The Oboe

From my blog at music1listeningblog.blogspot.co.uk:

History

The predecessor to the modern oboe was a medieval and renaissance instrument called the shawm. The shawm was turned from a single piece of wood, in contrast to the oboe which is in three parts similar to the flute, for ease of manufacture. The shawm also had a pirouette, a wooden ledge beneath the reed which allowed the player to rest their lips. This was discontinued on the hautbois - the early name for the oboe. The oboe replaced the shawm in the mid-17th century. Other instruments in the oboe family include the oboe d'amour, cor anglais, heckelphone and baritone oboe.

Note Production

The oboe is a double reed instrument. The oboist holds the reeds in their mouth and blows air through at high velocity. This causes the reeds to rapidly vibrate, sending bursts of energy into the oboe, causing sympathetic vibrations within the bore which produce the sound.

Like the other woodwind instruments, the pitch is altered by changing the length of the resonating chamber with the use of keys to cover or uncover holes down the length of the instrument, as well as changing the players embouchure.

The oboe is described as having a very bright, clear and piercing sound, and the closest to the human voice.

Construction

Student oboes are usually made from plastic resin for economic reasons, but concert oboes are made from wood such as ebony. The three main pieces of the oboe are called the upper joint, lower joint, and bell. These are connected by a cork covered joint called tenons. The reed is connected to the upper joint via the 'staple'.

Playing Techniques

The oboe, although an agile instrument, is not so as much as the flute, therefore it is frequently used as a melodic instrument, often with melancholy.

Many of the techniques discussed in my previous article on the flute also apply here, such as:

- Vibrato
- Flutter Tonguing (although slightly modified to accommodate the reed)
- Trills
- Key Slap

Some techniques are more difficult to perform on an oboe:

- Double and triple tonguing (due to the reed causing a hindrance)
- Tremolo
- Finger glissando's over large intervals

Other techniques can be played on the oboe and not the flute:

- Tooth embouchure (the teeth slightly touching the reed)
- Slap tongue (closing the mouth hole with the tongue after a brief attack)


From Samuel Adler's The Study of Orchestration 3rd Ed. :

• Ranges from Bb3 to G6 (Can play A6, but extremely difficult, often avoided even by professionals).
• Most effective range is F4 to C6.
• The notes between C6 and the F above it give a thin, softly piercing effect; very beautiful but difficult to control, especially for the non-professional.
• Pianissimo's should never be written for the lowest 5th of its range; an opposite situation to the flute.
• Staccato passages can be single tongued very easily; double and triple tonguing are hardly if ever called for. Extremely fast and repeated notes are not idiomatic to the instrument.
• The instrument is agile however, and can handle almost any run and fairly large leaps.
• Trills and tremolos are possible on the instrument, with more scope on newer instruments. Trills and tremolos are possible anywhere except between Bb3 and the semitone above. C4 to C#4 are also best avoided. All large interval tremolos above the stave are difficult to perform, as are any wider than a perfect 5th at any point on the instrument.

Several extended techniques are available, including:

• Key clicks.
• Blowing air without producing a pitch.
• Playing through the reed when not attached to the instrument.
• Bending the pitch up or down a quarter tone, by changing the embouchure or pulling the reed out of the mouth slightly.
• Multiphonics are quite successful on the oboe, but can sound harsh, and not all players can execute them successfully. Correct fingering should always be included with the multiphonic, and with the assistance of a performer.