Oboe

History of the oboe

Antiquity

Many vestiges offer representations of the Mizmar S Egyptians, aulos Greek, simple or double, announced by Homère in Iliade: “And one hears on Thèbes in flames the sound of the auloï”, or the tibia S Romans in reed.

The oboe in the world

The Zurna S or the zurlas are played still today of Turkey in Tunisia or in Macedonia; the Doudouk S are of origin Armenian, the toroksips and the tárogatós of Hungary, the surnajs of Russia; the alghaitas find in all the Africa and even until in Burma; the shenaïs are used in the traditional Musique north of the India, the nagasvarams more in the south; the Thailand has its fucked; in China, they are the suonas and with the Japan the Hichiriki S…

Evolution of the oboe in Europe

As from the 12th century, the observation of the Illumination S and Miniature S of the Handwritten S Monastic S, Tapestry S, Sculpture S and table X where the representations of the various oboes do not miss, gives a rather precise idea of the instruments played according to the circumstances and the periods (the haversack S of the Cantigas de Santa Maria for example) .

Declined in Consort, (above, high-against, size, low,…) , the Chalemie , also called old oboe, round of only one part, broad borer especially to the house, will give rise to the discants, to the Cromorne S, the ciaramellas or the Italian pifferi, the Dulzaina S or the Spanish Graïle S, but also with the bombards S, oboe of Poitou or other oboes of Languedoc… the oboe are also the part of the Cornemuse, of the Biniou, the Veuze or the haversack of court playing the melody (sometimes called practice ).

Birth of the oboe baroque

In France, the Chalemie S, the Cromorne S belong to the musical universe of the court of the kings until the festivals of hamlet; the oboe of Poitou distracts the evenings from the king Louis XI, the haversacks make dance the peasants.

As from 1650, the families Hotteterre and Philidor, factors of instruments, type-setters, musicians virtuosos, members of the “Chamber music & Large Stable of Roy”, will make evolve/move the instrument, dividing it into three parts (body top, of bottom and house) , refining the Perce, adjusting the hole of the notes, adding a key serious C in form of W (allowing the alternation of the position of the hands) and a key of E flat. Definitively giving up the “pirouettes” and the “capsules”, they impose the control of the Anche by the lips to express all the smoothnesses of the sound (revolutionary difference with all the others instruments of the family) . They are regarded as the creators of the oboe baroque .

In 1664, Jean-Baptiste Lully, superintendent of the Court, writes a Marche for these new oboes, integrates them into “the Large Stable of Roy” of Louis XIV, institution going back to François 1st, gradually removing the Pupitre S of the older instruments (Cromorne S, recorders, Théorbe, Viola da gamba, virginal…) . Declined in several sizes, they also make their entry in the music of the Mousquetaire S and consequently, with the Basson S, take their rise in the whole Europe. If the bands of oboe (especially military) are appreciated, the instrument is essential especially in the Symphony orchestra incipient, accompanying the festivals, the opera S, the ballets of court, the Oratorio S, the Cantate S… He also triumphs like Soliste, in Sonate S, in the Concerto S and in Chamber music.

All the type-setters of the time baroque will write for these oboes, oboe de amore, hunting (da caccia), cor anglais, sizes of oboe and oboe baritones (rarer, but some having already towards 1680, the shape of the saxophone!). The 18th century century will be truly the golden age of the oboe. (See the chapter Repertory)

The traditional oboe

The oboe of the traditional period, medium 18th century, beginning 19th century, does not vary much compared to its predecessor. To simplify the tacts, particularly the “forks” and the trilles, to increase the tessiture (until against F) with very empirical research, the keys become gradually more (serious C #, F of key, ground #, key of octave) , but overall, the form and the borer remain relatively the same ones. It is not rare besides that the keys are added a long time after the manufacture of the instrument.

