We use cookies to ensure we give you the best experience of our website. Learn more. Resources Instruments Oboe Historically, the woodwind section was formed around the soprano of the double-reed family, but the oboe has an even more ostentatious pride of place. Find out more here: Find out more. About The oboe and its larger relative, the cor anglais both produce a beautiful, sweet, haunting sound.
Frequency Range Hz — 1. Did you know? More about the oboe. Video The Orchestral Woodwind Section: An Introduction The woodwind section is one of the most sonically diverse sections of the orchestra. Find out all of their secrets in this film. Clarinets come in a number of different sizes, and the standard B-flat clarinet is just over 2 feet long. Some musical works require the clarinetist to play several types of clarinet in the same piece.
The 2 to 4 clarinets in the orchestra play both melodies and harmonies, and they have a dark rich sound in their lower notes, while the upper part of the clarinet's range is bright and resonant. You play the clarinet as you do an oboe, by holding it upright, blowing through the reed, and using your hands to change the pitches by opening and closing the keys with your fingers. The smaller E-flat clarinet is just like a standard clarinet, but about half the length.
Its shorter size allows it to play higher notes. This is the grandfather of the clarinet family. The bass clarinet is so large that its top and bottom are bent to make it easier for musicians to hold and play.
Its greater length allows it to play some of the lowest notes in the orchestra. The bassoon is a long pipe, doubled in half, made of wood, with many keys.
The bend in the pipe makes it possible for musicians to play it comfortably. If it were straight, the bassoon would be around 9 feet long! Like the oboe, the bassoon uses a double reed, which is fitted into a curved metal mouthpiece. There are 2 to 4 bassoons in an orchestra and they have a similar range to that of the cello. Bassoons usually play lower harmonies, but you will sometimes hear their hollow low notes featured in a melody.
You play the bassoon by holding it upright and blowing through the double reed. The air travels down the tube and then makes a u-turn and goes up and out the top. Just like the oboe, you use both hands to press on the keys to open and close the holes and change the pitch. Imagine a longer bassoon with a wider pipe. The contrabassoon is the grandfather of the wind section and is so much larger than a regular bassoon that its tube is doubled over twice to allow the player to hold it.
It takes a lot of breath to make sound come out of such a long pipe! The lone contrabassoon plays the lowest notes in the entire orchestra. However, different reeds can shift the centre pitch, so the oboe is actually quite versatile, should the player have other reeds available.
In addition, the players themselves can physically adjust, and they do have alternative fingerings available for intonation. The oboe, with its rich harmonics in the upper range, has a timbre than can project above the orchestra: so why not tune to the harp or even glockenspiel? The glockenspiel, being made of metal, is one of the most constant and audible of instruments like the older tuning fork. Tradition: the oboe was incorporated to the orchestra quite early. Most symphonic pieces include an oboe or two.
And their seating location right in the middle , makes them easy to hear for the whole orchestra. In fact, as many musicians tune with portable electronic tuners well before the oboe note, it is debatable whether such a ritual holds any practical value. Want more updates on classical music and opera news and reviews?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for all the latest. The revenue we earn by the advertisements is used to manage this website. Please whitelist our website in your adblocking plugin. Toronto Montreal. Pitch Standard The concept of pitch standard involves a few different things: audio frequency, note-name and standard. For instance, the local tuning pitch of the principal oboe: A , refers to two separate concepts: 1.
We mostly set this particular A A4 at Hz meaning it oscillates times in a second. The Expanding Orchestra The first Viennese composers extended their orchestral development from the Mannheim Orchestra.
But later musicians, including Quantz, worried that playing and tuning simultaneously would just put the instrument out of tune, and by the midth-century, there were a few different thoughts on tuning protocol: 1. There are a few speculations, but none outstanding.
Author Recent Posts. Follow me. Hye Won Cecilia Lee. Cecilia tumbled into 'serious' music study when she decided to avoid attending medical school. Currently working in the field of classical music, recording, and Korean-English interpretation, she tends to get her nose dirty in many different things in the city. Latest posts by Hye Won Cecilia Lee see all.
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