JW's best use of the Oboe?

ABez · January 20, 2004

I quite like the oboe's use in the early stages of 'Love Theme From Superman (Track 14, Disc 2 of the Rhino release).

For a while, it was a cue that passed me by.

I wondered if any other cues using the oboe from other albums may have passed me by also.

Your suggestions, please...

Cheers,

Andrew

Hlao-roo · January 20, 2004

"Garrison Family Theme" from JFK, Stepmom, Angela's Ashes.

OrchDork · January 20, 2004

I too like his use of the oboe in Stepmom. Of course, there is also the oboe solo in the opening of "Across the Stars" from Attack of the Clones. I can't think of any others (other than those mentioned) that really stand out. I could be forgetting something, though...

SeekUYoda · January 20, 2004

There's a great English horn solo in Star Wars: A New Hope - the Jawa theme. That's kind of oboe-esque.... I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

A24 · January 20, 2004

There's a great English horn solo in Star Wars: A New Hope - the Jawa theme. That's kind of oboe-esque.... I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

That's an English horn. One of my favorite Star Wars tracks. It's so Star Wars.

----------------

Alex Cremers

nja · January 20, 2004

As Orchdork said, Across the Stars would have to be the most prominent use in a primary theme. Lot's of individual tracks that feature oboe though.

January 20, 2004

It's easy to name Williams' best oboe use, but now try Goldsmith. :thumbup:

Ray Barnsbury · January 21, 2004

The opening and closing solos of the love themes from Superman and AOTC.

Quick question (I think Wael plays, so he might know): Do oboe players suck?

Ray Barnsbury-who loves the oboe when played well

January 21, 2004

What was used for "The Conversation" in Close Encounters? Was that an English horn or oboe?

Rogue_Leader · January 21, 2004

I wish I was better able to distinguish the playing of these instruments in a score. However, the best I can usually do is classify what group a musical instrument is part of. (i.e. brass, woodwind, etc.)

Docteur Qui · January 21, 2004

Across the Stars. When U saw the topic title I thought that straight away, but now I look like I'm copying...

Rogue_Leader · January 21, 2004

The best version of Across the Stars is still the strings performance of it IMO.

The theme is almost made for a violin.

Yoda Longbottom · January 21, 2004

I wish I was better able to distinguish the playing of these instruments in a score. However, the best I can usually do is classify what group a musical instrument is part of. (i.e. brass, woodwind, etc.)

Same here. I still need to find the way to learn distinguishing woodwind and brass instruments in each section one from another. The only instrument I can recognize pretty well from any other is French Horn and trombone. But violin and viola, for instance, can they really be distinguished?

Roman, instrumental illiterate.-)

King Mark · January 21, 2004

do like I did,buy a kid's learning c.d. that features each instruments in turn with a solo and listen to it a few times,then do an extensive week of listening to scores and purposely concentrating on identifying the instruments.

worked for me

eazy to identify:Horn,Trumpet,Oboe,Flute,Clarinet,Violin,Cello

hardest for me are viola,trombone an basoon.

K.M.

nja · January 21, 2004

What was used for "The Conversation" in Close Encounters? Was that an English horn or oboe?

That was one of the first things that crossed my mind too. There are different versions of this (Close Encounters - The Ultimate John Williams Film Music Collection and "Wild Signals" on the collectors edition of the soundtrack).

They use an oboe sound, but it is pretty obviously synthesized (and the tuba sound for that matter). It would pretty much need to be since the tempo starts getting impossibly fast and in the soundtrack, doing weird things with pitch and intonation.

QMM · January 21, 2004

Witches of Eastwick uses an oboe pretty well

I wish I was better able to distinguish the playing of these instruments in a score. However, the best I can usually do is classify what group a musical instrument is part of. (i.e. brass, woodwind, etc.)

An added advantage to my youth and being in band is you're forced to know each instrument's part and therefore are able to pick everything out at any time.

That's one of the best things to do when you're listening to new music :eek:

MrScratch · January 21, 2004

I'm not the best at distinguising instruments either... but I remember in the 'Reunion' movement of the BPO-recorded Jane Eyre suite, a version of the main theme played toward the end of the suite that sounded to me like an oboe, I could be wrong though. Can anyone clarify?

OrchDork · January 21, 2004

Quick question (I think Wael plays, so he might know): Do oboe players suck?

hahah Some do, and some don't. In high school, most of players sucked, save one that was fairly decent... and we had one that was awesome, but he graduated my freshman year, so that was that. In college, though, pretty much all of the oboists are very talented - even the last chair oboist! haha

QMM · January 21, 2004

Yeah, oboe players get to be pretty good in school, french horns, now that's a thing that sounds horrible for years until they get it

Miguel Andrade · January 21, 2004

What was used for "The Conversation" in Close Encounters? Was that an English horn or oboe?
That was one of the first things that crossed my mind too. There are different versions of this (Close Encounters - The Ultimate John Williams Film Music Collection and "Wild Signals" on the collectors edition of the soundtrack).
They use an oboe sound, but it is pretty obviously synthesized (and the tuba sound for that matter). It would pretty much need to be since the tempo starts getting impossibly fast and in the soundtrack, doing weird things with pitch and intonation.

