instrument: Oboe
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Technically, the term "oboe" is a generic for any double-reed instrument (as opposed to the single reed clarinet or saxophone) – including the bassoon and English horn. In practice, however, the term is used to indicate the principal (treble) oboe, pitched in C. Many cultures have double reed instruments, dating back at least to the Ancient Greek aulos; in Europe, the oboe descended most directly from the shawm – a double reed wind instrument made in various sizes, dating back early
Medieval era, that possessed a rather loud and shrill tone, with limited pitch options. Changes in construction made in France during the mid-
Baroque allowed the new “hautbois” to better blend with strings, and enter into the art music repertoire – namely, in the
operas and
ballets of
Jean-Baptiste Lully in the 1660s and 70s. The oboe (though, in fact, traditionally called “hautbois” through the end of the 18th century) gained currency in French consorts and orchestras, from where it spread to England, Italy, Germany, and elsewhere. For some time the oboe displayed its roots in the shawm, being performed in consort, and maintaining either a pastoral or a ceremonial association; gradually, though, it revealed its potential as a beautiful and flexible solo instrument – within
chamber and
orchestral music, as well as
opera. The late-
Baroque witnessed perhaps the golden age of the oboe, as seen in the many
oboe concertos and
sonatas by
Antonio Vivaldi,
George Frideric Handel,
Georg Philip Telemann, and
Tomaso Albinoni, as well as in the many glorious oboe obbligati that
J.S. Bach wrote in his cantatas and other sacred works – such as the famous sinfonia to
Cantata No.156. During the
Classical era, construction changes gradually gave the oboe a more mellow tone (via a more narrow bore, etc.), particularly in the upper registers, and composers began writing simpler, more harmonically-oriented oboe parts within
orchestral and
chamber settings; at the same time, the oboe began to cede some of its ensemble importance to the
clarinet. Among oboe-featured works in this period include, especially
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Oboe Concerto in C, K.314 and his
Oboe Quartet in F, K.370.
The 19th century witnessed further changes in oboe construction, most notably via the establishment of various key systems, which allowed for ease of chromatic playing, but likewise resulted in a generally less dynamic tone; these culminated toward the end of the century in the French-built “Conservatoire system” oboe, that remains the dominant instrument used today. Increasingly, the oboe became associated with sweet, lyrical (cantabile) melodies, particularly in slow passages – as heard in various orchestral works by
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Hector Berlioz,
Johannes Brahms, and
Richard Wagner. At the same time, a small but steady repertoire of
solo works featuring the oboe was written through the
Romantic and
Late-Romantic eras, including oboe
concertos by
Vincenzo Bellini and
Richard Strauss, and oboe-featured
chamber works by
Robert Schumann and
Camille Saint-Saëns, among others. The
Modern and
Contemporary eras, indeed, have increased the solo profile of the oboe, with
oboe concertos and other oboe-featured works by composers including
Ralph Vaughn-Williams,
Bohuslav Martinů,
Krzysztof Pendercki,
Elliott Carter,
Hans Henze, and others – in part inspired by such performers as the Swiss virtuoso
Heinz Holliger.
Nolan Gasser, PhD
Artistic Director