The Art of Creating the Musical Line
There is a wonderful 10 volume set of master classes with John de Lancie, former principal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Director of the Curtis Institute and student of Marcel Tabuteau. In “The Art of Creating the Musical Line — The Barret Master Classes,” Mr. de Lancie discusses phrasing, how to practice — long tones, slow scales, broken thirds and more — with many insightful comments about practicing and performing, and with some helpful ideas about reeds! The music performed at the classes is taken from the Articulation Studies and 40 Progressive Melodies in Barret’s Standard Oboe Tutor. In the question and answer sessions after each class John de Lancie includes stories about personalities he met over the years — his meeting with Richard Strauss at the end of World War II when he inquired if Strauss had ever considered writing a concerto for the oboe; he describes conductors he encountered in the early years of his career and how the behavior of conductors and teachers differed in those days compared to now, and he tells what life was like for a student of Marcel Tabuteau. The classes were recorded at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1998.
Included in the set is a lecture by Mr. de Lancie in which he describes principles of phrasing and creating a musical line, and his lecture on “The History of Pitch as it Relates to the Present Day Symphonic Oboist.” In a fascinating and well-researched talk, he describes how pitch has varied and changed over the centuries, how we arrived at A 440, and the challenges we (especially oboists) have to keep the pitch from going higher.
Among the stories from the question and answer sessions are tales of how Mr. de Lancie and his fellow students survived lessons with Marcel Tabuteau! He talks about Tabuteau’s teaching style, his interaction with the students, and he provides an interesting observation on Tabuteau’s front teeth related to his oboe playing. Here are three excerpts:
- Marcel Tabuteau’s behavior toward his students
- Marcel Tabuteau’s front teeth and how they may have affected his playing
- Marcel Tabuteau’s “Ultimate Exercise for Control!”