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+ Difficulty Rating + About the Oboe + Equipment Cost + Accessories + Genres played on the Oboe + Famous players + Famous songs & albums + History + Type of Oboe + Related instruments + Audio Samples Difficulty Rating: 10/10

About the Oboe:

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. The English word "oboe" is a corruption of the French word for oboe, hautbois, which is a compound word made of haut meaning "high" and bois, meaning "wood". A musician who plays the oboe is called an oboist. Careful manipulation of embouchure and air pressure allows the player to express a large timbral and dynamic range. The oboe is often considered one of the most difficult instruments to learn to play

Equipment costs:

Low end Oboe: £
High end Oboe: £

Accessories:

Reeds
Cases and Bags
Microphones
Reed Cases
Stands

Genres played on the Oboe:

Classical
Traditional and folk music
Jazz
Film music

Famous players:

Francesco Barsanti (1690-1772)
Sante Aguilar (c.1734-1808)
Wilhelm Braun (1796-1867)
Henri de Busscher (1880-1975)
Alexander Wunderer (1877-1955)

Famous songs & albums:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Oboe Concerto in C major, Quartet in F major
Antonio Vivaldi, Oboe Concerti
Carl Nielsen, Two Fantasy Pieces for Oboe and Piano
Igor Stravinsky, Pastorale (transcribed in 1933 for Violin and Wind Quartet)

History:

The baroque oboe first appeared in French courts under Jean-Baptiste Lully in the late 17th century, where it was called hautbois. The basic form of the instrument was derived from the shawm, an instrument widely used in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Musician and instrument maker Martin Hotteterre (d.1712) was responsible for many of the new instrument's early developments. The instrument quickly spread throughout Europe (including England, where it was called "hautboy" or "hoboy"). It was the main melody instrument in early military bands, until it was succeeded by the clarinet.

The baroque oboe was generally made from boxwood and had three keys; a "great", and two side keys. (The side key was often doubled to facilitate use of either the right or left hand on the bottom holes) In order to produce higher pitches, the player had to "overblow," or increase the air stream to reach the next harmonic. Notable oboe-makers of the period are the German Denner and Eichentopf, and the English Stanesby Sr. and Jr. The range for the baroque oboe comfortably extends from c1 to d3. With the resurgence of interest in early music in the mid 20th century, a few makers began producing copies to specifications from surviving historical instruments.