If I remember well, Williams recorded everyhting with acoustic instruments, and then they "played" with the recording in the studio, giving it a synthetised quality.

ChrisAfonso · January 21, 2004

Across the Stars, no question.

And this sweet melody in track 8 of the A.I. promo:

Ray Barnsbury · January 22, 2004

Quick question (I think Wael plays, so he might know): Do oboe players suck?
hahah Some do, and some don't. In high school, most of players sucked, save one that was fairly decent... and we had one that was awesome, but he graduated my freshman year, so that was that. In college, though, pretty much all of the oboists are very talented - even the last chair oboist! haha

LOL Thanks, though I was referring to the way they play the instrument . . . I wondered if they suck in as opposed to blowing out like most players.

And yes, French horn takes a while for people to get good at because it's one of the most difficult instruments to play. For me, I'm sure playing the trumpet for eight years before moving on to horn really helped.

Ray Barnsbury

Hector J. Guzman · January 22, 2004

I quite like the oboe's use in the early stages of 'Love Theme From Superman (Track 14, Disc 2 of the Rhino release).

Oh, man, I absolutely adore that part. I like the clarity of that part on the Boston Pops recording.

BTW, I thought it was an english horn.

Hector J. Guzman · January 22, 2004

It's easy to name Williams' best oboe use, but now try Goldsmith.

What about Horner. The love theme played by this instrument (or english horn) is one of the best stuff I've heard. Very erotic.

nja · January 22, 2004

What was used for "The Conversation" in Close Encounters? Was that an English horn or oboe?
That was one of the first things that crossed my mind too. There are different versions of this (Close Encounters - The Ultimate John Williams Film Music Collection and "Wild Signals" on the collectors edition of the soundtrack).
They use an oboe sound, but it is pretty obviously synthesized (and the tuba sound for that matter). It would pretty much need to be since the tempo starts getting impossibly fast and in the soundtrack, doing weird things with pitch and intonation.
If I remember well, Williams recorded everyhting with acoustic instruments, and then they "played" with the recording in the studio, giving it a synthetised quality.

As I relisten to Wild Signals the oboe does sound acoustic (with a vibraphone et al). On the other hand, the version on Close Encounters - The Ultimate John Williams Film Music Collection is pretty clearly a synthesized instrument. Not only is the timbre quite different, but the vibrato is pretty obviously a looped pattern.

Interesting that perhap some versions are synthesized and some not. Makes me wonder what JW prefers. As he generally names CEO3K as his favorite soundtrack, I would suppose he has an opinion.

Hector J. Guzman · January 22, 2004

What about the recording on Sony Classical's "Williams on Williams"? I wish that version would have been purely acoustic.

:eek: Williams The Imperial March

Skywalker Symphony Orchestra

John Williams

Miguel Andrade · January 22, 2004

What about the recording on Sony Classical's "Williams on Williams"? I wish that version would have been purely acoustic.
Williams The Imperial March
Skywalker Symphony Orchestra
John Williams

Me too.

Morn · January 22, 2004

Probably that AI melody, I think that the selection of an Oboe in AI was perfect for the music.

King Mark · January 23, 2004

hmm,that's quite vague Morn.

K.M.

SeekUYoda · January 23, 2004

Quick question (I think Wael plays, so he might know): Do oboe players suck?
hahah Some do, and some don't. In high school, most of players sucked, save one that was fairly decent... and we had one that was awesome, but he graduated my freshman year, so that was that. In college, though, pretty much all of the oboists are very talented - even the last chair oboist! haha
LOL Thanks, though I was referring to the way they play the instrument . . . I wondered if they suck in as opposed to blowing out like most players.
And yes, French horn takes a while for people to get good at because it's one of the most difficult instruments to play. For me, I'm sure playing the trumpet for eight years before moving on to horn really helped.
Ray Barnsbury

They don't suck in to play, but they sure look like they do because there's so much back-pressure from blowing so much air through a tiny little opening. Hence the veins popping out and why they can go for such long times without breathing.

It's really amazing how different the instruments are to learn. If you give somebody a saxophone and a hundred hours in a practice room, they'll come out sounding much better than someone else with those same 100 hours and a horn, oboe, or bassoon.

That's funny, Ray - I played the horn first before starting trumpet, (and played both for a while), but I liked horn better too!

ChrisAfonso · January 24, 2004

The horn is the most amazing instrument, apart from the violin!

