A small bassoon or a high-register variant of the bassoon, smaller than the standard instrument.
From Italian fagotto + -ino (diminutive suffix). Italian diminutive forms create smaller versions of instruments; fagottino literally means 'little fagott/bassoon.' Used primarily in classical orchestral and chamber music contexts.
The fagottino was an attempt to get higher squeaky sounds out of the bassoon family—it's adorably tiny but rarely used because it sounds kind of awkward compared to oboes!
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