Oboes, Oh Boy! Trivia Quiz

Answer: High wood

Jacques-Martin Hotteterre (29 September 1673 - 16 July 1763) is credited with inventing the oboe (or rather, hautbois), based off of anecdotal evidence, although it is surmised that there may have been multiple people involved with the instrument's development.

As the instrument grew in popularity and spread around Europe, it took on different names, all based on the phonetic sounding of the original, eventually settling on the 'modern' English name of 'oboe.'

Similar medieval- and Renaissance-era instruments existed as predecessors to the oboe, and this early, somewhat refined version of the instrument would see many changes before settling on the modern version of the oboe that we know today.

(Photo shows 'high wood' as a visual clue)

Answer: Shawm

From the list presented, the only reed instrument is the shawm. The others are stringed (rebec), brass (sackbut), and a combination of brass and woodwind (serpent).

The shawm was a popular medieval and Renaissance double reed instrument dating back to the 12th century. The family of shawms ranged from sopranino to great bass, with most keeping the pattern of a simple conical bore, the double reed, and at least one key to extend finger ranges.

The instrument is believed to have first appeared in Europe from contact with the Saracens and the time of the Crusades, when shawms were used in similar fashion to bagpipes - as psychological weapons of war. With their piercing sound, shawms (and early oboes) were often used in military bands and by street musicians.

Answer: Double

A double reed is comprised of two shaped and gouged pieces of cane tied together (with the concave side to the inside). After that, they are scraped to thinness at the tip (for vibration), with a thicker heart (for strength and sonority).

Some of the instruments in the family use a bocal (a curved or bent metal tube) to connect the reed to the instrument, while others (like the oboe and musette) have the reed directly tied on to that tube (and cork), which is called a staple.

While double reeds are produced commercially, many players prefer to make their own reeds to suit the quality of sound that they are trying to achieve.

Answer: Wiener oboe

The Wiener (or Viennese oboe) is the only other type of 'modern' oboe still being constructed today, albeit in very limited numbers, as demand is very low. It is still somewhat popular in Vienna, and features in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

It had some tonal differences, as described in "The Oboe" by Geoffrey Burgess and Bruce Haynes: "The differences are most clearly marked in the middle register, which is reedier and more pungent, and the upper register, which is richer in harmonics on the Viennese oboe."

One story that purports to explain the dominance of the French conservatoire oboe over the Wiener oboe is that composer Richard Strauss declared his preference for the French oboe, inadvertently causing others to follow suit. The German/Austrian oboe continued to be popular in Vienna and surrounding areas, and eventually came to be known as the Wiener oboe.

(The image is the coat of arms of the city of Vienna)

Answer: English horn

The six 'modern' instruments in the oboe family today are in the following ranges:

Sopranino: the musette, or piccolo oboe, pitched in Eb or F
Soprano: the oboe, pitched in C
Alto/mezzo-soprano: the oboe d'amore, pitched in A
Tenor: the English horn, or cor anglais, pitched in F
Baritone/Bass: the bass oboe AND the Heckelphone (the latter has a slightly larger bore and lower range than the bass oboe)

Answer: True

Also called the baritone oboe, the bass oboe is essentially twice the size of its soprano counterpart, making it one full octave lower. Like all of the family members, the bass oboe is written in the treble clef, which makes it relatively easy to be able to switch between instruments as a performer.

The bass oboe has a slightly narrower range than the oboe, but it is possible to insert an extension between the lower joint and the bell to get that one step lower.

Like the English horn and the oboe d'amore, the bass oboe uses a bocal to attach its reed to the instrument. Rather than having a simple curve or bend, however, the bass oboe's bocal is shaped like a question mark, bending away from the player before curving back towards the mouth.

(Image shows one octave on the staff)

Answer: Two and a half octaves

The natural range of the oboe is from B♭ below the treble clef staff (B♭3) up to the G located on the fourth ledger line above the staff (G6). That is just over two and a half octaves (two octaves plus a major sixth).

The extremes of that range are only rarely played, however, with the common tessitura ranging from the C below the staff (C4) up to the E♭ on the third ledger line above the staff (E♭6).

(The image shows the range of the oboe, with the 8va telling you that the upper note is an octave higher than shown)

Answer: A

The note used for tuning the orchestra is A=440, which means that it is at 440 Hz. It just so happens that all of the string instruments of the orchestra have an A string, which makes it an appropriate choice.

But why is the oboe chosen to play the note? Outside of the bright and penetrating quality of the tone, which can readily be heard while other instruments are playing, oboes don't have any mechanical tuning mechanism. The oboist must make any pitch alterations purely with the embouchure and air. So the oboist (typically using an electronic tuner) will ensure they are playing the correct pitch, and play the note a few times for the different sections of the orchestra.

(Image is a Florida route sign giving the clue for 440 Hz)

Answer: Grenadilla

Grenadilla, or African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) is highly valued for the manufacture of wooden instruments, and has traditionally been the wood of choice for oboes (and other members of the family). Found throughout Africa in areas that are seasonally dry, grenadilla is becoming threatened due to overharvesting. The other woods listed as answer options are all hardwoods from the same genus.

What makes these hardwoods so suitable for instruments manufacture? They are dense and stable, yet machinable, and moisture-repellent. And they look pretty, too.

Answer: Cracking in the top joint

Cracking in a new oboe is a fairly common problem. The wood can build up stress due to differences in moisture content and temperature between the inside (the bore) and the outside surface of the oboe. This almost always happens in the top joint, which is smaller in diameter than the lower joint, and closer to the source of moisture-laden breath.

Thankfully, a cracked top joint is not the end of the world for an oboist. They can be repaired, and that process often relieves the stress that was building up in the wood, and the instrument is more stable afterwards.