The Oboe BBoard

The Oboe BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Technical Demands on an Oboist

Author: DavidK
Date: 2012-05-22 07:02

I recently heard a pianist argue that the bar is raised much higher for pianists than for other instruments (like the oboe). Most of the great composers were pianists or keyboardists and knew their instrument intimately. Thus, they knew how to “push it to the limit” and most professional pianists are playing works that are more demanding, more sophisticated than works like the Cimarosa or Corelli arrangements for oboe. Maybe this is unfair…but this leads me to my question. Why is music written for oboe often less technically demanding than the corresponding parts for other winds like the flute and clarinet, especially when it comes to playing rapid passages? Did many composers assume that oboists were having enough trouble generating a decent sound and chose not to overburden them? It does seem to me that lever keys (such as on a clarinet) are easier to operate than pivot keys (such as the left hand E-flat on an oboe).

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics