Oboe Family

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe Family
Flute family is like soprano of the Woodwind family
Oboe family is like alto of the Woodwind family

Whereas the Flute family is more or less stable in its playing ability
Oboe family is more temperamental due to its double reed – the reed is
very sensitive and must have exactly correct embouchure and breath
control to play correctly

*Fact – (professional) oboe players make their own reeds!

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe Family
Oboe
Bass or
Baritone
Oboe

English Horn /
Heckelphone
Cor Anglais

Oboe d’amore

*Loosely to scale © by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

Oboe Family Playing Position

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

Oboe Family Range

A2 G6

Sounding Range
Heckelphone → Oboe
© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy
Oboe

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe Range

Non-Transposing,
Sounds as Written

Bb3 G6
*Some professional
oboists can play A6, but
don’t expect this as
standard

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe Register Characteristics
Lowest Register: (Bb3 – F4)
Thick, heavy, rich, honky and reedy, VERY HARD TO PLAY SOFT, very strong projection
Never, ever write pianissimo in this register!

Mid-Low Register: (G4 – A5)

Characteristic oboe tone - Clear, poignant, warm, nasal and sweet sound of double reeds
Fantastic ability to penetrate through rest of orchestra

Mid-High Register: (B5 – E6)

Sound becomes quite thin, loses its upper harmonics

Highest Register: (F6 – G6 (A6))

Very thin and pinched sound, not effective
© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy
Oboe Orchestration Considerations
• Completely opposite to flute family’s dynamic range.
Whereas flutes are weak in their low register and become
increasingly brilliant in their upper registers, oboes are very
(*too) strong in their lowest register, and become very weak
in their upper register

• For oboe, definitely use that beautiful middle register!

• Blending advice: Low register – too aggressive, Mid register –

best choice for solo and ensemble, High register – drowned
out easily but blends well (for background texture/effect)
© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy
Oboe Orchestration Considerations
• Agile instrument, not as agile as flute but still very fast!
• Well-known for slower, expressive passages, so don’t
forget its agility
• NOT COMMON to use Double, triple and flutter tonguing
(though it is actually possible, just rare)
• Excellent legato and staccato ability, good at wide leaps
• Vibrato commonly used (like flute)
• Can do fast scales, ornaments, trills etc. no problem –
everything is single tongued but the double reed is very
flexible © by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy
Oboe Orchestration Considerations

• Oboe does not use much breath! Be sure to let players

exhale unused air – yes, it’s still a problem when oboists have too
much air left in their lungs – they need new air!

• All trills and tremolos within the interval of a 4th are

possible except the following:
• Bb3-B3
• G6-A6 (*that note that hardly anyone can play)

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

Oboe Orchestration Considerations

Oboe stands out so well that it’s extremely

common as a solo instrument – and the reason
why the entire orchestra tunes to the oboe.

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

Orchestration for Multiple Oboes
• In the symphonic orchestra, there are usually
2 or 3 Oboes + 1 English Horn

• Doubling another instrument with oboe gives

the sound an ‘edge’ due to the nasally sound
it adds
Make sure the oboe doesn’t drown out the
other instrument as this is very possible

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

English Horn
(Cor Anglais)

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

What is the English Horn?
- Alto member of the Oboe family
- Oboe is the highest in the family, followed by
English Horn
- Same as oboe: conical bore and double reed
- Difference: the bell end of the instrument is
shaped like a bulb - gives the English horn its
characteristic melancholy, subdued (compared to
oboe) sound

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Why is it called an ‘English Horn’?
- It’s not a horn, and it’s not English!
- It’s not a horn like the instruments of the Brass family (which are
actually ‘horns’ – English horn is a reed instrument, making it a
woodwind)
- It didn’t originate in England either – it was invented in Silesia in
1720
- In French, it’s actually ‘Cor Anglé’, because in the past, the
instrument used to be bent in the middle. It was incorrectly
translated as ‘Anglais’ which means ’English’, and therefore we
have ‘English Horn’.

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Why is it called an ‘English Horn’?
- There is also the ‘French Horn’ which is a standard
instrument of the orchestra in the Brass Family, and is
actually a ‘horn’ in the truest sense on the word.

- Many people think English and French Horns are related or

even part of the same family, but they are totally different! (It
doesn’t help that the English horn has a well-known French name, either!)
© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy
 English Horn Range
Sounds a perfect fifth lower than written

WRITTEN: B3 – G6 SOUNDING: E3 – C6

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

English Horn Register Characteristics
Lowest Register: (sounding: E3 – C4)
Sonorous, rich, round, smooth, intense
Perfectly usable, unlike oboe’s lowest range! – it is very different from
oboe in this regard

Middle Register: (sounding: C4 – D5)

Sonorous, reedy, mellow

High Register: (sounding: D5 – C6)

Very neutral, thin, pinched
Sounds very similar to oboe here and loses its unique voice – use for blending
etc. rather than to stand out © by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy
English Horn Orchestration Considerations

• Like English Horn, sound gets thinner as go up in register

• Use the lowest register to your advantage! – the
beautiful sound of the English horn is most characteristic
here, it is extremely expressive, with a rich and sonorous
sound (along with a melancholic tone), and projects well

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

English Horn Orchestration Considerations
• English horn is just as agile as the oboe with same
technical proficiency – staccatos etc. are just as sharp
• Usually though, it is most commonly used for slower (not
so fast) passages, due to its sombre, haunting tone
where it shines

• Blending: excellent for blending with other instruments!

– its more subdued tone means that it doesn’t dominate
and overshadow like the oboe would. It adds an
interesting colour to other instruments – play with it!
© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy
Other Oboes
(not used as often)

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe Family
Oboe
Bass or
Baritone
Oboe

English Horn /
Heckelphone
Cor Anglais

Oboe d’amore

*Loosely to scale © by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe d’Amore
- Oboe < Oboe d’Amore < English Horn
- Like mezzo-soprano of the Oboe family
- Larger than oboe, smaller than English horn
- Tone colour is mellower and darker than oboe, but
brighter than English horn
- This mix between the two gives Oboe d’Amore a
very unique voice and tone that is extremely
beautiful, expressive and tranquil – definitely use
this in some of your works!

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe d’Amore
- Oboe d’Amore is not common in orchestral music
though
- Originally, it was used a lot in Baroque music
- But, the sound was not loud and big enough, so
composers later preferred the oboe + English horn
- Works very nicely as a solo instrument

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Oboe d’Amore Range
Sounds a minor third lower than written

WRITTEN: B3 – E6 SOUNDING: G#3 – C#6

Has the same dynamic contour like rest of the oboe family, and lowest register is not problematic as well

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Heckelphone
- Largest member of the oboe family, rare
- Sounds one octave lower than oboe, including a
semitone below
- Acts like bass to oboe family, and something of
treble to the bassoon family
- Also a unique solo voice
- Very agile and flexible, plays articulations well

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Heckelphone
- Range: A3 – F6 (sounds an octave lower than
written)
- Tone quality: reedy and rich sound
- Low register: dark, forebody, ominous
- High register: nasal, raspy

© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy

 Baritone or Bass Oboe
- Looks like a bigger English Horn
- Has the same bell shape as oboe d’Amore
- Together with the Heckelphone, can provide bass to
the oboe family, but, like the bass flute, are very rare –
most orchestras would not have one
- Provides an interesting and different colour for a solo
voice
- Not commonly used in orchestral and ensemble
writing
- Tone colour is thin and stuffy
© by Karleen Heong for Orchestration Course on Udemy