26.6.10

Why are there so many things called "Concerto for Oboe and Strings"?

There are. Really. I have noticed them in so many places--radio, online, music stores, and, most often, music books with names like "Essential Pieces for the Oboe Student," "Intermediate Oboe Repertoire," and "Concerts and Contests". Well, only the last one is actually a book. But still, you get the idea. Why don't they write a "Concerto for String and Oboes"?  Actually, a lot of reasons. Reason One: Although oboes are not brass instruments or saxophones, they are really quite loud. Nobody ever notices this, mainly because there is rarely more than one of us in an orchestra. But if you try to make, say, thirty of us quieter than a violinist, it won't work. In All-City last year I was often louder than the entire flute section. And the ratio, flutes:oboes, was about 25:1. (No offense all you flute players out there.)
Reason Two: We are, in fact, quite intimidating to other musicians. You might not notice this if you're not in an orchestra or band, but more often than not, oboists are completely insane. If someone was oblivious to this fact to the point of putting a lot of oboists in the same room with even a clarinetist, they would run out screaming within five minutes. (No offense all you clarinet players out there.) And the clarinet section is right next to the oboist in most bands. I doubt a string player would last the first rehearsal. (No offense Kate.)
Reason Three: It's just not a very smart thing to do. It wouldn't sound very nice. One oboe is difficult enough to keep in tune, let alone ten or twenty. Plus, it would be very difficult to find more than a few oboists in the same area. I mean, how many oboists do you know? Me. Right.
Oh, and by the way, Kate wanted me to look up this electric violinist Tracy Silverman. So I did, and I watched the video. And the music that starts about a minute and twenty seconds into the video is, in fact, a CONCERTO FOR OBOE AND STRINGS. It is called "Sinfonia", by Bach, and isn't terribly difficult (I've played it, a long time ago). But something is wrong with this picture: A concerto for oboe and strings, WITH NO OBOE? Well, I guess it isn't really a concerto. But it WAS originally written for oboe and strings. So it is infuriating for me to listen to that, and I didn't even watch the rest of the video.

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