| The oboe is a double-reed
instrument and a member of the woodwind family. The original name
for the Oboe was Hautbois—a
French word meaning “high wood,” dating back to the
17th century when the modern oboe first began its development.
The first oboes were much simpler than the instruments oboists
play now, originally using only three keys until the 19th century
when the seven-key oboe was made. Since then, many changes and
additions have been made to create the oboe as we know it today.
Unlike other reed instruments, the oboe does not use a mouthpiece.
Instead, the oboe reed has two pieces of cane wound together
with string that vibrate against each other to make sound. The
oboe produces a very unique sound within the orchestra, that
is most commonly recognized as the part of the duck in “Peter
and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev.
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