Marcel Tabuteau First-Hand

MT era oboe

Laila Storch’s Oboe Lessons 1949, 1950 & 1952

Laila’s Private Lesson with Tabuteau 1949
Ludlow Building Studio

Laila became principal oboe in the Houston Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 1948. She returned for a single lesson with Tabuteau after the end of the first season.

Lesson: May 12, 1949

You must have rules and technique, but then forget about it and play like a singer. You must let the music take you. Feel the music: more in tune with the little___ call. Then you will be a sharpshooter. Practice perfect 5ths and 10ths ascending-descending, picking out and very short as follows:
Laila's notes 2-46
Diagram 46

More on the scissors grip: the reed is in a set of pincers. It must respond more to the nuance and to up and down. Don’t let notes collapse: hold them up fully.

Beethoven Symphony 5, 1st Movement: Fa is down, mi is up; don’t play re too soon and don’t let it get sharp. Even exaggerate. Play flatter.

Laila's notes 2-47
Diagram 47

Practice exercises.

Note the scissors grip on the reed: in and out with different positions of the reed for every note.

Practice the root. Get a good grip on the reed, then play all on the same wind. Play on O up and don’t collapse.

Then after all, forget everything and just play. Let the music take you. You must know all the rules and laws, but then forget about them. Respond to the music!

Laila’s Private Lesson with Tabuteau 1950
La Lecque Residence in France

This was Laila’s penultimate lesson with Tabuteau taken after she, John Mack, and Tabuteau played in Pablo Casals’ Bach concerts in Prades during June of 1950.

Lesson: August 1950

Make loop before each note (the bigger the interval, the more loops). It is like placing something slowly. Increase, not the size but the speed, like a top going in fast circles, always circles.

Each interval:

Laila's notes 2-48
Diagram 48

Every note must be placed like the ball on golf: in the hole and you must not miss a game.

For real musical integral value, you can’t beat the oboe, especially for the line. Music must be in rhythm with everything, namely, the physical laws of the universe.

Mozart Concertante:

Laila's notes 2-49
Diagram 49

Exercise de Prades:

Laila's notes 2-50
Diagram 50

Fingering for high F♯:

Laila's notes 2-51
Diagram 51

Laila’s Private Lesson with Tabuteau 1952
La Lecque Residence in France

Lesson: July 19, 1952

Practice intervals, trills, octaves, and scales.

You are using too much teeth in your embouchure in comparison to the speed of the wind. Use more speed to hold up the tone. Travel small and travel like the bow on stringed instruments. Don’t press down. For the line: think!

Practice intervals in this manner:

A: 1234

Second octave E: 5

A: 5432

Low E: 1

Also practice this study with the in-between notes both separated and legato.

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What's New!

An audio interview with Joan Browne (Champie), a private Tabuteau student in the early 1950s.

A photograph of the music stand that was in Tabuteau’s private studio in Philadelphia.

An autographed photo of Marcel Tabuteau inscribed to Vladimir Sokoloff.

An autographed photo of Marcel Tabuteau inscribed to Joan Browne Champie.

With the passing of Wilbur Isaac Hilles in August 2023 and now Martha Scherer-Alfee in February 2024, no oboe students of Marcel Tabuteau at the Curtis Institute are still living.

A letter sent to the Curtis Institute by Laila Storch’s mother about Tabuteau not teaching at Curtis—and the reply.