Editor's Note: Robert Probasco is a member of the faculty of the University of Idaho in Moscow, and has been an officer of the IDRS. I am delighted to include his research into a much-neglected area of the reed-maker's art.
Many factors are involved in constructing a successful oboe reed, and much has been written concerning the various aspects of the reed--quality of cane and staple, short scrape vs. long scrape, types of tone quality based on nationality where to scrape in order to improve the low notes or high notes, etc.
It is a shock to realize that one vitally important aspect of reed making has been virtually ignored: the thread. To be sure one occasionally hears some debates on the relative merits of thinner or thicker thread, or how tight each wind must be, or how many knots should be used--but all of these are peripheral matters which are not germane to the primary concern: Is the color of the thread suitable for the composition to be performed?
Research is still inconclusive, but apparently the subtle emanations from the thread exert a powerful force upon the air passing through the reed. While the reasons for this remain somewhat vague, it is possible to make some assumptions (some of which have been proven in actual performance) on which colors are most appropriate for certain works in the standard repertoire.
The ever-popular RED is the only possible choice for George Bizet's Carmen and for the operas of Allessandro Scarlatti. Red would also be appropriate for Richard Strauss's Don Juan, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni, the Romeo and Juliets of Peter Tchaikovsky and Hector Berlioz, and probably even for Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, although green might be more in line with the Sacre.
GREEN is certainly required for all works by Giuseppi Verdi (and Claudio Monteverdi), and for Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on 'Greensleeves,' Ludwig van Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, and for 'Spring' and 'Summer' in Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
The obvious choice for Bela Bartok's opera Bluebeard's Castle, for George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and for all "cool" jazz would be BLUE. I also prefer blue for Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Claude Debussy's La Mer, and George Frederick Handel's Water Music.
Since royalty abounds in musical titles and dedication, a complete list of those works which require PURPLE could be overwhelming. Also, the problem of conflict of interest becomes more acute. While it seems fairly clear that Franz Josef Haydn's Symphony No. 48 to Maria Theresa and Mozart's Coronation Mass need purple, it is uncertain whether Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and Beethoven's Eroica Symphony are more suited to purple or to OLIVE DRAB -- the mandatory color for Haydn's Military Symphony and Beethoven's Wellington's Victory.
Would purple be better for Handel's Messiah, or should WHITE be used? The wedding music by Felix Mendelssohn and Richard Wagner require white, of course, as does the 'Winter' of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I even opt for white on Easter oratorios and cantatas, and for all Magnificats, but should the passions be white or black?
BLACK could be used for all requiems, depending on your personal preferences. Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto, Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, and Franz Liszt's Faust Symphony are best suited to black. An OFF-BLACK shade would be better for Johann Sebastian Bach's Coffee Cantata and for Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. (Conversely, Beethoven's Egmont Overture should use off-white.)
While Stravinsky's opera The Rake's Progress could use a good deal of black, one should really switch to PINK for the scenes with Anne Truelove. In fact, pink would be used in numerous operas, but it is especially appropriate in Cosi fan tutti and Abduction from theSeraglio by Mozart.
This list might become endless, so a few guidelines will suffice for some additional colors: ORANGE for Bela Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin and the "Fall" of Vivaldi's Four Seasons (though I would reserve BROWN for most of Vivaldi's works); YELLOW for Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, GOLD for Wagner's Das Rheingold and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Coq d'or; SILVER for Gioacchino Rossini's William Tell.
Certain works seem to demand more than one color simultaneously: Could you get by with blue-green for Zolton Kodaly's Peacock Variations? The William Schumann arrangement of Charles Ives' Variations on America needs the tricolor of red, white, and blue. But these are relatively simply compared to the problem faced by the performer of Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Maler, or Terry Riley's Rainbow in Curved Air, or the works of Alexander Scriabin.
Perhaps the real answer lies in a clear transparent thread which could be covered with an appropriately colored sleeve for different compositions. Or perhaps modern technology could provide us with some chameleon-like substance which could change as needed.
But I fear we may be dealing with a superficial topic. Since the thread is one place removed from the actual air column it may be that we should be concentrating on the color of the cane, or the staple, or the oboe itself. Have you tried soaking your reeds in wine? Come to think of it, that's sort of how this all got started in the first place.