The oboe and its larger relative, the cor anglais both produce a beautiful, sweet, haunting sound. When used as solo instruments the sound is sometimes described as a 'pastoral' sound. This is because they are descended from the type of reed instruments that have been used in folk music and by shepherds the world over for thousands of years. Modern oboes blend superbly with all instruments of the orchestra and can also be surprisingly agile.
...[more]
Other members of the oboe family
In addition to the Oboe and the Cor Anglais there are some other, more unsual members of the oboe family: the oboe d'amore, bass oboe and hecklephone.
clip 1 -
Find out about the oboe d'amore.
clip 2 -
Which famous astronomical piece of music uses a bass oboe in the orchestra?...
clip 3 -
Even lower in sound than a bass oboe, find out why some people feel it should be played by bassoonists.