Oboe d'amore
From Wikiversity
Oboe d'amore is the alto or mezzosoprano member of the oboe family. A member of the modern oboe family with a soprano/alto range, the range of which sounds from G-sharp below middle C to C-sharp above the treble clef, but is notated a minor third above that. The oboe d'amore was very popular during the Baroque era. Its sound is somewhat gentler than that of the oboe, and its lower notes are dark, full, and rich. The oboe d'amore has almost fallen out of favor today, often being replaced by the oboe and the English horn. The whole family is called the doublereeds and it includes today the following instruments from the smallest to the biggest: musette oboe oboe d'amore english horn or cor anglais baritone oboe or bass oboe heckelphone bassoon or fagott contrabassoon or contrafagott
In the baroque time, there were also instruments like oboe da caccia and taille, which are substituted by the english horn in modern performances. In the 18th century, there were also oboes with the same size and the same pitch (A) as the oboe d'amore, but without the pear-shaped bell. These were called just as 'oboe', 'oboe grande' or 'haute-contre'. According to the present knowledge, the oboe d'amore was at the first time used in 1717 by Christoph Graupner in his Cantata Wie wunderbar ist Gottes Güt. The instrument was used by J.S.Bach, G.P.Telemann, the Graun brothers, C.Graupner, G.H.Stölzel, J.M.Böhm, A.Lotti, J.H.Roman and a few others. Possibly the last to write for oboe d'amore in the 18th century was C.D. von Dittersdorf. The oboe d'amore was re-established in the second half of the 19th century and it is used both in presentations of baroque music and in modern compositions. The composers who have used the oboe d'amore after the new rise of the instrument include Debussy, R.Strauss, Ravel, Koechlin, Delius, Henze, Takemitsu and others.
Very similar to the oboe. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the mezzo-soprano or alto of the oboe family. It is a transposing instrument, sounding a minor third lower than it is notated, i.e. in A. The bell is pear-shaped, similar to that of the larger English horn, and it uses a bocal also similar to an English horn but shorter in length than the English horn's bocal.
Composition on oboe d'more: J.S.Bach: Concerto A major, BWV1055
Claude Debussy: Gigues from Images
Christos Hatzis: Heirmos
G.P.Telemann: Cantata 'Der Herr ist König' and 'Die Donnerode'
G.P.Telemann: Concerto for Flute, Oboe d'amore and Viola d'amore
