Orchestral Etiquette by The Entire DSO Flute Section

At this link is a great article on orchestral etiquette that applies to all sections of a professional orchestra.

When you're still in school and in a student orchestra, you are more likely to be in a situation where asking questions as a non-principal is OK and even encouraged. In a professional setting, it is indeed the case that speaking out is not appropriate. All of the suggestions in the article are the normal expectation for orchestra rehearsals and concerts.

These are a great reminders to me even though I've played professionally for years. It's easy to develop funny little habits that may be annoying or inappropriate, and it's a good to re-examine the rules before this season starts again.

Link: Orchestral Etiquette by The Entire DSO Flute Section (Flute Specialists July 2015 Newsletter)

12 Reasons Why You Should Use a Metronome Every Time you Practice.

1. No excuses. You can download the app for free if you have a smart phone. Even though I have a drawer full of stand-alone metronomes, I almost always use Pro Metronome on my iPhone. It's convenient, simple, and offers everything I need, including the ability to listen though headphones if I want.

2. It trains you to listen outside of yourself while playing, thus making you a better ensemble player. 

3. It keeps you honest about your rhythm and tempo, and helps you find errors in your playing. We all have a tendency to rush or drag with certain types of playing. We all have the potential to be lazy about correct subdivision of beats. You can improve and overcome these tendencies. 

4. It helps you know what you can and cannot do at certain speeds. We all need work on both faster and slower playing. Keep track of progress as you set goals and work to push your playing ability on both ends of the spectrum. Work to make your scales faster. Work to make your long tones slower.

5. It is a necessary tool when learning challenging syncopated rhythms. Slow it down and really listen. Don't stop listening when you speed it up.

6. Being prepared for performance is all about consistency. Practicing with a metronome reinforces consistent rhythm, tempo, and the ability to play through the piece or excerpt to completion with no mistakes.

7. It makes practice more efficient. Set goals. Play things at both slower and faster tempi than your final goal. Keep track of your progress and write down the speeds at which you have played the excerpt/piece and check them off as you accomplish them.

8. It prepares you to play with backing tracks/click tracks. Playing with that external click takes some getting used to. 

9. For rhythms that you're having a hard time figuring out,  put down your instrument and clap/sing the rhythms along with the metronome before you add in the extra challenge of playing them.

10. It builds in a sense of tempo markings, so that if you are away from the metronome and see a marking of quarter=140 vs. quarter=132, for example, you understand what speed that is.

11. You can fool most of the people most of the time if you have rock solid rhythm even though you've wigged out about playing the all the correct pitches. Good rhythm comes before correct pitches when it comes to a solid, convincing performance.

12. Techniques such as trills can mess with your sense of time. Always always practice with a metronome when you've got trills....especially long ones. 

Double Reed Resources for Composers

Below is a short bibliography, a list of links, and a list of standard repertoire to familiarize yourself with as you begin to write for the double reed family. Many extended techniques are possible. Be aware of the clef preferences for bassoonists who play at different levels (i.e. college students and professionals prefer to read the upper range in tenor clef).

Books: 

New Sounds for Woodwind (2^nd Ed.) by Bruno Bartolozzi

Library call #: MT339B29 1982, Published by Oxford University Press

Contains descriptions of how to produce tones with monophonic possibilities, multiphonic possibilities, combinations of the above, and fingering diagrams. It is a general guide, with fingerings for all the woodwind instruments.

Oboe, by Goosens

Library call#: MT360G66, Published by MacMillen Publishing

Contains history of the oboe up to 1800, including bass oboe and Heckelphone. Also discusses technique, including contemporary music technique.

Index of Oboe Music, by Wayne Wilkins

Published by Music Register (1976)

Contains a bibliography of oboe music arranged alphabetically within genre and includes methods, solo and chamber music and books of interest.

Contemporary Solo Literature for the Bassoon: An Analysis of Representative Compositions and a Survey of Compositions Suitable for the College Student, by Richard Dean Scott. Library call#: ML128.B26 S360 1971b, Published by University of Illinois

Contains an annotated repertoire list of contemporary solo music of published works from 1945 to 1971.

Double Reed and Composition Websites:

This is a small list to get you started. My apologies to composer friends and colleagues who have not yet been added to the list. Please let me know if you'd like me to add you.

