To be fair, a bassoon played up high sounds even less like a bass instrument...
See (hear, really) Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." No, that's not an oboe solo ....
@ Princess, we've talked at some length regarding instrument/vocal ranges (see
http://www.woodwindforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2841). It's always an interesting discussion. Relating to my above comment and yours regarding range, one of the reasons a composer might want (for example) a bassoon to play an oboe part is because it does have a significantly different tone quality and can add a different color to the sound. Inversely, sometimes a bari sax player is playing the bassoon part (for example) because the arranger of the piece either a) thought the bassoon part needed reinforcement or b) he knows his arrangement will be played by a band and he might as well write out doubling stuff. Of course, another reason an arranger would write a piece that's in the "incorrect" range for the instrument is because he's got no idea what he's doing (I've played bari sax parts that go to low F, for instance).
But, let me wax prosaic on tone color.
I'm officially a bass (singer). However, I have a range of approximately 8vb
to
. I can sing falsetto to even higher. However, if I'm forced to sing some tenor parts, you really don't want me to sing an exposed part because the sound you'll hear will lack the power of a real tenor and will sound kinda pinched. Need to fill out some ensemble stuff? No problem. Solo? As long as it's not above
, fine. Any higher or for solo work, you want a real tenor.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, I had been a church musician for years. One of the trends in church music over the past 30 or so years has been the elimination of the bass part. If there is one in name, it's really a tenor II part (for instance, arrangements of the stuff Larnelle Harris or Ron Kenoly sing). I whined to a director once about this: "I've spent a several years and a lot of money to become a really decent classically-trained bass. You're trying to turn me into an average tenor."