The modern oboe

At the beginning of the 19th century, the invoice of the instruments of the family of wood undergoes a fundamental revolution: Theobald Boehm invents for the flute a system of keys and plates to stop the various holes. The bore does not depend any more a width of the fingers and a plate can order the opening or the closing of several holes. A system of swivelling rod, provided with leaf springs or out of needle, makes it possible to actuate stoppings of the holes out of reach.

For the oboe after some gropings, it is Guillaume Triébert and its sons Charles-Louis (professor of oboe to the academy of Paris) and Frederic, who adapt, improve and make evolve/move the mechanism, also reconsidering the borer. Their successors, François and Lucien Lorée, manufacture the “Conservatory Model with plates” which will quickly be adopted by all the hautboïstes.

Organology

The oboe indicates any instrument with sheer doubles (and even sometimes by barbarism with simple sheer!), setting directly in the mouth or locked up in a “capsule” (tube recovering the sheer) supplied with the musician or an air pocket with or without bellows. Sometimes the lips are based on a “pirouette” (metal or leather ring in the middle of the sheer). The borer is conical, but sometimes cylindrical, in bone, horn, reed, out of wood, more rarely out of ivory or metal. The stamp can be extremely sound or on the contrary very very soft… In short! a diversity which has of equal only the creativity of various civilizations and the many cultures in which this instrument is still used nowadays.

A wood

The first oboes were in Graminée (Roseau, Bambou…) using the natural hollow of the pipe, to see the Hichiriki Japanese music Gagaku. Even if certain current traditional instruments are still manufactured in these transitory matters, very quickly the need for a material more resistant and perdurant became obvious. The factors sought wood hardest, of great density, with fine and regular fibers like primarily the Buis but also the Merisier (wild cherry tree), the Bois de rose (purple wood) or the Poirier. Certain oboes baroques were even turned in Ivoire.

On the 19th century, the addition of the keys and the multiplicity of the holes imposed the most resistant wood: the ebony, more precisely the wood of grenadillo or Dalbergia melanoxylon. Currently, ebony still dominates, but the exotic wood like the Cocobolo or the Bois of violet bring new sonorities and feelings to the hautboïstes. Certain factors even built oboes in Métal or Plexiglass (Marigaux) . Last technological change, Buffet Cramp manufactures its intruments in “ Green Line ”: the composite material most modern, patented, made up of powder 95% from ebony, epoxy resin and carbon fiber 5%.

The conservatory model

The borer, 4 mm at the base of the tube of the sheer passes to 16 mm at the end of the body of bottom (that is to say on 480 mm), then widens to 38 mm at the base of the house (on 110 mm).

Some 23 holes, masked by a clétage complex manufactured out of copper nickel zinc alloy (zinc and nickel, copper alloy), generally worked with the hand, adjusted, sandpapered, filed, welded, silver plated or even aurifié, leaf springs or out of needle, swivelling rods fixed on around fifties of balls screwed in wood, 6 plates/rings and a score of keys/spatulas to open and close these holes, all this mechanism allows the hundred tacts of notes, trilles and possible multiple sounds on a modern oboe.

The oboe Viennese

The Philharmonic orchestra of Vienna uses an oboe designed at the beginning of the 20th century by Hermann Zuleger and remained without notable change until now. It is characterized by a borer, a clétage and a sheer private individuals which give him the specific color to this orchestra. The Akademiemodel is exclusively used in Vienna and clearly differs from the French oboe employed everywhere else. It is manufactured only by very rare factors like Guntram Wolf or Yamaha.

Current families

The modern family

the haversack (or oboe piccolo) in MIB or F (3ce minor or 4te just higher) , conical house;
the oboe in C, soprano, conical house;
the Oboe de amore in the (3ce minor lower) , mezzo-soprano, small curved bottle, pyriforme house (in the pear shape) ;
the Cor anglais in F (5te just lower) , viola, curved bottle, pyriforme house;
the Oboe baritone (8ve lower) , called low oboe by English, should be called oboe tenor; bottle in form of S , its house pyriforme is sometimes directed upwards and the Heckelphone even tessiture, another invoice.

