The oboe is recognized as a member of the woodwind family and more defined as one of the double reed instruments. It is commonly found in the modern symphony orchestra, the wind band, brass and woodwind quintets as well as a solo instrument. The origins of the modern oboe go back far into the past where it has been linked to shawms, a medieval and renaissance instrument of the 1400s.
Historians have traced the oboe to several points of origin rather than one founding maker or invented. The instrument as we know it today began to take shape in the 16th century. One person credited with the development of the oboe was Jean Hotteterre who narrowed the bore of the instrument and reduced the width of the reed. The instrument was also split into the three sections and keys were added to increase the chromatic abilities of the instrument. Compared to the oboe you see pictured above this text, oboes of the 16th century often featured just two or three keys and it was not until relatively late in its development that oboe manufacturers turned to African black woods such as grenadilla to make the instruments. Oboe were often made of boxwood prior to this.
There were additional keys added during this classical period and the bore of the wood was narrowed again. It was in the late 19th century, however, that a significant step was taken towards what we now recognize as the modern oboe. The Parisian family of Triebert are regularly credited as driving innovations in oboe building forward. They adopted the Boehm key system as found in Flute making and made more adjustments to the size of the bore once more. By this point in its development the oboe had at least ten keys.
Historians have traced the oboe to several points of origin rather than one founding maker or invented. The instrument as we know it today began to take shape in the 16th century. One person credited with the development of the oboe was Jean Hotteterre who narrowed the bore of the instrument and reduced the width of the reed. The instrument was also split into the three sections and keys were added to increase the chromatic abilities of the instrument. Compared to the oboe you see pictured above this text, oboes of the 16th century often featured just two or three keys and it was not until relatively late in its development that oboe manufacturers turned to African black woods such as grenadilla to make the instruments. Oboe were often made of boxwood prior to this.
There were additional keys added during this classical period and the bore of the wood was narrowed again. It was in the late 19th century, however, that a significant step was taken towards what we now recognize as the modern oboe. The Parisian family of Triebert are regularly credited as driving innovations in oboe building forward. They adopted the Boehm key system as found in Flute making and made more adjustments to the size of the bore once more. By this point in its development the oboe had at least ten keys.
The key work system that has been in use across the world since the late 1800s is now standard across almost all oboes. Student oboes tend to have just the most basic keys while more complex oboes are available for advanced students and professional players. These oboes feature a number of extra trill keys required for more advanced repertoire.
For further information on the history of the oboe, here are a few resources available below:
http://library.thinkquest.org/5116/oboe.htm
http://www.oboes.com/oboehistory.html
http://www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/iid/oboe/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/423911/oboe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oboe
http://library.thinkquest.org/5116/oboe.htm
http://www.oboes.com/oboehistory.html
http://www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/iid/oboe/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/423911/oboe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oboe