Oboe

The oboe is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. Variations of the oboe have been around for centuries. The oboe is a double reed instrument that is a little more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) in length. Oboes are made of wood, though student instruments may be made of composite plastics and resins. For many years, the oboe was almost exclusively an ensemble instrument, playing a supporting role in orchestras and other musical groups. Beginning in the twentieth century, however, the oboe became more of a solo player, in part because its "voice" comes very close to replicating the emotional undertones of the human voice.

Background

Historical evidence, including artistic representations, have shown that double reed instruments such as the oboe have existed since at least 3000 BCE, when they were used in ancient Mesopotamia. Double reed instruments also can be seen in ancient Greek and Roman art. Thus, they are among the oldest known instruments.

Double reed instruments were used in a variety of situations, including accompanying singers at entertainment events, such as plays and festivals. Sometimes they were used at banquets and during battle. Historians, however, have been unable to determine whether the modern oboe descended directly from the instruments used in Greek and Roman times or whether the instruments were carried to parts of Europe, improved to their more contemporary form, and then transported back to the ancestral lands of the Greeks and Romans.

What historians do know is that during the Middle Ages, Europeans played an instrument called a calamus using either a single or a double reed. A variation of this instrument became known as a shawm in English, a Schalmei in German, and a chalumeau in French. The single reed versions of these instruments developed into clarinets. The double reed forms became oboes. These various wind instruments often were played by traveling minstrels, who helped spread the instruments during their travels. This helps explain why similar instruments have different names in different regions.

In the seventeenth century, a double reed instrument known as the hautbois (from the French words for "high woods") was created. It also was called the hautboy, hoboy, and hoeboy, which gradually transformed into the word oboe. This instrument took on one of the key features of the contemporary oboe: the lack of a mouthpiece. Previous instruments had a covering known as a windcap over the reed, but in the hautbois, this covering was eliminated, and the musician placed his or her lips directly on the double reed. Musicians still do this with contemporary oboes.

The oboe gradually evolved from a casual instrument played by itinerant musicians to a formal part of orchestras and other ensembles. For a time, the oboe often was the lead instrument in these ensembles, but it was gradually replaced by the clarinet before the end of the eighteenth century. At the same time, however, the instrument underwent gradual improvements that helped cement its continued use in musical ensembles.

Some of these improvements included narrowing the inside diameter and thinning the walls of the instrument's wooden body, changing the size and shape of the reeds, and altering the finger holes. At the end of the eighteenth century, the design had been modified to include three, instead of two, keys. This was the start of a continual process of adding keys to the length of the instrument until it had a total of fifteen.

In the mid-nineteenth century, instrument maker Frederic Triebert worked with oboe player Apollon M. R. Barret to create the most direct ancestor of the modern oboe. It featured an even narrower hollow inside the instrument and an additional key known as the speaker key. By the middle of the twentieth century, this version was the one in use by most serious musicians.

Overview

Contemporary oboes have three sections. The top section includes either ten or eleven holes, which the oboist manipulates with the left hand. The second section has ten holes played by the right hand. The bottom bell section has two additional holes, which are used infrequently.

At the top of the instrument is a small angled metal tube known as a bocal. This tube has a cylinder of cork at one end and a space for the double reed at the other. The reed comes from a type of cane and often is hand-fashioned by the musician to his or her own preferences and specifications.

The double reed is the secret to the oboe's sound. In a single reed instrument, the reed is placed between the player's mouth and the facing of the mouthpiece. As the air blows over it, it vibrates to form the instrument's sound. In a double reed instrument, two layers of reed vibrate against each other to produce a different sound. Altering the size and shape of the reed can give the sound other qualities.

Professional-grade contemporary oboes are generally made of African hardwood, from trees that may be up to two hundred years old. The wood is roughly shaped, and the opening inside, called the bore, is started. The wood is then left to age and season for several years before the manufacturing process continues. When it is ready, the wood is drilled, reamed out, and shaped into its final form. Next, metal fittings are added to hold the various parts together. Then, the holes are drilled; keys are made, plated, and added to the instrument; and each key is padded to ensure a tight fit.

The oboe is generally considered one of the most difficult musical instruments to learn to play. The musician not only faces the challenge of choosing and shaping the reeds but also has to learn some difficult finger positions that are required to play the instrument. Mistakes can be loud and jarring, and it can take time for a new musician to learn how to position his or her mouth and fingers to avoid them. However, the effort of learning produces what many consider some of the most emotive music that can be made by any instrument other than the human voice.

Bibliography

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Chan, Marni. "5 Things You Never Knew about the Oboe and the Musicians Behind It." Arts.Mic,9 Dec. 2012, mic.com/articles/20421/5-things-you-never-knew-about-the-oboe-and-the-musicians-behind-it#.qbcJAInSB. Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.

Haynes, Bruce. The Eloquent Oboe: A History of the Hautboy 1640–1760. Oxford UP, 2001.

"Oboe." University of Georgia, hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/oboe.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.

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"Oboe (Baroque)." Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection,omeka1.grinnell.edu/MusicalInstruments/items/show/168. Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.

Scheele, Katie. "The Oboe." Bloomingdale School of Music, www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/iid/oboe/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.