Oboe

The oboe is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but they can also be made from plastic, resin, or special mixtures.

The most common kind of oboe is called the soprano oboe and is tuned to the note C. It is about 65 centimeters long and has metal keys. When a person blows into the oboe’s reed, it vibrates and makes a bright, clear tone.

Today, the oboe is often used in symphony orchestras, concert bands, and small music groups called chamber ensembles. You can hear it in classical music, film music, and some folk music. Sometimes it appears in jazz, rock, pop, or other popular music. The oboe helps tune the orchestra with its special note, A.

A person who plays the oboe is called an oboist.

Sound

The oboe has a bright and clear sound. It stands out in a group of instruments because it can be heard easily. The oboe’s shape helps create this strong sound.

Music for the oboe is written at the actual pitch, and orchestras often tune to the sound of the first oboe. Skilled players adjust how they use their mouth and breath to keep the sound just right.

Reeds

The oboe uses a double reed to make sound, like the bassoon. Many experienced players make their own reeds to suit their needs.

New players usually buy reeds from a music store. These reeds come in different hardness levels, and most beginners choose a medium-soft one. The reed is very important because each one sounds a little different. Players often keep several reeds ready. Some oboe reeds are made of plastic, though these are not as common as those made from cane.

History

The oboe has a long history that goes back many centuries. Early versions of the instrument, called chirimía, came to Europe from the Middle East long ago. Even older versions existed in places like Egypt and Greece. Over time, the oboe changed and evolved. By the 17th century, it became known as the French hautbois, which means "high-pitched woodwind". This is when the modern oboe began to take shape.

The regular oboe first appeared in the mid-1600s. It was made of boxwood and had three keys. Later, during the Classical period, the oboe changed again with a narrower shape and more keys, allowing musicians to play higher notes more easily. Famous composers like Mozart and Haydn wrote beautiful music for the oboe. Today, the modern oboe is usually made from a special type of wood called grenadilla, though some are made from plastic for students. It has many keys and can play notes over two and a half octaves.

Other members of the oboe family

The standard oboe has several relatives of different sizes. The most well-known today is the cor anglais (English horn), which is the alto member of the family. It is pitched in F, a perfect fifth lower than the oboe. The oboe d'amore is the mezzo-soprano member, pitched in A, a minor third lower than the oboe. J.S. Bach used both the oboe d'amore.

Less common is the bass oboe (also called baritone oboe). Delius, Strauss, and Holst wrote music for this instrument.

Similar to the bass oboe is the heckelphone.

The least common are the musette (also called oboe musette or piccolo oboe), and the contrabass oboe, pitched two octaves lower than the standard oboe.

Folk versions of the oboe are found across Europe. These include the musette in France and the piston oboe and bombarde in Brittany, the piffero in Italy, and the xirimia (also spelled chirimia) in Spain. Many of these are often played with local types of bagpipe, such as the Italian müsa and zampogna or Breton biniou.

David Stock’s concerto "Oborama" features the oboe and its relatives as soloists.

Notable classical works featuring the oboe

See also: Oboe concerto

Many famous composers have written beautiful pieces for the oboe. Some of these include works by Tomaso Albinoni, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Antonio Vivaldi.

Johann Sebastian Bach used the oboe in several of his pieces, and Tchaikovsky included it in the theme for Swan Lake. Other composers like Samuel Barber, Vincenzo Bellini, and Luciano Berio have also created lovely music featuring this instrument.

Unaccompanied pieces

Some composers have written pieces for the oboe to play all by itself. Examples include works by Benjamin Britten, Carlos Chávez, and Luciano Berio. These pieces let the oboe show off its range and beauty without any other instruments.

Use in non-classical music

Jazz

The oboe is not very common in jazz, but some bands in the 1920s and 1930s, like the one led by Paul Whiteman, used it to add special sounds. It was usually used for dance music, and sometimes oboists played solos like they would on a saxophone. One musician, Garvin Bushell, played the oboe in jazz bands starting in 1924 and even recorded with John Coltrane in 1961.

In the 1950s, Bob Cooper was one of the first to play the oboe as a main solo instrument in modern jazz. Gil Evans also used the oboe in his famous work Sketches of Spain with Miles Davis. Another musician, Yusef Lateef, began using the oboe in jazz in 1961. In jazz fusion, which started in the late 1960s, the oboe became more common and was used by musicians like Karl Jenkins and Paul McCandless.

Rock and pop

Some rock and pop musicians have used the oboe in their music. Sufjan Stevens often includes the oboe in his songs, like in Illinois and Michigan. Peter Gabriel played the oboe when he was in the band Genesis, and Andy Mackay from Roxy Music also plays it. The band 10cc used an oboe in their song "Modern Man Blues." In R.E.M's song "Nightswimming", a solo oboe plays an important part near the end.

Film music

The oboe is often used in movie music to create emotional moments. For example, it was used in the 1989 film Born on the Fourth of July. One famous use is in Ennio Morricone's “Gabriel's Oboe” from the 1986 film The Mission. It also appears in the music for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones by John Williams and in The Godfather by Nino Rota.

Descriptive assessments

The oboe can be hard to play at first. Some people say it sounds like a wild duck when you are just learning. It has many nicknames, like "the melancholy reed" and "the sprightly companion", because of its special sound.

Notable oboists

Main article: List of oboists

This section lists well-known players of the oboe.

Manufacturers

Many companies make oboes around the world. Some well-known ones include Boosey & Hawkes from London, UK, Buffet Crampon from Mantes-la-Ville, France, and Yamaha from Japan. Others are Heckel from Wiesbaden, Germany, Selmer from France and the US, and A. Laubin from Peekskill, New York, US. These companies have been making oboes for many years.