This list comes from Ann Pesavento’s dissertation: Orchestral excerpts as developmental studies for the intermediate bassoonist : a collection of selected passages. Links to each excerpt will be added as they are available. Linked pages include historical & performance notes as well as the printed excerpts. Some pages are hosted here at teachbassoon.com and some will redirect you to The Orchestral Bassoon.
(If you don’t find what you are looking for on this page, you may need a list of advanced level orchestral excerpts. For this I recommend The Orchestral Bassoon.)
Baroque
- Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, Allegro (mvt. 3)
- Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1, Overture
- Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1, Bouree II
- Handel: Royal Fireworks Music, Overture
- Handel: Water Music, Andante (mvt. 4)
- Handel: Water Music, Hornpipe
- Handel: Water Music, mvt. 9
Classical
- Beethoven: Choral Fantasy
- Beethoven: Choral Fantasy, March
- Beethoven: Concerto in D Major, Larghetto (mvt. 2)
- Beethoven: Concerto in D Major, Rondo
- Beethoven: Consecration of the House, at Maestoso
- Beethoven: Consecration of the House, at Allegro
- Beethoven: Coriolan Overture, at Allegro
- Beethoven: Coriolan Overture, at Allegro
- Beethoven: Egmont Overture, at Allegro
- Beethoven: Leonore Overture, at Allegro
- Beethoven: Namensfeier Overture, at Allegro
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Larghetto (mvt. 2)
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Molto allegro (mvt. 4)
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Minor, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Allegretto (mvt. 2)
- Haydn: Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Haydn: Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Haydn: Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Minuet & Trio
- Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Adagio (mvt. 1)
- Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D Major, Allegro (mvt. 4)
- Mozart: Magic Flute Overture
- Mozart: Symphony No. 34 in C Major, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Mozart: Symphony No. 34 in C Major, Allegro (mvt. 3)
- Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C Major, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C Major, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C Major, Menuett & Trio
Romantic
- Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust, March
- Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust, March
- Bizet: Carmen, Entr’acte II
- Bizet: Carmen, Entr’acte II
- Bizet: Carmen, March: Act IV
- Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite I: Prelude
- Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite I: Prelude
- Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite II: Intermezzo
- Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite I: Farandole
- Bizet: Symphony No. 1 in C Major, mvt. 2
- Borodin: On the Steppes of Central Asia
- Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, at Allegro
- Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, at Animato (1)
- Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, at Animato (2)
- Brahms: Academic Festival Overture, at Maestoso
- Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Un poco (mvt. 3)
- Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Allegro (mvt. 4)
- Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Allegro (mvt. 4)
- Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Allegro (mvt. 4)
- Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Theme
- Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Var. VI, Vivace
- Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture
- Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite I, In the Hall of the Mountain King
- Ippolitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches, Allegro (mvt. 4)
- Ippolitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches, Allegro (mvt. 4)
- Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Vivace (mvt. 2)
- Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, in A Major, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Allegro (mvt. 2)
- Rossini: Barber of Seville Overture
- Rossini: Barber of Seville Overture
- Rossini: Barber of Seville Overture
- Schubert: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Schubert: Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Menuett & Trio
- Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in Bb Major, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in Bb Major, Minuet & Trio
- Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Schumann: Symphony No. 3in Eb Major, Scherzo (mvt. 2)
- Schumann: Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Lebhaft (mvt. 1)
- Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave
- Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, at Andante
- Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, at Allegro
- Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Andantino (mvt. 2)
- Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Valse (mvt. 3)
- Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in b Minor, Allegro (mvt. 1)
- Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Allegro (mvt. 2)
- Wagner: Prelude to Die Meistersinger
- Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
- Weber: Euryanthe Overture
20th Century
- Bernstein: Overture to Candide
- Chabrier: Espana
- Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
- Gould: American Salute
- Mahler: Symphony No. 1, Largo (mvt. 3)
- Prokofiev: Lt. Kife Suite, The Birth of Kije/Romance
- Prokofiev: Lt. Kije Suite, Troika
- Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
- Sibelius: Finlandia
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Allegretto (mvt. 1)
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Andante (mvt. 2)
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Allegro (mvt. 4)
- Stravinsky: Firebird Suite, Berceuse