Composer: Carl Reinecke (1824–1910)

Title: Trio in A minor, Op. 188 (1886)

Instrumentation: Piano, oboe, horn

Notes: Carl Reinecke’s trio is one of the rare late Romantic chamber work that uses oboe. While oboe was widely used in orchestra and opera throughout the 19th century, it nearly disappeared from chamber music of great composers of the time. Though Mozart and early Beethoven left great chamber music for oboe (octets, piano quintets to name a few), the vast majority of important composers in the 1800s left very few chamber work for the instrument. Schubert used oboes in his early chamber work but they are more of student compositions modeled after the Classical style. Schumann wrote one small work for oboe and piano (Romances) and Beethoven’s last chamber work with oboe was written in 1796. Wagner wrote a chamber work with oboe but it was more of a small orchestral work (due to space constraints) and Brahms wrote zero chamber music for oboe. While Reinecke was overshadowed by his younger contemporary, Brahms, he held professorship at Conservatorium in Leipzig and as the director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, he premiered Brahms’ German Requiem. Also, he left a number of chamber music with wind instruments.

So, why was the 19th century the Lost Century for the oboe chamber music? There were plenty of pieces written by minor composers (Danzi, Reicha, et al) and performer/composer (Pasculli), along with a myriad of salon pieces. But none of the heavy hitters in the German tradition left much of oboe chamber music. One possible reason is that it’s in the very nature of Romantic music. Throughout the second half of the 18th century, the composers’ focus shifted from the counterpoint-oriented compositions, to harmony-centered ones. Whereas the Baroque counterpoint required instruments that can produce distinct lines, the harmony-centered Romantic writing demanded more blended sounds. Which meant instrumental groups that are more homogeneous (e.g. string quartet) or instruments that can blend with others well (e.g. clarinet and horn) became the predominant force. Oboe, with it’s strong odd-numbered overtones, excels at projection but not the best instrument to blend with others. Oboe was still well represented in orchestral work where it cut through the ever expanding string section, and in opera where it often represented vocal lines in overtures and played duets with vocalists on stage. When the late 19th century brought the strong reaction against anything Romantic, oboe came back with the vengeance.