(I'm sure this comment was off topic)

nja · January 24, 2004

. . . I was referring to the way they play the instrument . . . I wondered if they suck in as opposed to blowing out like most players.
Ray Barnsbury

They don't suck in to play, but they sure look like they do because there's so much back-pressure from blowing so much air through a tiny little opening. Hence the veins popping out and why they can go for such long times without breathing.

Makes oboe players sound like they're gasping when they take a breath since they have to both expel their old breath and take in a new one- usually very quickly.

QMM · January 24, 2004

It's really amazing how different the instruments are to learn. If you give somebody a saxophone and a hundred hours in a practice room, they'll come out sounding much better than someone else with those same 100 hours and a horn, oboe, or bassoon.

Yeah, saxaphones are the easiest to learn and the hardest to master

Hector J. Guzman · January 24, 2004

Probably that AI melody, I think that the selection of an Oboe in AI was perfect for the music.

Ah, that's right. That's part is lovely. But in the score you can hardly hear it. You can hear it best in some recording I found somewhere from the 2001 Hollywood Bowl concert, which was a concert I attended :wave:

Williams Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra

Chester Schmidtz, tuba

The Boston Pops Orchestra

John Williams

King Mark · January 24, 2004

There's both David's Theme (The Reunion)and Teddy's theme also played on oboe

K.M.

Morn · January 24, 2004

Well it's all on that AI promo with the unlabelled tracks, heh.

Hector J. Guzman · January 24, 2004

There's both David's Theme (The Reunion)and Teddy's theme also played on oboe
K.M.

Otherwise know as "Theme from A.I."

January 24, 2004

I thought it was called "Mind-Controlling Super-Mechas, We Salute You!"

Hector J. Guzman · January 24, 2004

Soemthign like that too, heh heh

King Mark · January 24, 2004

Teddy's theme is just the incidental music when he is introduced in the movie,but its on the oboe.

K.M.

Hector J. Guzman · January 24, 2004

Oh!

CYPHER · February 15, 2004

I was just thinking about the oboe the other day! I was listening to Stepmom, specifically "The Days Between" and I had a revelatory 'oboe moment' in which, for one of the first times, I consciously thought - "That oboe sounds awesome!"

So I would nominate certain cues from Stepmom and Angela's Ashes as Williams' best use of the oboe (specific I know, but I can't recall details at present). Incidentally, both featured John Ellis performing the solo oboe duties. But I'll have to go back and listen to "Across the Stars" with my newfound oboe awareness and appreciation!

CYPHER

PS - does anyone else think John desperately needs to write an oboe concerto?

ChrisAfonso · February 15, 2004

First he needs to write a piano concerto!

And record the horn concerto *desperately wanna hear*

CYPHER · February 28, 2004

Okay, sorry to keep flogging this seemingly dead horse, but I seem to be suddenly struck by a bout of oboe obsession at the moment. This instrument just sounds lovely!!! Does anyone here play it? Or know of anyone who does? What kind of person is attracted to playing an oboe in anycase? Sensual, energetic, placid, poetic, dedicated etc? Anyway ... :oops:

I listened to "across the Stars" the other day, with both ears out for the oboe: nice, nice, but not the best. It seems a bit too muted. Perhaps it's the recording though. I've heard much more crisp oboe passages. Such as the little snippet towards the end of "Anakin is Free" from The Phantom Menace UE. Now that is quality righ there .

CYPHER

nja · February 28, 2004

What kind of person is attracted to playing an oboe in anycase? Sensual, energetic, placid, poetic, dedicated etc?

Musicians who are sensitive enough to play such an evocative instrument, but brave enough to place their entire career on a temperamental reed that performs differently depending on the humidity.

Ray Barnsbury · February 28, 2004

Oboe players take a LONG time to get good . . . In my high school or college bands, I've really never heard one that sounds as good as soundtrack recordings

Ray Barnsbury

King Mark · February 28, 2004

There's the Kasuke Wakao ac.d.,a lot of Williams themes on Oboe solo with orchestra

Miguel Andrade · February 28, 2004

There's the Kasuke Wakao ac.d.,a lot of Williams themes on Oboe solo with orchestra

Wakao is acompanied by string quartet, piano and harp, not orchestra.

Ray Barnsbury · February 28, 2004

What CD is that?

Ray Barnsbury

CYPHER · March 2, 2004

Yeah, it sounds interesting ... Anyway thanks nja and Ray for your thoughts re: 'what makes a good oboe player.' I was briefly considering having a fictional character I've created for a narrative I'm writing play the oboe, but I've now decided against it. She doesn't have anywhere near the time, dedication or dare I say it, sensitivity to do a good job LOL.

Or maybe, she's a failed oboe player, a fact that testifies to her lack of the requisite personal and technical requirements... Hmmm

CYPHER

JW's best use of the Oboe?

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