Readers may recall my request, together with Hansjurg Lange in the Galpin Society Journal for 1977, for information on any existing early double-reeds. I would like to widen the scope of this appeal by describing below my plans for a more ambitious project, namely a detailed survey of all the surviving evidence on double-reeds from roughly 1660-1830. Comments, criticisms, further ideas, and of course any leads for further information are welcomed.
As is clear to every oboe and bassoon player, the reed is of prime importance to the response, tone, projection, and intonation of the instrument. As a celebrated oboist of the early 19th century Wilhelm Braun, put it:
A good reed has such an influence on the beauty of tone and the assurance of musical execution, that I would less rather be without one than with a good instrument. (Tr. from the Allg. Mus. Zeitung, 1823)
It follows that quality of our present performances on early double-reed instruments depends in a large measure on the reeds being used. Although reed-making is determined by many personal factors, a general knowledge of dimensions and techniques used in the past (and in many cases specific bits of information) can be quite useful. It is surprising that up till now no systematic study of early oboe, bassoon and musette reeds has ever been made. Such a study seems definitely in order, and as the length of the attached lists indicates, there is a wealth of general material to work with.
The period under question bridges two important points of mutation in the history of the oboe and bassoon. 1660 is the approximate date of their original development, and 1830 is about one-half generation after the addition of a number of keys for the first time (these eliminated cross fingerings, some questions of intonation and altered the manner of over-blowing.) As a result of the keys, reeds made after this period had a somewhat different function and therefore construction.
Material which can be used for this study falls into three general categories:
1) Written evidence from tutors, dictionaries, encyclopedias, general music books, etc. from the period.
2) Graphic depictions: paintings, etchings, drawings, tapestries, sculpture, title pages, trade cards, architectural ornaments, etc.
3) Surviving early reeds. When possible these should be drawn, measured, photographed, and described.
Reeds are extremely delicate, and are made of a perishable and easily breakable substance; they have therefore not survived in great numbers. As surviving reeds are often separated from the early instruments to which they once belonged, and have less obvious value and importance, many which might survive at this moment may soon be lost (I know of at least one which was thrown away within the last ten years.)
There is a great lack of written instructions on making reeds. It is not a subject which is easy to put on paper. Also, the oboe and bassoon, then as now, were not really amateur instruments, so that "do-it-yourself" instruction books are few, and written late in the period. (The musette was so entirely an amateur instrument that few players probably ever saw their reeds.)
It goes without saying that different types of instruments require different sizes, shapes, and scrapes of reed, as well as staples and bocals. Oboes and bassoons during the period in question were much less standardized than today; also, the instruments went through a number of significant mutations during this 170 year period. The personal nature of reed making techniques compounds the possible variation. This study necessarily covers, therefore, a wide range of reed types. Precise delineation of reed types is not yet possible because first there is not sufficient evidence on the reeds themselves, and second, we still lack a clear understanding of the dating and essential differences in national styles of instrument making. This study will hopefully provide a foundation for more specific dating and typing at a later stage, however.
In the next sections, I have included an outline of the material I intend to cover as well as lists of 1) early written references, 2) graphic depictions, and 3) locations of early reeds known to me. Because of the nature of this subject, a lot of important information is only available to one person or a few people; much of my "research" must be done by letters, phone calls, and visits. I hope in one form or another to bring the above remarks to as many of these people as possible. I would therefore like to ask everyone who reads this to either pass it along to others who may have access to the kind of historical evidence I am looking for or to please communicate at their earliest convenience any information of which they may be aware, which does not appear on the attached lists. No matter how rough or vague such material may seem, there is a good chance that it can be used for this study in one way or other. I will be grateful for any communications on this subject, and I hope to be able to publish a completed study in the course of the next two years.
