Article
Endnotes
About the writer
About 1966 I took into my confidence Dr.
Václav Smetácek concerning my idea of "Technical
Studies."[1] He let me know later
that it was an excellent idea and compared its realization to
a discovery of a new world in the pedagogical literature. This
encouraged me to finish the manuscript (384 p.), which I advanced
to outstanding oboe pedagogues for review. Following are some
of the responses:
Prof. E. Baudo, Conservatory Paris, 18.1. 1968:
With great interest I examined your T.S. and I appreciate your work. These studies could serve oboists well; should they be published, I will recommend them to my pupils and colleagues in France.
Prof. O.H. Dahl, Conservatory Horning, Denmark, 31 .1. 1968:
Your T.S. are unconventional and can serve as a means to perfection of finger equality and precision. I can recommend this work with pleasure.
Prof. T.J. Filas, Conservatory Chicago, 19. 11. 1967:
Your work, which I obtained to review, is of outstanding significance; it is good and complete.
Prof. H. Hadamowsky, Academie Wien, 12. 12. 1967:
I think your studies are a positive contribution to the perfection of performance. The edition of these would be a praiseworthy deed.
Prof. F. Hanták, Academie Praha, 3. 2. 1968:
I like your T.S. Theoretically, I agree with you.
Dr. K. Hausmann, Conservatory Wurzburg, BRD 20. 6. 1967:
I am convinced, the publishing of your T.S. would be a contribution! Your ideas are interesting and useful.
Prof. J. Tancibudek, University of Adelaide, Australia 9. 7. 1968:
Your studies are outstanding. They are well thought out and could be a brilliant cure for uncared for technique and slow note reading. I congratulate you on your expert work!
Prof. E. Parolari, Conservatory Winterthur, Switzerland, 6. 4. 1969:
I should like to have been able to play anything like that during my school years. In my opinion your work is very good, your initiative admirable.
Prof J. Sirucek, University of Indiana, Bloomington 13. 10. 1968:
We need more works of this kind in our repertoire, in this I agree with you.
Prof. A. Jensen, Conservatory Mozarteum Salzburg, 11. 9. 1970:
Good work and a very useful variant, which, if published, I will recommend.
In 1981 the first volume was published by Broekmans & van
Poppel in Amsterdam due to Han de Vries. De Vries writes in the
forward: "For most oboists the name Hosek is not unknown.
He published a number of works on oboe, among them the bibliography
of oboe music. The technical studies may be a welcome supplement
to the existing material beside practicing scales and chords.
The exercises are excellent for the coordination of fingers and
embouchure. I can truly recommend this book to those who are interested
in playing the oboe with a solid technique."
After publishing the first volume, I received these reviews:
Prof. L. Jezovà, Academie Praha, 31. 1. 1983:
Technical studies of this sort we needed indeed. Anyone can choose his problem which needs perfection. I appreciate particularly the variations with melodic ornaments. I am going to use your T.S. in my class.
Prof. N.K. Genari, Conservatory Odessa, USSR 2.3. 1984:
You do not fix any tempo indication, nor dynamic nuance and therefore give space for independent approach. Your T.S. are outstanding helps for oboists of different grades of maturity up to complete prof essionality.
Doc. V.P. Fartusnyj, Conservatory Petrozavodsk, USSR 20. 2. 1984:
Studies of this sort should be supported, because they help control the concrete task above professional habits. They are excellent aids for teachers and soloists.
In spite of positive experts' accounts, the general interest
of oboists in T.S. did not occur. Why? Did they not realize their
purpose or do they just not know of their existence?
I will try to answer this question from a view of a professional
oboist. It is he who has to use his best efforts to study the
orchestral parts, the chamber works, to make or adjust reeds,
etc. But he is forced to spend much time in the regeneration of
basic habits like embouchure, technique of fingers, intonation
and equal sound in different registers, breath, the routing of
quick reading, and aural imagination. Here he has two ways to
choose - to reach out for etudes, well known from his studies,
and seeing after a while, that he has not forgotten them yet -
or to open any side of T.S. and pick one of plentiful variants
to study, (see endnote 2), and he will
be absorbed by something new, followed by the feeling of accomplishing
some useful work. After practicing one section for hours, he may
finish, being conscious he may return to this section once more,
because there is always something to improve. Shortly: it is perpetual
self improvement process regardless of the embouchure and technical
level. The main idea of T.S. was this: to be acquainted with them
in such a degree during the studies that they would be able to
give support, control and program to further self improvement.
A perception from my pedagogical praxis: The new beginners in
the age 8-9 years fixed their embouchure best through practicing
the passages, created on principles of T.S. from the Ist part
of my "School for the youngest oboists."
The pupils in the age of 10-12 years like to play selected, and
to their age, adapted variants from T.S. It is amusing learning
which provides always something new. The progress in reading notes
is almost unbelievable.
The students of conservatories should take care of T.S. with full
attention. The possibility of playing virtuoso for oneself is
very attractive for a young person. But a reasonable pedagogue
manages to attract attention to rhythmic and agogic variations
from T.S.
The practicing on any variation in the highest oboe register is
doubtless a contribution to the player's ability. Is there any
better preparation for tones around g3 with instant control of
intonation in the medium register?
Are you afraid of the exercises in 7#s or 7bs? Just remember Prof.
G. Gillet [3], who made essential to
his students to play current etudes by heart one tone higher or
lower. There certainly is no harm for a student to learn perfectly
all intervals in all keys from my T.S.[4]
Conclusion:
The oboe pedagogy leads consequentially to personal responsibility
of any oboist for his professional qualification. The fact, that
T.S. are here, I hold as a synthesis of a phenomenon, which sooner
or later was due to come. Therefore, I think that even if I did
not write T.S., somebody else was bound to do it. In the now existing
competition of oboists, there should not be a single piece of
unknown territory. I am convinced of the usefulness of my T.S.
in this field. I hope the T.S. will find their place among the
oboists and the publisher might find a reason to complete all
volumes of basic oboe literature.
Endnotes
1. PhDr Vaclav Smetacek (1906-1986),
prominent artist with extensive field of activity. Oboist of Czech
Philharmonic, soloist, the promoter of "Prague Wind Quintett"
(leading it for 27 years), professor of Oboe at the Prague Conservatory
and Music Academy, co-author of the "School of Oboe Playing,"
world-known conductor and composer.
2. Illustration of practicing T.S.
3. Prof. Georges Gillet (1854-1934)
Professor of the Paris Conservatory 1881-1929.
4. Miroslav Hosek: Technical Studies
for Oboe, schedule. publ. by Broekmans & Poppel, 1981
| 1. |
a: Thirds-major b: Thirds-minor |
Manuscript | 39p. |
| 2. |
a: Quarts-major b:Quarts-minor |
Manuscript Manuscript |
46p. 34p. |
| 3. |
a: Quints-major b: Quints-minor |
Manuscript Manuscript |
41p. 30p. |
| 4. |
a: Sixths-major b: Sixths-minor |
Manuscript Manuscript |
35p. 28p. |
| 5. |
a: Sevenths-major b: Sevenths-minor |
Manuscript Manuscript |
30p. 21p. |
| 6. |
a: Octaves-major b: Octaves-minor |
Manuscript Manuscript |
18p. 11p. |