his opera William Tell was originally written for the tenor bassoon (due to its being written in old Italian notation in bass clef) has now been widely debunked. There are also many names by which the instrument is known: tenoroon (a contraction of tenor bassoon), quart- and quint-bassoon (the former for the instrument in F and the latter for the one in G), fagottino, and mini-bassoon. Tenor bassoons have been made in many various keys: D, E, F, and G. Only the E, F and G instruments are currently available. Many times these smaller instruments are used for young children to begin on, as the normal-sized bassoon would be far too large for anyone under about the age of 10. Naturally, due to the smaller size of the instrument, the tone is much lighter and reedier than that of the bassoon. The instruments are remarkably quick in response and with some practice one could have faster technique on the tenor bassoon. Most tenor bassoons have a somewhat simplified fingering system with most of the alternate keys on the butt joint removed for space reasons. A light and narrow bassoon reed is preferred on the tenor bassoon so that a wholly different reed is not needed. However, a shorter and narrower reed will tend to favor the higher notes. The upper-register fingerings are somewhat different from the bassoon and in scale it can only ascend to B (although their response is questionable, a B and C, and even C and D, are possible). In general professionals prefer the F instrument as it feels and responds more like a bassoon while the smaller G instrument is used more for children. The sound of the tenor bassoon can be compared to that of a dull English horn and has been described as somewhat saxophone-like. It can make an excellent tenor or alto voice in a wind ensemble or orchestra (the latter could benefit from having a true tenor instrument in the woodwind department). It could effectively bridge the octave (or octave and a half if bass oboe is omitted) gap between the bassoon family and the oboe family. Although it does not effectively extend the range of the bassoon, it can be used to give more flexibility in that range where the bassoon lacks in mobility. The D instrument's sounding range is from B to B, the E instrument's sounding range is from