Sir Harlequin is a collection of pieces for solo bassoon. Harlequin is the quick-witted servant from Commedia dell’Arte and pantomime. In his red and black chequered costume he is agile and acrobatic, and outwits his adversaries. Like Pierrot, he moves swiftly from gaiety to melancholy; he courts Columbine and – unlike Pierrot – he is successful! Nicola LeFanu's Harlequin fancies himself as a knight with his own coat-of-arms. Thus the movements of this suite have ‘heraldic’ subtitles.