International Double Reed Society

www.idrs.org

Must be an IDRS member to have full access to the site (the journal is available on-line to members), but a great deal of the site is available to non-members.

Trevco Music
www.trevcomusic.com
My favorite purveyor of sheet music for double reeds. They offer a vast catalogue of the music that is in print for bassoon, oboe, English horn, double reed ensemble and small ensembles that include double reed instruments.

Ken Watson
http://kwatsonmusic.com
Composer and arranger for double reed instruments. Member of the Washington Double Reed Quartet.

Mike Curtis
http://mikecurtismusic.com
Composer who writes wonderful arrangements of klezmer, jazz and tango music for double reeds and chamber ensembles.

Thomas Dempster
www.thomasdempster.com
Composer and bassoonist who has written several great pieces for bassoon and bassoon in chamber ensemble.


When you write for double reeds, you should find a professional player to ask questions of and to review your manuscript. Clef choices, technique demands (even simple things like slurring from particular notes), extended techniques (such as the use of just the keys for percussive effect), and tendencies of the instruments are not always obvious. To get in touch with a local bassoonist or oboist, seek out regional double reed societies, professional double reed players in your area (through local symphonies, woodwind quintets, and wind ensembles) and area universities that have music departments or schools of music. The double-reed world is small. If you connect with one person, they can likely get you in touch with many more.

Standard Bassoon Repertoire in Chronological Order:

1.     Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto in e RV484

2.     Georg Philipp Telemann Sonata in f minor  (1728)

3.     W.A. Mozart Concerto K191 for bassoon and orchestra (1774)

4.     François Devienne Quartet Op. 73 (1798)

5.     Carl Maria von Weber Concerto in F  (1811)

6.     Johann Nepomuk Hummel Grand Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (1816)

7.     Camille Saint-Saëns Sonata Op. 168 for bassoon and piano (1921)

8.     Heitor Villa-Lobos Ciranda das sete notas for bassoon and string orchestra (1933)

9.     Paul Hindemith Sonata for bassoon and piano (1939)

10.  Jean Francaix Divertissement for bassoon and string orchestra (1942)

11.  Alvin Etler Sonata for bassoon and piano (1952)

12.  Wilson Osborne Rhapsody for Bassoon (1952)

13.  Alexandre Tansman Sonatine for bassoon and piano (1952)

14.  André Jolivet Concerto for bassoon, harp, piano and string orchestra (1954)

15.  John Williams The Five Sacred Trees , a concerto for bassoon and orchestra (1995)

Standard Oboe Repertoire in No Particular Order:

1.     Schumann: Three Romances

2.     Handel: Sonata No. 1

3.     Labate: Pastorale

4.     Corelli-Barbirolli: Concerto

5.     Barlow: Winters Passed

6.     Clerisse: Fantasie

7.     Handel: Concerto in Bb

8.     Loeillet: Sonata in G

9.     Nielson:Romance and Humoreske

10.  Handel:Sonata No. II

11.  Guihaud:First Concerto

12.  Valentine:Sonata No. 8

13.  Godard:Legende Pastorale

14.  Donizetti:Sonata in F

15. Albinoni:Sonata in a

16.  Telemann:Concerto in f

17. Berio Sequenza

Oboe Audition Repertoire for American Orchestras

The list of orchestral excerpts and solo pieces asked on a professional audition will vary. The excerpt list will likely include many of the standard excerpts, repertoire that will be played in the coming season, and the occasional surprise. Looking through lists of excerpts that have been asked on previous auditions, you can quickly see patterns in the most-often requested excerpts. If you've reached the level in your studies where you are exploring orchestral excerpts, you already have a good idea of what most of these standard excerpts are. 

As you become familiar with the audition process, you will see that auditions for principal positions generally only ask for principal parts. Auditions for second chair and English horn will ask for a mix of both second and principal parts. When auditioning for English horn, you will also play oboe excerpts, as you will often be doubling or be may asked to step up to fill in for second or principal oboe. 

