The Oboe (photo) (audio)

The oboe is the highest-pitched member of the three double-reed instruments. The word oboe comes from the French word hautbois, which means "wood". The instrument is shaped conically with woods of ebony, rosewood and boxwood. The name oboe first appeared in the sixteenth century. It was perhaps first used in outdoor ceremonies. The contemporary oboe first appeared in France in the mid seventeenth century. It first appeared in England in 1674. It was probably used in a work by Jean-Baptiste Lully, 'L'Amour malade' of 1657, and for certain in Robert Cambert's 'Pomone' (1671). In England the oboe's first use was in 1674.

The oboe grew increasingly popular during the

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classical period. Countless oboe solos are present in many of Mozart's and Haydn's pieces. Even though the instrument was made into three parts like the contemporary oboe, it contained seven holes and only ranged in two octaves.

During the nineteenth century, the oboe was refined and redesigned both in design and

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construction. Although the most eloquent of the oboes were in Vienna, the French-styled oboe began to grow in popularity. The oboe was used in the charismatic symphonies of Wagner and Schumann. During the years of 1840 and 1880, the reeds were redesigned – they were made lighter and narrower. The placements of the holes and the proportions of the bore were also refigured.

By the twentieth century, four styles of the oboe prevailed: two French styles, ad German style and an oboe created by Theobald Boehm. By the mid twentieth century, a hybrid of the two French style became predominant.