Though Belgium is a small country, it has an old considerable musical tradition: the Flemish polyphonists (ca. 1400-1600), Ludwig VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) and Cesar FRANCK (1820-1890) have all Belgian, except of course FRANCK, even Flemish origins. Likewise, the Belgian oboe has been fairly important during the almost 250 years of its existence.
Among the instrument makers especially Charles and Victor MAHILLON are very well-known (1863-1929), not only for their reintroduction of the oboe d'amore (1878), but also for the very high quality of their instruments. Other builders were TUERLINCKYX (ca. 1830) and in the Twentieth Century ALBERT and HOFFINGER. None of them still exists.
Several "Belgian" oboe players were -- and are -- very well known: A. VAN DER HAGEN (New Method for Oboe, Paris, ca. 1793), S. VERROUST (professor of oboe at the Paris conservatory 1853-1863), G. GUIDE (professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels 1885 - First World War) who had F. DE BUSSCHER (1880-1975), (see To the World's Oboists, 1975, III-3) among his pupils, and L. GOOSSENS (1897-1988). The celebrated French oboists P. PIERLOT and J. VANDEVILLE also have Flemish roots, because they were born in the northern part of France, still called French-Flanders. Unfortunately none of them stayed in Belgium, except for G. GUIDE, who became director of the National Opera, the Theatre de la Monnaie.
What about the Belgian oboe and the performers today? The above described emigration of first class artists, didn't it cause a kind of oboistic anemia?
Fortunately, the generation of Belgian oboists who are now 70 years old, yielded two very gifted talents: L. VAN DEYCK, formerly principal soloist of the Symphony Orchestra of the Belgian Radio and professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels until 1972, and P. DEJARDIN, who held the same positions at the orchestra of the National Opera and the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp until 1979. Almost every Belgian oboist with a certain artistic level studied with one of them, or at least one of their students.
As one already could suppose from the historical survey, the Belgian oboists have found traditionally French latitudes. So it actually is, with one exception, M. SCHECK, son of Gustav, who adapted the German way of oboe playing to the Belgian taste.
Generally speaking, we use the half-automatic conservatory-system, with the additional C#-key for the little finger of the left hand. Most usual are Marigaux, Rigoutat and Buffet. Our reeds are French (Alliaud, Cogolin, Ghys), gouged and fashioned by Glotin or Delacroix, or by ourselves. In this case, we use tubes of cane with a diameter of 10.5 mm., which we split and gouge at a thickness of ca. 0.58 mm. in the middle and 0.40 mm. on both sides; the width is contained between 7. 18 and 7.22 mm. The staple is 0.47 mm. (Loree or Glotin), the total length of a reed (cane and staple) is about 74 mm.. The scrape is rather short (ca. 1/3 of the visible part of the tied cane) and smooth.
The tone ideal is French, with a tendency to play a little bit darker; but Holliger-influences change this in specific cases. The vibrato is neither German (diaphragm) nor French (a little bit in the throat). It is comparable with the vibrato of a good singer: so we only use it if we want to, and we adapt the speed according to the movement and the tension. Attack, like tone ideals and vibrato, are based upon a conscious breathing control, and must be learned meticulously. Dynamics become extended in both directions.
Oboe music is studied very intensively, from the Baroque era over Rococo, the Classical and Romantic period to the several Twentieth Century-directions: bibliographies are made for pedagogical use (classified according to the level of progress); an effort is made to make a difference in executing music from various times or countries, studying papers, analyzing scores and contacting foreign musicians.
Briefly, Belgian oboists have a justified opinion about their instrument and how to play it. Nevertheless, they really endeavour to be not narrow-minded but to integrate useful aspects of the divergent conceptions that actually are living.
L. GILLIS, principal at the Philharmonic Orchestra of the BRT (the Symphony Orchestra of the Flemish radio after the splitting of the national broadcasting institute in 1978) and professor of chamber music at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp
L.OP 't EYNDE, co-soloist at the same orchestra.
J. M. QUENON, co-soloist at the Symphonic Orchestra of the RTB (the Symphony Orchestra of the Walloon Radio since 1978) and professor of oboe at the Royal Conservatory of Mons.
W. SMEEKENS, principal at the Belgian Na-tional Orchestra.
A. VAN HERP, co-soloist at the Philharmonic Orchestra of Antwerp.
M. VAN BOVEN, co-principal at the same orchestra.
J. DE MAEYER, formerly principal of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Antwerp; professor of oboe at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. D. BOIY, principal at the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra.
M. BUYENS, soloist at the Belgian National Orchestra.
P. BEELAERTS, professor of oboe at the Conservatory of Bruges.
I. DUDAL, principal at the opera-orchestra of Ghent.
A. VAN BEVEREN, oboist at the Philharmonic Orchestra of the BRT.
H. MOENS, formerly principal at the Belgian Military Band, the s.c. "Guides"; professor of oboe and English horn at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. He also studied with Mr. DE LANGHE.
G. LEROY, principal at the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liege and professor of oboe at the Royal Conservatory of this town; student of Mr. R. ANTOINE, professor at Liege before LEROY himself.
A. ANTOINÉ principal at the Symphony Orchestra of the RTB and professor of oboe at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Walloon section); also a student of Mr. R. ANTOINE.
H. SCHOONBROODT, co-principal at the Belgian National Orchestra and professor of organ at the Royal Conservatory of Liege. He studied at the Conservatory of Paris.
M. SCHECK, formerly principal of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Antwerp, professor of choir-conducting at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. He studied with Mr. WINSCHERMANN (Detmold).