The Woodwind Section under the Spotlight

Guest Blog

This week we have a very special guest blog by Natasha Wilson, Projects Manager and Southern Sinfonia oboe and cor anglais player. Natasha provides a detailed and insightful look at woodwind instruments. 

With the Southern Sinfonia Wind Quintet, I recently performed in the Café Concert series. This concert, ‘Winds Exposed’, explored the relationship between four woodwind instruments and one brass and touched on the role of wind and brass instruments in the orchestra. Being a member of the woodwind section, in particular, is different to a string section. The main difference is that in a string section, the viola section, for example, there are as many as six or more players playing the same part, therefore giving the security of playing with a desk partner and being part of a larger section. However, they have to work closely as a team to make a cohesive body of sound. There are, however, exceptions, where string parts divide (‘divisi’), which enriches the sound and adds depth to the harmony and in solo sections. This is why a section leader is vital as players follow their lead on bowings, phrasing and entries after bars of rests.

In a woodwind section, there is one person to a part. There are therefore two aspects to playing; exhibiting soloistic qualities as you are often exposed, but also being able to blend with the other players within the section. A standard woodwind section consists of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets and two bassoons, therefore blending sounds can be challenging, as the section is made up four very different instruments that exhibit unique qualities and present their own challenges, but also share common ground.

So how do we move as a team? Well the way we sit is no accident, generally sitting on risers which elevate us about half a metre above the ground. This means the woodwind sound can project over a large string section and reach the audience, and on a basic level we can see the conductor more easily, aiding communication. The flutes and oboes sit on the front row, as the higher register instruments, with the clarinets behind the flutes and the bassoons behind the oboes. The clarinets have an exceptionally wide range, being able to play higher than the oboe but also much lower, so it makes sense for them to sit next to the bassoons which are bass instruments and generally supply the harmonic foundations. Placing the bassoons behind the oboes is also very logical as both instruments are related as members of the double reed family. The sound combination of the oboe and bassoon is therefore very rich and full.

The principal players form a quadrat in the centre with the second players on their outside:

This formation is important for a number of reasons. The principal players communicate with one another through movement, leading with their instrument and with their breath so that the whole section can breathe together and enter as one. This is then adopted by the second players. In solo sections, such as the flute and oboe solo in the second movement of Schubert’s 5^th Symphony, sitting next to each other really helps to unify the melody.

In orchestral music the higher melodic writing is played by the principal players sitting in the quadrat, with the lower register music being played by the second players. Therefore, the balance of the woodwind section works well with the higher register music and, often, melodies being played in the centre of the section and with the lower register counter melodies or accompaniments being played on the outside of the section.

As a principal player you have to be virtuosic, soloistic and fluid in the upper register but also be able to blend when harmonising with the other instruments.  When playing ‘second’, you have to be secure in the lower register able to accompany the first player in solos but solid particularly in intonation (or tuning) as you tune to the bass note within a chord. The second players will often be able to double when there are larger orchestral forces. In general, the flute doubles the piccolo, the oboe doubles the cor anglais, the clarinet doubles the bass clarinet and the bassoon doubles the contra bassoon. These allied instruments definitely add colour, character and depth to the sound. The piccolo (which sounds an octave higher than the flute) adds extremes of tessitura in chords and intensity to finales, but is also very dexterous and can be used in technically demanding passages, for example Rossini’s Overture ‘The Thieving Magpie’ and Brahms Symphony No 4. The cor anglais has a beautiful mellow sound, being pitched a fifth lower than the oboe (in F) and is often used in mournful and haunting solos eg ‘The Swan of Tuonela’ by Sibelius and Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony. 

The bass clarinet adds a wonderfully deep, rich and gravelly sound, is pitched an octave lower than the B flat clarinet, and is notable in works such as Ravel’s ‘Daphnis and Chloe’ and MacMillan’s ‘St John Passion’. The other member of the clarinet family occasionally used is the E flat clarinet, which sounds a minor third higher than written. This mini clarinet has a striking and distinct sound that is used to great effect in such works as ‘Symphonie Fantastique’ by Berlioz and Strauss’ ‘Till Eulenspiegls’.

Finally, the contra bassoon is an extraordinary instrument sounding an octave below the bassoon and provides what can only be described as a ‘meaty’, full and reedy sound. It really feels like the ground is shaking below you when its lowest notes are employed in dramatic chords. However, it can also be quite cheeky and playful – such as in Ravel’s ‘Mother Goose’; very surprising when you see it arrive in its case before the rehearsal which can be the size of a coffin!

I am often asked what it feels like to play in an orchestra. My musical journey began at the age of 11 when I started the oboe and I went to my first concert in Salisbury Cathedral, and was completely blown away by the whole experience. From this moment I knew that orchestral playing was something I wanted to do in the future. I worked hard at school studying the oboe, piano and voice and went on to Music College, where I gained a BA Hons and MA in music; then, my dream of performing professionally started to become a reality. It is hard to put into words the satisfaction and fulfillment you gain from producing a great performance alongside friends and colleagues, and it is this feeling that keeps me coming back for more. For me, playing with Southern Sinfonia is exciting, challenging yet overall enjoyable, as it is wonderful to be part of a team. We all know each other well, play together regularly and respect one another and this is why it works!

Southern Sinfonia has some fantastic concerts this week which feature the wind section. Tonight, Friday 28^th, we perform at St Lawrence Church in Hungerford. Rachel Broadbent will perform Handel’s Oboe Concerto No. 1, followed by other well-known works by Handel, including the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and his Water Music Suite No. 1. Tomorrow evening, Saturday 29^th March, Southern Sinfonia perform Stravinsky’s Mass for wind instruments and choir and Mozart’s C Minor Mass in Bath Abbey with Bath Choral Society.

Thank you so much to Natasha for writing this week's guest blog. 

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