Post #6, Woodwinds Continued

We will now wrap up the study of woodwind instruments.  The Bassoon and three types of oboes are left to discuss.  The three types of oboes are the Oboe d'amore, the taille, and the Oboe da caccia.
The bassoon was mainly used to reinforce the bass line during this time period.  Jean-Baptiste Lully was one of the first who added the bassoon as well as the oboes to a primarily string orchestra.  One fascinating thing about this instrument is that it was invented and never evolved from anything else.
The Oboe d'amore first appeared in the early 17th century and enjoyed success at Bach's hands, fell out of disuse but again regained some importance through Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy.  Most oboists rent and do not own their own oboe d' amore due to the high price and lack of extensive repertoire.
The taille was used by Bach to double viola parts.  It was often used for jubilant parts due to its loud and piercing sound.  Due to its rarity and near disuse the cor anglais is often used as a substitution.
The oboe da caccia is an interesting case.  For many years musicologists thought that all of them had been lost or destroyed until Cary Carp, a museum curator in Stockholm Sweden, identified two of the instruments in the museum as oboe da caccias.  They are unplayable but in good condition and so have been replicated.  Bach and Fasch are the only known composers for this almost forgotten instrument.
The bassoon and oboes marked the beginning of the double reeds introduction into the orchestra.  Although most of them have fallen out of prominence at the time they were important for doubling inner melodies and the bass line.