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S a r a   F r a k e r

O b o e   &   E n g l i s h   H o r n

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O b o e

The modern OBOE most likely originated in France during the 1600s. The oboe is the soprano of the family of double-reed woodwind instruments which includes the oboe d’amore and the english horn. The principal oboe of an orchestra typically sounds the pitch when an orchestra tunes. Generally, orchestral music calls for two oboes which play independent voices or unison.

The reed is crucial to sound production. It is made of carved cane bound face to face to a narrow metal tube (a “staple”), and must have a very specific suppleness to vibrate properly. An oboist will typically spend hours each day making and refining his or her hand-made reeds. Condensation in the instrument accumulates quickly while it is played, and must be swabbed out frequently.

E n g l i s h   H o r n

Some consider the ENGLISH HORN a “tenor” oboe, though most think of it as an “alto” oboe. Either way, it's a longer, lower, and mellower instrument than the regular oboe, which all agree is the “soprano” of the family. Besides the difference in length (about 31 ˝ inches for the English horn compared to just over 23 inches for the oboe), the most noticeable physical difference between the two is that the oboe has a slightly flared bottom end, or bell, while the English horn has a bulb-shaped bell. The English horn has been in existence, in various forms, since the late 1600s, but it's been a standard member of the orchestra only since the 1830s.