An excellent, extensive list complied by Patricia Emerson Mitchell: 

Past Audition Repertoire for American Orchestras

Here is typical list of excerpts you might be asked to prepare for a professional oboe audition: 

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PRINCIPAL OBOE

PRINCIPAL OBOE

REPERTOIRE LIST

I. Solo Works (all required):

    A. Mozart: Oboe Concerto in C Major

    B. Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F Major

    C. Strauss: Oboe Concerto in D Major

II. Excerpts required of each player:

    A. Beethoven: Symphony No. 3

    B. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6

    C. Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

    D. Beethoven: Fidelio (long solo)

    E. Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini Overture

    F. Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet (Romeo alone solo)

    G. Brahms: Symphony No. 1

    H. Brahms: Symphony No. 3

    I. Brahms: Violin Concerto

    J. Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

    K. Debussy: La Mer

    L. Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde, mvts. 2 and 6

    M. Mahler: Symphony No. 3, 2nd mvt. opening

    N. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3

    O. Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin

    P. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

    Q. Rossini: La Scala di Seta Overture

    R. Schubert: Symphony No. 9, ?Great C Major?

    S. Schumann: Symphony No. 2

    T. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1

    U. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7

    V. Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite (1949)

    W. Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale

    X. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 

Oboe Repertoire

Oboe Repertoire/Bibliography

Bellow is a listing of standard repertoire for the oboe divided into four general difficulty levels with the undergraduate college music major in mind (divisions between levels being gray).  This is to serve as a guide in helping you choose repertoire.  You are expected to progress to more difficult literature throughout your course of study, playing some (but not necessarily only) works from level 4 by the time you are a senior.  While you are not expected to study all works on this list as an undergraduate, you should begin to become familiar with all of the works through the use of recordings and score examination. I have also included a bibliography of standard concerti, etude books, chamber music, and literature on the oboe. 

Level 1

• Bach-Andraud:  Andante
• Bach-Andraud:  Siciliano and Arioso
• Baermann-Hite:  Adagio (Attributed to Wagner)
• Beethoven-Andraud:  Adagio Cantabile (Sonate Pathétique)
• Wayne Barlow   The Winter's Passed
• Burkhardt, Joel G.:  Chanson
• Datshkovsky-Ephross:  Lullaby for Alexandra
• Cimarosa   Concerto in C
• Handel   Sonatas or Concertos
• Mendelssohn-Zverov:  Song Without Words
• Nielsen   Fantasy Pieces (Romance and Humoresque)
• G.F.Handel – Sonata in C minor
• G.F.Handel – Sonata in G minor
• Haydn   Concerto in C
• Solomon, Ed:  Looking Glass
• Telemann   Partitas
• Telemann   Sonata in a-minor
• Telemann-Chidester:  Andante and Presto
• White, David A.:  Episodes
• Widor, Ch. M.:  Pavane

Level 2

• Baird, Kenneth:  Shadow Dance and Lament
• Barnes, James:  Autumn Soliloquy (band acc. available)
• Barthe-Andraud:  Petite Wuite Pittoresque
• Bellini-Peters:  Concerto in Eb
• Bordier-Perkins:  Berceuse
• Büsser-Andraud:  Eglogue (Pastoral Poem)
• Colin-Andraud:  Les Echos de Marnes
• Donjon-Guertin:  Invocation
• Dremlyuga-Zakopets:  Andantino)
• H. Dutilleux – Sonate
• Godard, Benjamin:  Legende Pastorale, op. 138
• Godard, Benjamin:  Highlanders March, op. 138
• Händel-Andraud:  Concerto Grosso, No. 8 in Bb
• Hindemith   Sonate for oboe and piano
• Jaffe, Gerard:  Overture to a Comedy
• Kawarsky, Jay:  Rejoice, O Young Man
• Kreisler, Alexander von:  Sonatina
• Lunde, Ivar, Jr.:  Fantasy
• Marcello   Concerto
• Michael Head   Elegaic Dance
• Paradis, Maria T. von:  Sicilienne
• Rimsky-Korsakov-Thurston:  The Rose and the Nightingale
• Robinson, Stanford:  The Moon Maiden’s Dance
• Schumann   Three Romances
• Smolanoff, Michael:  In Memoriam
• Solomon, Edward S.:  Danza Italiana
• Stone, Gregory:  Hora Exotique (Rumanian Dance-Caprice)
• Tchaikovsky-Zakopets:  Romance
• Telemann-Andraud:  Four Short Melodic Pieces
• Telemann-Andraud:  Four Short Melodic Pieces
• Vadala, Kathleen:  Sea Change
• William Grant Still   Incantation and Dance
• Telemann, G.P.:  Concerto in F Minor
• Telemann-Andraud:  Sonata in A Minor
•  Yoshioka, Emmett:  Intermezzo
•  

