"Did you say that the oboe was an orphan...?"
I was trying to register what my eight-year-old daughter had just said to me. It was late and my mind was going through my to-do list for the next day.
“No, not an orphan, mummy. The oboe is an endangered instrument.”
Oh, right, of course, how could an oboe be an orphan that would be ridiculous. Silly me.
“The lady that teaches flute and oboe told us at assembly that the oboe is an endangered instrument in the orchestra. That’s why Lucy and I want to learn it.”
It turns out she's right. Apparently an accomplished oboist is always in demand.
It's not one of the "cool" instruments, along with fellow ‘endangered species’ instruments such as the bassoon, French horn, trombone, tuba, baritone horn, and double bass.
It also turns out that this instrument would be sorely missed. The oboe features prominently in the Brandenburg Concertos nos. 1 and 2. Vivaldi wrote at least 15 oboe concertos, Mozart focused on it and it evens shows up in rock and pop music including The Moody Blues.
I felt a pang of pride in my daughter. Save the oboe. Long live the oboe.
Now ... where am I going to find one of these endangered species instruments?
This post was written by Charlene, a Thames Valley Mums main contributor.
Photo credit: tony newell
The oboe is definitely an endangered instrument. I am reading 'The Oboe' by Burgess & Haynes which is a definitive history of the hautboy and the oboe. I never really 'got' music history until reading this book and now I realize I've got to listen a lot more to get more details. I heartily recommend you this book.
The oboe is a lovely instrument when in the hands of a consummate professional, but an uncontrollable shrill shriek in the hands of someone else. I've taken to the oboe. The music for it is unparalleled and the history is vast and still little known.
Posted by: RL | 24 February 2009 at 19:52