Contrabass oboe
Encyclopedia
The contrabass oboe is a double reed
woodwind instrument
in the key of C or F, sounding two octave
s lower than the standard oboe
.
Current research, in particular that by hautboy specialist Bruce Haynes
, suggests that such instruments may have been developed in France
as part of an original attempt to maintain the complete family of double reed instruments when the oboe was created from the shawm
. There was an instrument referred to as the basse de cromorne
or basse de hautbois which was used by Lully
, Charpentier
, and other French Baroque composers. This apparently was an oboe-type instrument in the bassoon
range. It had, nonetheless, a distinct tonal quality of its own. Richard Strauss
states, in his edition of Hector Berlioz
's Treatise on Instrumentation, that its tone "...had not the slightest similarity with the low tones of the bassoon."
Despite this distinction, the contrabass oboe never became popular or widely used, and few remain today.
Double reed
A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. The term double reed comes from the fact that there are two pieces of cane vibrating against each other. A single reed consists of one piece of cane which vibrates against a mouthpiece made of metal, hardened...
woodwind instrument
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
in the key of C or F, sounding two octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s lower than the standard oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
.
Current research, in particular that by hautboy specialist Bruce Haynes
Bruce Haynes
Bruce Haynes was an American and Canadian oboist, recorder player, musicologist and specialist in historical performance practice.- Biography :...
, suggests that such instruments may have been developed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as part of an original attempt to maintain the complete family of double reed instruments when the oboe was created from the shawm
Shawm
The shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
. There was an instrument referred to as the basse de cromorne
Cromorne
Cromorne is a French woodwind reed instrument whose design originates in the early Baroque period in France, with a sound that is similar in sound to an oversize oboe...
or basse de hautbois which was used by Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
, Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier, , was a French composer of the Baroque era.Exceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions of the highest quality in several genres...
, and other French Baroque composers. This apparently was an oboe-type instrument in the bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
range. It had, nonetheless, a distinct tonal quality of its own. Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
states, in his edition of Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
's Treatise on Instrumentation, that its tone "...had not the slightest similarity with the low tones of the bassoon."
Despite this distinction, the contrabass oboe never became popular or widely used, and few remain today.
External links
- Contrabass oboe page at contrabass.com