Level 3

• Albinoni   Concerti
• Colin-Cailliet:  Eighth Solo
• Donizetti   English Horn Concertino
• Guilhaud-Andraud:  First Concertino
• Lenom, Clement:  Musette
• Marcello, Benedetto:  Concerto in C Minor
• Mozart-Desportes:  Concertino, K 370
• Mozart   Oboe Quartet
• Walter Piston   Suite
• Saint-Saens   Sonata
• C. P. E. Bach   Sonata in g-minor
• Hotteterre   Suites
• Poulenc   Sonata
• G.P.Telemann – Fantasias for solo oboe (solo oboe, no piano)
• Verroust, Stanislas:  Souvenir of Old Quebec
• Vogt-Andraud:  2nd Concertino in F
• Ward-Steinman   Summer Suite

Level 4

• Adler, Samuel:  Sonata
• J. S. Bach   Sonata in g-minor
• B. Britten – Six Metamorphoses after Ovid op 49 (solo oboe, no piano)
• Cimarosa, Domenico:  Concerto
• Demersseman – Fantaisie Suisse
• Françaix, Jean:  Concerto
• Hindemith   Sonate for English Horn
• Kalliwoda, J.W.:  Concerto
• Kauder, Hugo:  Sonata
• Kennan, Kent:  Scherzo, Aria and Fugato
• Krommer, Franz:  Concerto in F, op. 52
• Krenek   Vier Stucke
• Milhaud, Darius:  Sonatine
• Mozart-Andraud:  Concerto in Eb
• Mozart-Gillet-Blair:  Concerto in C, K 314
• Mark Phillips   Sonic Landscapes
• Rosetti-Richards:  Concerto in D
• Richard Strauss   Concerto
• Szalowski, Antonio:  Sonatina
• Vaughan-Williams   Concerto
• Vivaldi   Concerto in C

Oboe Concertos:

•  T. Albinoni – Concerto in B flat op 7 no.3
•  J.S.Bach – Concerto in D major (Oboe d’amore and strings)
•  J.C.Bach – Concerto in F
•  C.P.E.Bach – Concerto in B flat Major
•  C.P.E.Bach – Concerto in E flat Major
•  R.R. Bennett – Concerto
•  Bellini – Concerto in E flat
•  Cimarosa/Benjamin – Concerto for oboe and strings
•  Donizetti – Concertino for Cor anglais and orchestra
•  J Fischer – Concerto in C major
•  W. Ferrari – Idillio Concertino op 15
•  J. Francaix – L’Horloge de Flore
•  J.G. Graun – Concerto in C minor
•  F. Hidas – Concerto
•  G.F.Handel – Concerto in G minor
•  G.F.Handel – Concerto in B flat major (No 2)
•  J.Haydn – Concerto in C
•  G. Jacob – Concerto No.1 for oboe and strings
•  J.W. Kalliwoda – Concertino op. 110
•  A. Marcello – Concerto in C minor
•  W.A.Mozart – Concerto in C major
•  B. Martinu – Concerto
•  V. Persichetti – Concerto for Cor anglais
•  J. Rietz – Concert piece op 33
•  R. Strauss – Concerto
•  Telemann – Concerto in C minor
•  Telemann – Concerto in G major (Oboe d’amore and strings)
•  A. Vivaldi – Concerto in F major
•  A. Vivaldi – Concerto in D major
•  A. Vivaldi – Concerto in A minor
•  A.Vivaldi – Concerto in F major
•  A.Vivaldi – Concerto in C major
•  A. Vivaldi – Concerto in D minor
•  R.V. Williams – Concerto for Oboe and Strings

Standard Chamber Music featuring Oboe
(a very incomplete list)

