Editor's note: Miroslav Hosek is solo oboist of the opera orchestra of the Oldrich Stibor Theater, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia. This article first appeared in the Czech magazine, Hudebni Nastro je {Musical Instruments) in February 1972 and is reprinted here with the kind permission of the author. The English translation is by Joseph L. Brockington. Because of political and other considerations, Mr. Hosek's visionary dream is not moving forward; I share his hope that oboists elsewhere might be inspired into action by his enthusiastic proposals. Mr. Hosek's exhaustive bibliography of oboe music is now in preparation and will be published by Heinrichshofen's Verlag.
Honored reader!
If the title of this article captivates you and if you find pleasure in the noble tone of the oboe, come and reflect with me for a moment.
First, one must realize that the oboe is one of the oldest musical instruments. Its beginnings date back to India during the twelfth century B.C. From there it spread to Mongolia and on into China and Japan. The oboe was also known in ancient Mexico. A special fondness for this instrument developed among the Arabs and later among the Greeks and spread into Europe. The Romans, the French, and eventually all of Europe came to know this instrument and used it for various occasions.
Unfortunately no information as to the types of compositions which were played during this antiquity of the oboe has survived to the present. In this respect, perhaps a study of the music of the South American Indians could offer some idea of this. A primitive form of the oboe, the so-called "chirmia," is played there even today.
A much more complete idea of oboe playing can be obtained from the remaining medieval sources. The oboe played an important role in the ensembles of both the nobility and the military. In 1628 an oboe was included in the Salzburg mass "Oratio Benevolio." The name of the outstanding royal oboist Michel Danican is known from the reign of Louis XIII.
Then comes the golden age of the oboe which because of the rapid progress made towards the perfection of the structure and the mechanics of the instrument, would remain until our time.
Let us also mention the names of the composers who contributed to this development. These are the famed director of the royal opera of Louis XIV, Jean Batiste Lully; G. F. Handel, himself an accomplished oboist; the family of the four Besozzi brothers of Parma, (all four were virtuosos on the oboe); J. Chr. Fischer; A. Salatin; F. J. Garnier; A. Fladt; F. E. Turner; Ch.S. Barth; the family Braunn; and many others.
The introduction of the oboe into the symphony orchestra was undertaken in the eighteenth century by the Czech composer Jan Stamitz in Mannheim. For the classical composers, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, the oboe was one of the most important instruments in orchestral, chamber, and solo music. The compositions for oboe of the Czech composer Fr. Kramar [Krommer] are constantly sought after and well liked.
With the formation of the European conservatories, important pedagogical centers developed. Joseph Sellner, who in 1825 published an oboe method was professor of oboe in Vienna. Further outstanding teachers were F. W. Ferling, G. Vogt, H. Brod, A. Barret, and H. Luft whose etudes and compositions for oboe are used even today as teaching materials in conservatories throughout the world. Important Czech pedagogues of their time are A. Koenig, L. Skuhrovsky, and M. Wagner.
Through the evolution of oboe music, the manufacture and production of this musical instrument was stimulated. Printers published thousands of new compositions and the level of virtuosity rose rapidly. In the passing of the decades there have been so many compositions for oboe, so many methods and theoretical works, so many manufacturers and producers of instruments, so many virtuosos with differing points of view concerning the oboe, that it is impossible for a single person to familiarize himself with the genre of the oboe in its entirety.
Because of this diversity, there is the need to bring clarity and order into this situation. I am certain that the time is ripe for the establishment of an international institute for oboe-related matters, let's say the establishment of an international oboe center.
In the following lines I wish to offer my conception of, and ideas about such a center.
The foundation of the institute would consist of an exhaustive archive of oboe literature. There are thousands of titles, the collection of which should be facilitated by my oboe bibliography (Heinrichshofen's Verlag, Wilhelmshaven, W. Germany). The archive would have a loan department, where every interested person could borrow their favorite oboe composition or text.
A further section of the archive would encompass a library of phonograph records and magnetic tape recordings. Thousands of compositions would be collected and catalogued there. Modern carrels with arrangements for both phonographic and magnetic tape recordings would allow the playback of desired compositions. This sound library would be of tremendous value, not only for oboists, but also for the entire music culture because it would preserve authentic examples of how a composition for example the Haydn concerto, is now being performed in Germany, France, the United States, or Australia.
A further part of the center would be a collection of historical oboes, which would be comprised of many old oboes either as originals or as careful reproductions. Most of these would be in a playable condition and would provide the object for special theoretical study.
Along with the historical instruments there would be a sales outlet for modern instruments. Here world-renowned firms could offer their products to be sold. Here it would be possible for an interested person to, in one place, try out a large number of instruments of different origins, before he decided on the one best suited to him. It would be then conceivable that the manufacturers would offer a sufficient quantity of only first class quality instruments.
The center would publish its own journal. This would have information of the activities and development of the center and the happenings throughout the world of oboes.
A considerable number of contributors throughout the world would make possible a flexible news and information service. Besides news there would be articles in the journal concerning famous oboists, new compositions, problems in the structure of the instrument, different methods of playing the oboe, the making of the double reeds, possibilities for the purchase of natural reeds and manufactured double reeds, and so forth. Experienced performers, players, and teachers would be able to communicate their experiences and young beginners would be able to express their problems. Announcements of contests, competitions, employment possibilities and the requirements for these positions would serve the interest of the oboe public. The pages of the journal would also be open to writers of works with an oboe theme.
The center should also have an adequate concert hall with provisions for motion picture projection.
Experts would find in the center indispensable materials which would serve as a basis for a critical evaluation of the entire oboe literature. Only in this way would it be possible to undertake and complete a scientific and scholarly classification of the oboe literature and to settle the continuing differences of opinion concerning the artistic value of individual oboe compositions. In the center the pedagogical literature as well as the literature for the various chamber ensembles would be compiled, so that in this respect the activities of the center would encompass other areas outside the domain of the oboe.
The center would be a common ground for various consultations, meetings, symposia, lectures, and conferences of every type. It would take part in the making of general scientific and other types of films. International competitions for younger players would be organized, not for some type of employment or position, but for the honor of appearing publicly before the world. Coordinated radio and television broadcasts would soon make the center known throughout the entire world.
The cost of establishing and maintaining the center should hopefully be covered primarily by public sources. First to be considered would be the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization-UNESCO and then the national parliaments [governments]. Also those companies which through the center find a market for their products should be taxed.
In summary: the center would represent something like the brain and heart of the world oboist family. Its establishment is justified and desired, because it is impossible with the means that have been available up to now to master the genre of the oboe. And we must master it, if we wish to make progress.
Let's seize the problem!
The first thing which must be done is the development, collection, and organization of the archives. It would be wrong to limit ourselves in this point only to public sources and means. Many things can be obtained through the donations of private patrons or societies. Favorite pieces of music phonograph records, tape recordings, books, catalogs, photos, articles, old instruments, yes, even good advice would be of value here.
I want to work with any and all who are interested in the establishment of the center and my thanks to all for every assistance towards the realization of this noble plan.