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• Luis Blanco

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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.

T

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 point—the slow movements of the Eroica, Chaikovsky’s 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 player’s 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 effort—so much the better. It is toward this end that I hope the above remarks will contribute.