Hotteterre

Circumstantial evidence, such as the statement by the flautist composer Michel de la Barre in his Memoire, points to members of the Philidor (Filidor) and Hotteterre families.

Lange and Thomson, 1979 An alternate view maintains Hotteterre was one of several craftsmen responsible for the development of the early bassoon.

Some historians believe that sometime in the 1650s, Hotteterre conceived the bassoon in four sections (bell, bass joint, boot and wing joint), an arrangement that allowed greater accuracy in machining the bore compared to the one-piece dulcian.

The man most likely responsible for developing the true bassoon was Martin Hotteterre (d.1712), who may also have invented the three-piece flûte traversière and the hautbois (baroque oboe).

These may have included additional members of the Hotteterre family, as well as other French makers active around the same time.