If you are just learning about the oboe, you are about to learn that there is a lot to
learn!
While this article is by no means an exhaustive look at the oboe, we’ll try to cover
the basic stuff to give you a better idea of this beautiful instrument.
The oboe is a double reed (which means that two pieces of wood vibrate together to
make the sound) instrument that is directly descended from the 16th century
shawm. While the shawm might be considered the great grandfather of the oboe, its
sound (which was LOUD and annoying) changed quite a bit before it became the
modern day oboe.
Oboes are usually made of grenadilla wood, but sometimes, in an effort to produce
slightly different tone colors, other woods are used. The oboe has sterling silver
keys and is made up of three “joints:”
- a lower joint
- an upper joint
- and a slightly flared bell
The sound is produced by using a reed made of two blades of cane which vibrate
together.
Pitched in “C,” the oboe’s pitch range starts at the Bb below middle C on the piano
and ends roughly 2 octaves above that, around a G. For the adventurer, higher
notes are possible though less comfortable and less frequently called for in music
written for the oboe.
The oboe has a narrow conical bore, making its timbre focused and penetrating. The
French word for oboe, “hautbois.” Hautbois literally translates to “high-,” “strong-,”
“loud-,” or “principal-wood,” depending on its various spellings. Some people say
that the oboe sounds a bit like a duck. Track down a recording of Prokofiev’s Peter
and the Wolf for a great example of this.
The oboe is often played in groups of two or three in orchestras and bands, and is
used in many combinations for chamber music. It is primarily a melody instrument
and, because of its lyrical and mournful timbre, is often used for very emotional
sections of music.
Good examples include:
- Stravinsky - Symphony in C
- Barber - Summer Music
- Gabriel’s Oboe
One of the oboe’s most important jobs is that of “tuner” in an orchestra. Listen
carefully to the beginning of any orchestra concert with oboes in it and you will hear
the oboe player play a tuning “A” from which the entire orchestra takes their pitch.
There are actually 4 different instruments within the oboe family, which cover the
soprano, alto, tenor, and bass ranges. The oboe itself is the most soprano of its
direct family. The second most common instrument in the oboe family is its tenor
version, the English horn.
The English horn, or “Cor Anglais,” is pitched a 5th below the oboe, in “F,” and is
fingered almost exactly like its smaller sibling. The range of the English horn begins
at a written B below middle C and goes up to about concert “C.” Like the oboe, it
consists of an upper and lower joint, but it has a bulbous bell at the lower end
which makes it look quite different. English horn players also use a bocal, onto
which the reed is attached.
The sound of the English horn is similar in quality to the oboe, but because it is
larger and lower, its timbre is a bit more mysterious and sorrowful. The English
horn is often used in the band and orchestra, though less often in chamber music. It
is quite common for the 2nd oboist of an ensemble to have to “double” on English
horn, having to switch back and forth from the oboe as his/her part dictates.
Famous English horn solos include:
- Rossini - William Tell Overture
- Dvorak - New World Symphony
The oboe’s alto family member is the oboe d’amore, which means “oboe of love.”
This instrument looks like a small version of the English horn, with the same
bulbous shaped bell and curved bocal. It sounds a minor 3rd lower than the oboe, is
pitched in concert “A,” and again fingered almost exactly like the oboe.
The oboe d’amore’s sound is truly distinctive, being reminiscent of its soprano and
tenor relatives, but more muted and sweet. It is often used in pairs and most
frequently in Baroque music, especially that of J.S. Bach. Check out the beautiful
solos and duets for oboes d’amore in the following Bach pieces:
- B Minor Mass
- Christmas Cantatas
- Concerto for Oboe D’amore
The oboe d’amore does not often appear in ensemble pieces after the Baroque era,
though one of its most famous orchestra solos was written by Ravel, in Bolero.
The oboe’s bass family member is the Bass oboe, which is the most obscure of the
oboe family members. The bass oboe is pitched in “C,” like the oboe, but sounds an
octave lower than its written pitches. It looks like a very large English horn, and is
played with the same fingerings, but its bocal is more drastically curved.
The popularity of the bass oboe was brief and is rarely used today. One of the few
orchestral pieces which employs the bass oboe is Holst’s The Planets. Its murky and
atmospheric timbre is well suited to a piece about outer space.
The oboe and its relatives all use a double reed, but the reed is different for each
instrument. Basically, the bigger and lower the instrument, the bigger the reed is.
The oboe’s reed is the only reed with an attached cork, the others being on metal
tubes which slip directly onto a bocal. From its soprano to bass ranges, the oboe
family covers a wide spectrum of tones colors, though remains lyrical and poignant
in all its versions.
The oboe is a beautiful instrument to play although it can take quite some time to
master. Even producing a sound can be quite a challenge for a beginner.
Oboist and online entrepreneur Maryn Leister helps beginner and professional
oboists to be more productive and have more fun on the oboe. She publishes the
weekly Oboe:Space newsletter and gives away more FREE oboe reed tips than she
can remember with her Reed Guru service.
Sign-up for the Oboe:Space newsletter and start getting your FREE oboe reed tips
now at http://www.oboespace.com
