Currently set on the Grade 2 and Grade 3 Trinity College London syllabus for Bassoon.

Twenty colourful and characterful duets – many have found their way onto exam syllabi. And ideal in raising a smile at concerts!

This collection comprises twenty original duets designed specifically for two bassoons, offering players a blend of pedagogical value and performance charm.

With its approachable layout—score and parts included—it serves both teachers guiding developing musicians and performers seeking repertoire for recitals or ensemble showcases.

Each duet in the collection adopts a distinct character and mood, ensuring diversity across the set.

Titles like “Someone Keeps Interrupting” and “Car Chase” inject playful narrative into the music, while baroque-inspired pieces such as “Florentine Fugue” and the stately “Minty Minuet” explore contrapuntal and dance forms respectively.

Melodic lyricism emerges in “Reverie du jardin de fleurs” and “Aria,” granting players the chance to hone expressive phrasing.

Other pieces, such as “Mozart Comes to Breakfast” and “At the Court of King Richard”, offer whimsical pastiches that delight both performers and listeners with their period references and light-hearted twists.

Pedagogically, many of the duets have already been adopted into exam syllabi, particularly at Grades 2 and 3 levels. Their technical demands remain moderate, focusing on ensemble coordination, rhythmic precision, and phrasing, while avoiding excessive difficulty.

This makes the book ideal for students transitioning from solo études to chamber music settings. Moreover, the colourful characters and accessible writing encourage engagement, fostering musicality early in a bassoonist’s chamber-music journey.

From a concert standpoint, Twenty Tunes for Two Bassoons raises smiles and arouses curiosity. Its juxtaposition of narrative-driven miniatures, dance movements, and fugues invites creative programming—whether as light interludes in larger recitals or as stand-alone showcases.

By enriching the bassoon repertoire with fresh, characterful duets, Harris and Whiting have delivered a versatile resource.

Twenty Tunes for Two Bassoons fills a niche between beginner exercises and advanced chamber works, strengthening ensemble skills and broadening stylistic exposure for developing bassoonists. As such, it stands poised to become a staple in both educational and concert setting