Oboe

What it means

The oboe is a woodwind instrument with a conical bore and a double reed: two reeds lying against each other vibrate against one another and excite the air column. It is non-transposing and sounds as written, with a range of about two and a half octaves from low B♭. Its sound is slender, rich in overtones, and slightly nasal, with great carrying power without being loud. The family also includes the oboe d'amore and the cor anglais, which stand lower and sound softer.

Musical use

Because of its sustaining, clearly recognizable sound, the oboe traditionally serves in the orchestra as the giver of the tuning pitch and has numerous solo passages, above all for song-like, plaintive, or pastoral characters. It blends less with other instruments than the flute or clarinet and therefore stands out rather as a voice of its own. Since the Baroque, where it arose from older shawm instruments, it has belonged to the fixed stock of the orchestra and possesses an extensive solo and chamber-music repertoire. The transition from the loud shawms to the quieter, more differentiated oboe in the seventeenth century proceeded gradually.

Performance practice

The reed determines almost everything — response, intonation, sound, and endurance; oboists usually make and work their reeds themselves and always keep several broken-in ones ready. Air consumption is low, air pressure by contrast high: this means used air must be released, which is why breathing places also serve for exhaling. Plan them deliberately and write them in. Keep the embouchure round and relaxed, so that the tone does not sound pressed. Moisten the reed shortly before playing and let it dry afterward. Check pads and airtightness regularly, because leaks first spoil the low register.

Bear in mind that the oboe gives the tuning pitch in the orchestra and must therefore itself tune especially reliably: warm the instrument up, check the reed, and give the pitch calmly and at a constant volume. In ensemble playing the oboe asserts itself easily; in mixtures with flute or clarinet, deliberate holding back is therefore necessary. For solo passages it is worthwhile to know the accompaniment and to coordinate the phrasing with it. Keep several broken-in reeds ready, because a reed can weaken during a concert.