.
  • 3
    “Diplômes,” Conservatoire nation­al supérieur de musique et de dance de Paris, https://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/fr/diplomes
  • 4
    Sophie Levy, e‑mail mes­sage to author, March 22, 2019.
  • 5
    Kristine Klopfenstein Fletcher, The Paris Conservatoire and the Contest Solos for Bassoon (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1988).
  • 6
    Jeffrey Lyman, “The Morceaux de Concours for Bassoon Since 1984: A Parisian Tradition Continues,” The Double Reed 28, no. 2 (2005): 101–105.
  • 7
    Frédéric Bouteille, e‑mail mes­sage to Ryan Romine, May 5, 2012.
  • 8
    Sophie Levy, e‑mail mes­sage to author, March 22, 2019.
  • 9
    Marie Boichard, e‑mail mes­sage to author, January 4, 2023