The baroque family

haversack of court
the oboe baroque
the oboe de amore baroque
the oboe da caccia

The traditional family

See the list in the page Category: Oboe at the foot of the page.

The sheer

But which had this insane idea, one day to invent the scraping of two fine plates of reed bound on a tube for, into blowing, to obtain a sound??? … and the quality of this sheer is as important as that of the instrument!

Generally manufactured by the hautboïstes themselves, the sheers must be adapted to the breath (the speed and volume of air) , to the mouth (the shapes of the teeth and the lips) , to the pressure of the jaw, the temperature, hydrometry and even… with the atmospheric pressure!

The reed, selected for its very fine fibers and its flexibility without mollesse, is dried, cut, split, gouged and cut, folded to be bound on a tube with a nylon wire. Begin the delicate operation then: the " grattage". For having separated the two plates, it is necessary to fray or plane finely the end using a knife/razor. For vibrating well, the thickness and the form of this scraping must be precise and much of hautboïstes are in despair on this activity.

Repertory

Baroque music

If the first service with the orchestra were in the Sick Love of Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1657, the first solistic works of the oboe are written for " dessus" (Violins, Flute S or oboe…) like the Royal Concerts and Joined together Tastes of François Couperin, the Continuations or Entertainments of countryside of Joseph Bodin de Boismortier or splendid the Concerto in major C of Jean-Marie Leclair.

But very quickly from the type-setters will write specific pages, like those of Tomaso Albinoni ( concertos for one or two oboes of the opus 7 and 9), Antonio Vivaldi (see the list of the sonatas and concertos of Vivaldi containing 1 or 2 oboes below) Sonate in minor C particularly virtuosos), Georg Friedrich Haendel or Georg Philipp Telemann (sonatas and concertos), without forgetting the great solos in their opera S, Messe S, Ballet S, Cantate S, Oratorio S, passion S … The Palm of gold " hautboïstique" returning without any doubt to Johann Sebastian Bach, with in particular the two first Brandenburger Concertos , the Concerto for violin and oboe , the Concerto for oboe de amore without counting the innumerable ones and splendid airs of cantatas. It should be noted that it also retranscribed for the Clavecin one of heights of the repertory: the Concerto in minor D of Alessandro Marcello allotted a long time to his/her brother Benedetto.

Classical music

If Bach, is the champion of the Baroque music for the instrument, Mozart is the phoenix of the traditional period. In addition to the Concerto in C (which it will rewrite for the Flute), the Quatuor in F with trio with cords, all the remarkable passages in the operas, religious symphonies and works, it is necessary to note its chamber music for whole with wind where the oboe holds a paramount role, the six sextets for 2 oboes, 2 horns and 2 bassoons or the 2 serenades for 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns and 2 bassoons for example.

The " Concerto in ut" who is allotted to him is not Joseph Haydn (probably of one of its pupils) , but its five concertos for two Lyre S were adapted for flute and oboe. Salieri composed some for the same formation.

The concerto in minor C of Domenico Cimarosa made famous for Pierre Pierlot is a successful arrangement of works for harpsichord.

Having heard in December 1793 a trio for 2 oboes and cor anglais of the hautboïste-type-setter Jan Wind (or Wenth) (1745-1801), the young person Beethoven composed two works for this formation: the Variations on " Ci darem the mano" of Mozart and the Trio in major C COp 87 . Alas, one found only the outlines of sound Concerto in major F for oboe and orchestra , but it very often shows its attachment with the instrument such as for example in its Symphonie n° 3 in the second movement starting from the 9th measurement or in the Symphonie n° 6 in the third movement starting from the 91e measurement.

'' the Great Symphony '' of Franz Schubert is a true concerto for oboe: in the second movement, after the solo of the serious cords, he announces one of the main themes which returns on several occasions.

