Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-11-22 03:17
Good question. Beethoven wasn't a "great oboe part" writer, although he did write some good stuff. (3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th have big oboe solos). He wrote a lot of piano stuff obviously, and string quartets. Brahms obviously wrote great lines for oboes, but didn't write much for winds and seemed more interested in piano music and lieder. Mendelssohn got sucked into those nasty lieder (musical history term, vocal music of romantic century, other general characteristics too many to mention) folk who seemed to convince him that vocal music was the way to go. I don't classify Mendelssohn as a great oboe writer either.
Barber was a great oboe writer, and he died writing an oboe concerto (2nd mvt. is arranged into Canzonetta, it's great with an orchestra, kinda sux with a piano.)
Strauss of course was an awesome writer and only wrote a concerto under the sway of de Lancie. (Thank God!)
I think the big answer to your question is that the three composers you mentioned (well, Beethoven sorta) were composing during a very active time politically. AFter the French Revolution, culture and perspective (including music) shifted, including an emphasis on nationalistic music, and folk song. Hence, if you look at Beethoven, Brahms, and Mendelssohn, they didn't write a lot of concertos to begin with. Beethoven probably wrote 7 or so? Brahms wrote probably the same 5? Mendelssohn less? It's been a long time since I studied music history but I don't recall them writing a lot like the baroque guys did.
Beethoven - 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 1 triple concerto
Brahms - 2 piano concertos, double concerto, violin concerto
Mendelsohn - 2 piano concertos, violin concerto
Lastly, you need to remember these guys had sponsors. People either had to patronize them, or buy their pieces, so often times they wrote what was most easy to sell. Obviously, smaller chamber music (which is mostly what the three of them wrote, particularly Mendelssohn) were the easiest to produce, organize musicians, and therefore most in demand.
Hope this helps.
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