You are on page 1of 1

The Double Reed Vol. 24 No.

1 2002
58

PLAYING STACCATO ON THE OBOE

Playing Staccato on the Oboe


Marc Lifschey
First Oboist, Cleveland Orchestra
This article first appeared in the June, 1950 issue of
the WOODWIND WORLD magazine. Marc Lifschey
was first oboist of the Cleveland Orchestra when
he wrote this article. He later moved to principal
positions in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and
the San Francisco Symphony. He was also a member
of the faculty of the Indiana University. We are
grateful to Eric Barr, principal oboist of the Dallas
Symphony for sharing this article.

he oboe is the queen of the woodwinds,


unrivaled by any other instrument of the
section in its authoritative tone. So pronounced is this characteristic that only the
ungifted composer could miscast the instrument
when scoring. The mention of a few solos is sufficient to illustrate this pointthe slow movements
of the Eroica, Chaikovskys Fourth, and the Brahms
Violin Concerto. And if the reader takes exception
to this characterization, having in mind the Prelude
to Khovantchina, and the cock crow in St. Saens
Danse Macabre as contrary evidence, it should not be
forgotten that a Helen Hayes or a Katherine Cornell
can supply a light touch when the part calls for it
without becoming a Beatrice Lilly.
Indeed, the delicate articulation of the well-known
solo in the overture to the Italian in Algiers, or
the light staccato variation in the Mozart Sinfonia
Concertante are among the best show pieces for the
oboe precisely because it is capable of producing
an extremely beautiful staccato. Nevertheless, in the
hands of an improperly schooled player it is also
capable of producing a terribly unmusical and flat
staccato. For this reason I shall confine the following
remarks to the subject of staccato.
A flat-sounding staccato is usually due to the
players taking too much reed into his mouth. The
result is a strident tone similar to that of a string
instrument when the bow is drawn across the strings
too close to the bridge. And more than the quality of
tone suffers. The position of the reed inside the mouth
results in an incorrect position of the tongue, which
has to be curled up to reach the tip of the reed, or
lies along the bottom of the reed, thus interfering with
its vibrating, impairing speed, and preventing a clean
attack. The difficulties of exercising a delicate control
over the reed when the tongue and the reed overlap
to the extent of nearly half an inch can be readily
understood. Even when the tongue is in the correct
position, the results may be far from desirable if the
orifice to the throat is not kept open. Forming the
mouth and throat to say oo aids in eliminating the

dry, flat sound, and is one of the requirements for


producing a warm, round tone.
It may be well to mention at this point that
speed is achieved by taking the tongue off the reed
only far enough to clear the vibrating tip. Further, a
rhythmical tensing and movement of different parts
of the body which many a player indulges in will not
increase the speed but, on the contrary, will hinder its
development. The pressure of the wind column should
also be constant; the alternate tones and silences
are controlled by lifting the tongue from the reed
and lightly replacing it. This technic provides the
foundation for short, instrumental-type staccato. But
what about the singing staccato which is played at
a slower speed?
The first requirement is that the vibration of the
reed must not be stopped by the tongue. The attack
on the first note of the series is made by first having
the tongue touching the reed and then withdrawing
it; and on the notes thereafter by quickly and lightly
touching the tip of the reed with the tip of the tongue.
But the main difficulty comes in rounding off each
tone which is done completely with the breath. An
explanation of this is fraught with the danger that
a player may receive the impression that each note
requires a separate puff of breath. Perhaps this technic
could be compared to that of a violinist who plays
a series of staccato notes within the compass of one
stroke of the bow. Though the bow leaves the string,
all the individual notes form a series that is powered
by the one bow stroke. Substitute a wind column for
the bow stroke and the conception will be correct. The
shaping of the individual notes is done by relaxing the
pressure of the air column. The throat is kept open,
the wind column under no conditions is shut off, and
the wind passage from lungs to reed is kept open.
The result is a fast but floating diminuendo at
the end of each note which is interrupted by the
full-toned attack of the following note. Such a series
of articulated notes, because of the rapidly changing
color of each tone, produces a particularly pleasing
effect. The same method of breath control is employed
as that used by singers with the addition of the tongue
technic.
As in all musical matters, taste is the determining
factor, for it often happens that a player with imperfect
technique achieves a more musical staccato than one
whose technique is basically correct. However, if he
is able to achieve the same results with much less
effortso much the better. It is toward this end that I
hope the above remarks will contribute.

You might also like