• Barrett: Four Sonatas with Accompaniment of Second Oboe
• Beethoven: Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn
• Dring: Trio for Flute, Oboe and Piano
• Ferling: 48 Famous Studies and 3 Duos Concertante
• Luft: Twenty-Four Etudes in Duet Form
• Poulenc: Sextet
• Poulenc: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano
• Bax  – Quintet (oboe and string quartet)
• Bliss – Quintet (oboe and string quartet)
• Clarke – Quintet (oboe and string quartet)
• Fox – Quintet (oboe and string quartet)
• King – Quintet (oboe and string quartet)
• Mozart – Quintet in C min (oboe and string quartet)
• Redgate – Quintet (oboe and string quartet)
• T. Takemitsu – Entre-Temps (oboe and string quartet)
• B. Britten – Phantasy Quartet (oboe and string trio)
• L. Berkeley – Quartet (oboe and string trio)
• J. Francaix  – Quartet – Cor and Strings (oboe and string trio)
• Horovitz – Quartet op 18 (oboe and string trio)
• G. Jacob – Quartet (oboe and string trio)
• O. Knussen – Cantate(oboe and string trio)
• F.Kramar-Krommer – Quartet No.1 in C (oboe and string trio)
• F.Kramar-Krommer – Quartet No.2 in F (oboe and string trio)
• J. McCabe – Quartet (oboe and string trio)
• C. Matthews – Quartet(oboe and string trio)
• E.J.Moeran – Fantasy Quartet (oboe and string trio)
• W.A. Mozart – Quartet in F major K370 (oboe and string trio)
• A. Pasculli – Le Api arranged for oboe and string trio
• R.V. Williams – Six Studies in English Folk Song arr by Robert Stanton (oboe and string trio)

Orchestral Studies

• Andraud: Vade Mecum of the Oboist
• deLancie: 20th Century Orchestral Studies
• Rothwell: Difficult Passages for Oboe and Cor Anglais (four volumes)

Etude Books

• Andraud: Vade Mecum of the Oboist
• Andraud, Albert J.:  Practical and Progressive Oboe Method
• Hovey, Nilo: Rubank Elementary Method
• Skornika, J.E.: Rubank Intermediate Method
• Barrett: Complete Oboe Method
• Ferling: 48 Famous Studies and 3 Duos Concertantes
• Luft: 24 Etudes
• Don’t: 8 Progressive Exercises
• David Hite: Scale studies
• David Hite: Melodious and Progressive Studies

Solo Collections for Oboe with Piano

Andraud, Albert J.:  15 Grand Solos de Concert

Contents:

     • Mozart Concerto in Eb

     • Dallier Fantaisie-Caprice

     • Bertain Sérénade

     • Guilhaud 1st Concertino

     • Büsser Eclog (Pastoral Poem)

     • Paladilhe Solo de Concert

     • Nielsen Romance (IV) and Humoresque

     • Colin 3rd Solo de Concert

     • Lefebvre Andante et Allegro

     • J.S. Bach Andante, Menuet, Famous Aria, Rondo, Siciliano and Arioso.

 Händel-Andraud: Collection

Contents:

• Händel-Andraud Concerto in G Minor
• Händel-Andraud Three Sonatas
•  Händel-Andraud Famous Largo

Andraud, Albert J.:  The Oboist’s Concert Album

Contents:

      •           J.S.Bach Aria, Siciliano

      •           Colin  Grande Fantaisie Concertante, Les Echos de Marnes, 1st Solo de Concert, 3rd Solo de Concert, 4th Solo de Concert, 5th Solo de Concert, 6th Solo de Concert, 7th Solo de Concert

      •           De Boisdeffre Scenes Villageoises

      •           De Grandval Concerto

      •           De Vilbac A Cyprian Song  (oboe alone)

      •            Flegier Celebre Villanelle

      •           Leclair Aria, Musette

      •           Godard Three Scotch Scenes

      •           Händel  Concerto in G Minor, 1st Sonata, 2nd Sonata

      •           Lenom  Musette

      •           Sigt. Meyer Rustic Miniatures (oboe alone)

      •            Mondonville Tambourin

      •           Mozart  Adagio Religioso, Larghetto

      •           Pierne Piece in G Minor

      •           Soler Souvenir de Madrid

 •           Verroust  4th Solo de Concert, Souvenir of Old Quebec

Recommended Reading

• Daryl Caswell: Reed Knife Sharpening
• David Ledet: Oboe Reed Styles: Theory & Practic
• Jay Light: The Oboe Reed Book
• Sprenkle/Ledet: The Art of Oboe Playing
• Patrick McFarland: Oboe Adjustment Guide
• Carl Sawicki: The Oboe Revealed