Bruce Haynes,
Royal Conservatory,
Juliana van Stolberglaan 1, 2595 CA
The Hague, Holland
Almenrader, C. 'Erhaltung der Fagottrohre, fur Fagottisten sowohl, als auch fur Oboisten und Clarinettisten,' Caecilia (1829) Band XI, Heft 41
Anon. 'The rise and progress of the hautboy,' Quarterly Musical Magazine and Review 9 (1827)
Bainbridge, W. Observations on the cause of imperfections in wind instruments, particularly in German flutes. Innes, 1823
Borjon, C. E. Traite de la musette. 1672
Braun, W. 'Bemerkungen uber die richtige Behandlung und
Blasart der Oboe,' Allg. Mus. Zeitung 25 (1823)
Brod, H. Methode pour le hautbois. c. 1826
Diderot, D. 'Hautbois' in Encyclopédie . . 1756
Douwes, C. Grondig ondersoek van de Toonen der Musijk. 1699
(Fisher, J. C.) (I). The compleat tutor for the hautboy. c. 1770 (W119)
--. (III) New and complete instructions for the oboe or hoboy. c.1780 (W142)
--. (IV) The compleat tutor for the hautboy. c. 1790 (W167)
--. (V) New and complete instructions for the oboe or hoboy. c. 1790 (W169)
Froelich, F. J. Vollstandige theoretischpraktische Musikschule. 1810-11
Furetiere, A. Dictionnaire universel, vol. 3. Rotterdam 1690
Gamier, J. F. Methode raisonne pour le hautbois. c. 1800 (W233)
Garsault, F. A. P. de Notionaire ou memorial raisonne.1761
Haydn. F. J. Letter, 5 December 1776
Holyoke, S. The instrumental assistant . . . c. 1800 (W234)
Hotteterre, J. Methode pour la musette, op. 10,1738 (W70)
Hotteterre, J. Principes de la flute . . . 1707 (W42)
Koch, H. C. Musikalisches lexikon, 1802
LaBorde, J. B. de. Essai sur la musique, I (1780) (W148)
Majer, J. Museum musicum, 1732 and 1741 (W117 and 119)
Malot, J. F. L'Art de bien faire une anche de clarinette. 1820
Morris, C. The diary of a west country physician (1684-1726)
North, R. Theory of sounds, c.1710-28
North, R. Musical grammarian
Ozi. E. Méthode nouvelle et raisonnée pour le basson<, (1787) (W160)
Ozi. E. Nouvelle méthode de basson, (1803) (W271)
I. P. 'On the oboe and bassoon,' Harmonicon part I, 1830
Parke, W. T. Musical memoirs, 1830
Quantz, J. J. Versuch . . .,1752 (W85)
Sellner, J. Theoretisch praktische Oboe Schule . . . c. 1825 (W414)
daSilva, P. Letter, 1773
Talbot, J. Oxford Christ Church Ms. 1187, c. 1698 (W26)
Vanderhagen, A. Methode nouvelle et raisonne pour le hautbois, c.1790 (W175)
Veny, L. A. Methode complete pour le hautbois, c. 1828 (W428)
Vogt, A. G. Methode pour hautbois, c. 1813 (W335)
Walther, J. G. Musicalisches Lexicon, 1732
Whitely, W. The instrumental preceptor . . .. 1816 (W351)
Wragg, J. The oboe preceptor . . ., 1792 (W179)
Bate, P. The Oboe, 1975
Benade, A. Fundamentals of musical acoustics, 1976
Bleuzet, L. 'Hautbois' in Encyclopédie de la musique, Lavignac
Cocks, W. A. and J. F. Bryan. The Northumbrian bagpipes, 1967
Dudok van Heel, S.A.C. and M. Teutscher. 'Amsterdam als centrum van "Fluytenmakers" in de 17e en 18e eeuw,' in Historische blaasinstrumenten, NL: DHgm 1974
Evans, K. G. Instructional materials for the oboe, 1695-c.1800. UM 1963
Fitzpatrick. H. 'Jacob Denner's woodwinds for Göttweig Abbev.' GSJ XXI
Grush, J. A guide to the study of the classical oboe. UM 1972
Hailperin, P. 'Three oboes d'amore from the time of Bach,' GSJ XXVIII
Halfpenny, E. 'A Seventeenth-century oboe consort,' GSJ X
Halfpenny, E. 'The French hautboy: a technical survey.' GSJ VI and VIII
Halfpenny, E. 'The Christ Church trophies,'GSJ XXVIII
Hedrick, P. 'Henri Brod's Methode pour le hautbois reconsidered,' in The Consort 30 (1974)
Hellyer, R. 'Some documents relating to Viennese wind-instrument purchases 1779-1837,' GSJ XXVIII
Hubbard, F. Three centuries of harpsichord making. 1965
Langwill, L. G. The bassoon and contrabassoon. 1965
Langwill, L. G. Index of wind-instrument makers, 6th ed., 1980
Marx, J. 'The tone of the baroque oboe,' GSJ IV
Mirimonde, A. P. de L'Iconographie musicale sous les rods Bourbons . . . 1975
Palmer, F. R. 'Reconstructing an eighteenthcentury oboe reed,' unpubl. art.,1980
Post, N. 'The seventeenth-century oboe reed,' unpubl. art., 1978
Rendall, F. G. The clarinet, some notes on its history and construction. 1971
Robison, J. 'A guide to early 18th century oboe reeds,' unpubl. art., 1974
Schneider, C. 'Ein Oboisten-Portrait von 1767,' Tibia 3/80
Vas Dias, H. 'Rohrbau fur Barock-Oboen,' Tibia 2/80
Warner, T. 'Two late 18th century instructions for making double reeds,' GSJ XV
Young, P. 2500 historical woodwind instruments. 1980