Why were oboes more playable than other early woodwinds? Early oboes had six finger holes and only a few keys (for the lower little finger). The conical shape of the oboe allows it to overblow (repeat fingerings) at the octave . Cross-fingering (closing some holes below the first open hole), which helps an instrument get all the notes of the chromatic scale , also works better on an oboe than on many other woodwinds. While other woodwinds had to wait for technical improvements in keys and key systems, even early oboes could easily play in many keys throughout their range. In fact, extra keys were added to the oboe a bit later than they were added to instruments like the bassoon and clarinet , which had more need of them. The modern oboe is fully keyed, like other woodwinds, although it still does not need as many keys as, for example, a clarinet.
Repertoire
The oboe is most easily recognizable (sound-wise) as the instrument that gives the "A" for tuning at the beginning of an orchestra concert or rehearsal. If you would like to hear the oboe, it should be pretty easy to find recordings of some of the following:
- Oboe was the first wind instrument to be regularly included in the orchestra, so it is often heard in Baroque and Classical orchestral works. Listen to early orchestral works, including cantatas. (The "Sinfonia" of Bach's Cantata No. 156 has a particularly lovely oboe solo.)
- Even in later orchestral works, the oboe remains a favorite soloist. For example, Bizet's Symphony in C major features a solo oboe in both the first and second movements.
- From Bach and Vivaldi to Strauss and Vaughan Williams, many composers have written oboe concertos. Marcello's Concerto in D minor is particularly popular. (In fact, there are so many popular oboe concertos, that many have also been transcribed for other solo instruments.)
- The most famous English horn part is the solo in the slow movement of Dvorak's Symphony #9 "From the New World" .
Practical information for composers and arrangers
The oboe is a concert-pitch instrument, but music for
The oboe's loud voice, distinctive
timbre , and ability to play fast, technical passages all make it a good choice for solo work. Both oboe and
Generally, an orchestra, and even a band (which may have dozens of clarinets and flutes) will only have two, maybe three oboes. (One oboe player may also double on English horn or