Program notes
The documentary series, Une histoire de la musique à travers ses instruments (A History of Music Through its Instruments), takes a look at the history of the instruments used in Western music. Here, you can find out more about the oboe.
The oboe was developed in the seventeenth century from an instrument called the shawm, an ancient instrument of the Middle East – it was also found in Asia and parts of Africa. From ancient times to the present, this instrument has undergone many changes and various cultures have taken advantage of its rich sound. The oboe family is multifaceted, ranging from traditional (bombard, bagpipe, duduk, gaita, hichiriki and other zurna) to modern oboe (musette, oboe, oboe d'amore, English horn and baritone oboe, baroque oboe, classic oboe).
Used in solos, concertante music, chamber music, symphony orchestra or an oboe band, the modern oboe is a versatile instrument. In his Treatise on Instrumentation Hector Berlioz states: “The oboe is primarily a melodic instrument; it has a rustic character, full of tenderness, I would even say shyness. Candour, simple grace, sweet joy, or the pain of a weak being all match the strains of the oboe: it perfectly expresses the cantabile”.