Music of the 19th century

The originality of the Concertino of Carl Maria von Weber is to be written for oboe and… small Orchestre of harmony! showing the interest often ignored of the type-setters of this time for this formation.

The Introduction, Topic and Variations COp 102 of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, magnificiently interpreted by Jacques Chambon were composed about 1825 with Weimar.

The guitarist Napoleon Coste, in addition to a Imagination in concert for two oboes COp 35, composed some works for oboe and guitar for him and his friend Charles-Louis Triébert of which the Cavatine COp 37.

Vincenzo Bellini, " Concerto" ,
Gaetano Donizetti, " Concertino" for cor anglais,
Robert Schumann, " 3 Romances" for oboe and piano,
Richard Wagner, " Tristan and Iseult" (beginning of act III, cor anglais) ,
Berlioz, fantastic Symphony: third movement: dialog with the Cor anglais, which is the first to be played.
Symphony n° 4 of Tchaïkovski: second movement, long solo starting from the beginning of the movement. And also, in fact the oboe plays the topic of slow the " Scène" well-known of its ballet the lake of the swans.
Johannes Brahms, Concerto for violin second movement, adagio in major F, the oboe exposes the topic taken again by the soloist.

Music of the 20th century

Maurice Ravel, the Tomb of Couperin , Bolero (solo of oboe de amore)
Camille Saint-Saëns, Sonata ,
Benjamin Britten, 6 Metamorphoses according to Ovide ,
Richard Strauss, Concerto ,
Francis Poulenc, Sonata ,
Carl Nielsen, Two parts ,
William Alwyn, Concerto ,
Henri Dutilleux, Sonata ,
Bohuslav Martinů, Concerto ,
Vaughan Williams, Concerto ,
Jacques Ibert, Symphonia concertante
Bruno Maderna, Concertos n° 1,2 and 3
Edwin Carr, Concerto ,
Luciano Berio, Sequenza VII" , " Way IV

Symphonic music

The Pupitre of oboe is consisted of the instruments of the modern family, of more or less significant number according to works. The parts of cor anglais or oboe de amore are played by one of the Hautboïste S. the haversack (oboe piccolo) sometimes made its appearance (Concerto n° 2 of Maderna.

To compare the stamp Flute, oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon, to listen to the forty first second " Dance of the swans " (tempo di waltz): twice the same topic is played, except for some variations, by each instrument (of acutest with most serious of the family of wood). This topic is taken again several times during the piece, each time succeeding the very first topic exposed to the beginning of the " Dance ".

Traditionally, the oboe gives the the to the orchestra to grant the instruments. That is explained by the richness of the stamp of the oboe in Harmoniques of all rows in the audible spectrum, which provides many reference marks facilitating the agreement of the other instruments.

Chamber music

All the types of formation are authorized, the Duo to the Chamber orchestra, while passing by the Quintette and the Nonette, whole exclusively with wind or mixed units.

Film music

The oboe and the Cor anglais are frequently used in the musics of Film, for their particularly evocative stamp. Some examples:

the oboe plays the main theme of the piece " Across the stars" (Through stars) of the original soundtrack of the film " Star Wars II: Attack off the clones (the attack of the clones) " composed by John Williams

this same type-setter uses it in the original soundtrack of the film " Harry Potter and the prisonner off Askaban (Harry Potter and the prisoner of Askaban) " for the beginning of the piece " Aunt Marge' S Waltz (the waltz of aunt Marge) "

Ennio Morricone composes one moving " Gabriel' S oboe" for film of Roland Joffé " The Mission " Palm of gold to the Cannes festival in 1986

Hautboïstes and teaching

The teaching of the oboe is exempted by musicians who share their time between their activity of concert performer, chambrist or musician of orchestra, and that of pedagog within the centers of teaching specialized in the music, function necessary to the formation of the future generations.

See also: Hautboïste, List of the universities of music, Teaching specialized in the music in France

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