Music Of Individual Woodwinds

Instrument: Flute
Pieces: J.S.Bach - Flute Sonata in E Minor, Berio - Sequenza I

The two pieces I chose to exhibit the capabilities of the flute provided a stark contrast. The Bach piece, although traditional, and what most people would associate with the flute, by the very nature of the sonata shows a differentiation in tempo and dexterity between its four movements. I perceive the flute as producing a natural, earthy sound. I attribute this to the fact the flute creates sound without the use of reeds, and I associate it with sounds produced naturally, like blowing across an open bottle, or the sound of a gale. I think it is the air (breath) itself which gives this unique quality, as opposed to vibrating reeds creating the small puffs of air needed in, for example, the oboe.

Berio's Sequenza shows a darker and more harsh side to the flute, due mostly to some sharp and very angular melody lines. There are a lot of contrast in dynamics here, sounding quite eerie at p or pp, with large forte leaps at others. There seemed to be a plethora of 'special effects' in this piece such as very quick flutters (flutter tongue?), techniques I have only experienced in a modern setting, and certainly weren't present in the Bach sonata.

Overall, the flute to me conveys a very pastoral sound, where the performers air is not modified by the instrument save for changing the length of the resonating chamber with the keys. This results in a sound that is not as clean, clear or pure as an instrument such as the oboe, but is very pleasant nonetheless, and which gives an almost songbird-like quality at times.


Instrument: Clarinet
Pieces: Finzi - Clarinet Concerto, Stravinsky - Three Pieces For Solo Clarinet

I have always thought the clarinet to have a very 'blue' sound, an instrument that excels at melancholy and well suited to a minor key. The pieces I listened to here demonstrated this, but also showcased other sides to the clarinets character, such as the jollity and nostalgia of the third movement of Finzi's concerto.

The third of Stravinsky's Three Pieces showed the agility of the clarinet in the hands of a skilled player, with some very quick high pitched melody. This was further demonstrated with impressive large leaps between low and high trilled notes in the final minute of the first movement of the Finzi.

In all of the pieces I wasn't able to spot any obvious 'special effects' being employed, but over the range of pieces and movements I was able to hear the range of tempi and dynamics available to a clarinetist, as well as variety between the lower, thicker textured notes and the more piercing upper register.


Instrument: Oboe
Pieces: Ennio Morricone - Gabriel's Oboe, Britten - Six Metamorphosen after Ovid

I think the oboe is a remarkable instrument, preserving a very clear tone in all registers. Normally when selecting pieces for use in exercises for this course, I would choose unfamiliar works in order to broaden my horizons. However here I purposely chose the Morricone, as this was the piece that introduced me to the oboe in the first place, and inspired further interest in the instrument, and woodwinds in general. What struck me about this work is the purity of the sound that the oboe produces here, with a veritably smooth melody line.

Britten's collection of Metamorphoses demonstrates the range of the oboe's capabilities, where No.2 'Phaeton' shows a more dance-like character compared to No.3 'Niobe', which expresses yearning and melancholy. A little research into this work (Niobe) reveals that the score is marked 'piangendo', meaning weeping. This is portrayed excellently in that the oboe's efficiency at producing a melody that can really tug at the listeners emotions.

Several instruments are often said to be comparable to the human voice, but I think this is especially true here, with the oboe reminiscent of a quality soprano. It is this pure cantabile that I think makes the oboe really appeal to me.


Instrument: Bassoon
Pieces: Saint-Saëns - Bassoon Sonata, Vivaldi - Bassoon Concerto in A Minor

The bassoon is an instrument I'm not particularly familiar with, but of which during this course I keep hearing more and more that I really like. I enjoy the very unique 'woody' sound of its lowest notes, and it's often velvety-smooth tone.

In the sonata I think the bassoon suits the piano accompaniment very well. Like the oboe it has a very clear tone, probably due to the fact that they are both double reed instruments.

The first movement of the sonata is very emotive and displays a lot of the bassoons upper register. The second shows a lot more movement, with speed and agility I didn't know this instrument was capable of! Listening to this made me think of the saxophone at times, even though they have different reed systems and are made of different materials. There were some exceptionally low notes in the third movement, where we are back to the slow velvety melody.

I was particularly looking forward to listening to the bassoon concerto by Vivaldi as my previous experience with this composer has been concerned mainly with his violin concertos. The bassoon joins the high energy string opening with a very nimble melody in the first movement, staying mostly in the middle register throughout. There is a slower melody in the second movement but still with some forward movement, often imitating the strings. The third movement in particular has some very quick finger work with some impressive short runs.

The extreme ranges of the instrument are not tested in either the sonata or concerto, staying comfortably in the mid range for the most part. I would be interested in listening to some contemporary bassoon works, as I'm gradually discovering during this course that living composers are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible on a traditional instrument such as this, and am intrigued to see what can be achieved with a bassoon at its extremes of pitch and tempo.


In Conclusion...

Prior to starting this project, my favourite woodwind without a doubt would have been the oboe. After listening to some instrument-specific pieces and forming opinions, this hasn't changed. I find the oboe's clear and pure tone very pleasurable, and as exhibited in 'Gabriel's Oboe' is capable of producing a very emotional and heart-warming melody which shines brightly above the orchestral accompaniment. However I'd say the bassoon is rapidly climbing the list of my favourite instruments, and it's repertoire is something I intend to pursue more of.

With that being said, I believe that each of the instruments I studied above is particularly adept at playing its own part within a work, and with its unique sound is able to create a melody unmatched by the others. I feel that the double reed instruments can probably stand on their own in a solo composition more successfully than the flute or clarinet, but Berio's Sequenza shows that they hold a few tricks up their sleeves too when the instrument and performer is challenged and pushed to their limits.