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The oboe is a member of the woodwind family,
the highest pitched of the three double-reed instruments in
the orchestra. The name comes from the French hautbois, meaning
"strong," "high," or "loud wood."
Throughout its history the instrument has had a conically
bored body of wood (ebony, rosewood, and boxwood have been
favored). Its sound is produced by forcing air through a thinly
tapered reed. One end is shaved to produce a slitlike opening,
and the other end is wound tightly around a staple, or short
piece of metal tubing, inserted into the instrument.
The name oboe was applied in the 16th century
to the shawm, a violently powerful instrument used in outdoor
ceremonies. The oboe familiar today first appeared in the
French court around the mid-17th century. It was probably
used in a work by Jean-Baptiste Lully, 'L'Amour malade' of
1657, and for certain in Robert Cambert's 'Pomone' (1671).
In England the oboe's first use was in 1674.
By the start of the 18th century the instrument
was established throughout Europe, found in pairs in every
orchestra. In the classical symphonies and chamber music of
Mozart and Haydn, oboe parts are prominent. This oboe was
less developed than today's. Although it was made in three
parts like the contemporary instrument, it had seven holes
bored in its body with a range that encompassed two octaves.
During the 19th century the oboe was refined
in design and construction and developed into one of the most
expressive of orchestral voices. It was used with special
eloquence in the symphonies of Robert Schumann and in Richard
Wagner's music-dramas. The most advanced instruments of the
time were associated with Vienna, but in the 1820s the French
oboe began a rise in popularity that continues to the present.
Between 1840 and 1880 the reed was made lighter and narrower.
The proportions of the bore and the placement of the note
holes were also refigured.
At the start of the 20th century, four types
of oboes prevailed: two French styles, a German type, and
an instrument that incorporated the mechanical features devised
for his flutes by Theobald Boehm. By the middle of the century
a hybrid model of the French types had
become prevalent. Major contemporary composers for the instrument
include Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky.
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From Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1999 The
Learning Company, Inc.
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