The Oboe BBoard

Re: Tuning on the Oboe

Author: TorusTubarius  Date:   2003-07-23 21:45 Well, yeah it's true no two players sound alike; however, there is still most certainly an American sound (which is essentially the Tabuteau style), with minor variations from player to player, just as there is a German sound, an English sound, a French sound, etc. It's analogous to a species, say fruit flies... or ducks I guess since we're talking about the oboe here. No two ducks are exactly alike; however, we are still able to differentiate between species based on similarity and genetic compatibility. It is the same with sound and style of oboe playing from country to country. Even though there are minor variations between players, and even the occasional radical who completely rejects the style with which he is surrounded, one can quite easily discern a general pattern encompassing most players from any given school of thought. Really if you wanted to take the analogy one step further, you could say that the genetic compatibility is analogous to the different types of embouchure and method of blowing used for each type of reed. Using a German embouchure would sound pretty horrific on an American reed and vice versa. I personally wouldn't put a lot of stock in what the Woodwind and Brasswind Catalog says about oboe reeds since most of those you named are mass-produced pieces of junk. I can tell you that at least in America and I'm sure other countries an oboist does not simply invent his own style of reeds to play on. He will have guidance, preferably by a teacher, that will come from his native school of oboe playing, and will consequently make reeds that are consistent with that style, albeit with his own minute variations required to suit his own unique playing (much the same way that his playing will be consistent with his native school with minor variations). It's also very true that no one sound is the best, since after all what is "good" is all a matter of perspective. However, some sounds are "preferred" over others depending on your location and venue. For instance, if I played like a German oboist and went to go get a job playing for the Cleveland Orchestra, I wouldn't stand a chance. The fact that Mozart of Beethoven when writing oboe parts in their symphonies were in fact thinking of the particular sound of their 18th century German oboist contemporaries has been troubling to the purist in me as well. However, neither Mozart nor Beethoven ever heard a modern oboe from any school of playing, so who's to say which they would prefer now? Plus, who says that an historically accurate reproduction of the sound of the 18th century German orchestra is required to perform any of their works? To me, pure aesthetics, not historical fidelity is the impetus behind all music. The musician and the purist in me know that at times it's best to keep their distance from each other. Oh and the quote of yours I was talking about is in the post immediately before my first one.

Topics	Author	Date
Tuning on the Oboe  new	Corey	2003-05-17 02:20
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Bucky Badger	2003-05-17 03:01
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Kai	2003-05-19 09:16
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Bucky Badger	2003-05-19 14:02
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	TorusTubarius	2003-07-22 03:57
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Bucky Badger	2003-07-23 02:21
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	TorusTubarius	2003-07-23 21:45
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Bucky Badger	2003-07-25 14:19
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Frank3947	2003-09-22 22:21
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Bucky Badger	2003-09-24 14:08
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	ChrisM	2003-07-23 21:48
Re: Tuning on the Oboe  new	Frank3947	2003-09-14 04:25

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