New Works for a New Instrument

A major part of my AHRC Fellowship is the development and manufacture of a prototype redesigned oboe and the creation of a number of new compositions for the instrument. This instrument will be demonstrated in concerts, festivals, research forums and conferences and will become the instrument I use professionally.
I intend to commission five new works for the redesigned oboe. The chosen composers have already written for the standard oboe and in doing so have demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the instrument, using contemporary techniques and writing at the limits of what is possible on the instrument. The composers also have significant reputations and their works will attract interest from promoters internationally thus further widening knowledge of the work of the Fellowship. The composers currently under consideration are: Brian Ferneyhough, Michael Finnissy, Richard Barrett, Edwin Roxburgh and Sam Hayden. A DVD will be made of the work which will serve as both a document of the research and as a promotional tool.
This application is for the commission fees for the composers, travel and accommodation costs and funding for the DVD.
In addition I intend to create a range of performance related materials for the instrument including developing fingering charts for the altissimo range, compiling lists of multiphonics, microtonal fingerings and other sonic resources as well as exploring the potential of the electronic (hyper-oboe) developments.
The composers will work collaboratively with me in exploring the creative and technical potential of the redesigned instrument and as a result will add further knowledge to the lists of fingerings and other sonic resources that I develop. It is expected that the in-depth questioning and creative exploration engendered by the composers will cause me to rethink aspects of the instrument and therefore to seek out further refinements to the key work and possibly even some further redesign work.
Each composer will write for the instrument in a unique way bringing their own ideas and questions to the research and, even when composers explore similar territory, they will do so from their own perspective and, as a result, will help to widen the knowledge of the instrument. The compositions will vary in their orchestration: oboe and electronics, oboe and piano, oboe and string trio, and oboe and small ensemble which will further add to an understanding of the instrument's capabilities.
Commissioning composers to write works and be involved in the project has always been a central part of the Fellowship. The aim was to seek out commission fees from a wide variety of sources. However the current financial situation has rendered finding funding much more difficult, many funding bodies are holding back or making decisions only at the last minute, making the planning of a project such as this much more difficult. Having some funding in place for these commissions will attract promoters to the project and open up opportunities for performance that may otherwise not be available.
There will be several significant outputs from the research: The five works will all be published, recorded and performed, collaborative activities will all be recorded and an article describing the work will be written and published. The DVD will also be available on the web.
The performance partners for each of these works, pianist, string trio etc., are all major performers in their own right and so the performances and recordings will all be of the highest calibre.
The works will provide a core repertoire for the redesigned instrument and will be available for other composers to listen to and to study when considering writing for the instrument themselves.
Two members of the research department at the Royal Academy of Music (a PhD candidate and a Research Fellow) are also benefiting from this work as areas of the research are informing aspects of their work.

The research of this project is very closely linked to the main Fellowship and as would be expected there are many areas of overlap between the two.
The oboe is one of a number of instruments on the musical instrument 'endangered species' list. The development of the redesigned instrument and the electronic potential it has suggest an instrument that, rather than becoming a museum piece, is moving forward into the 21st century. In addition, the electronic potential of the instrument could, in the right hands, help to further popularise the instrument and broaden its appeal. Developments such as these are essential for the future life of the instrument.
The oboe maker Howarth of London is the only maker of oboes in the UK. Their commercial competition therefore is from makers in Europe and the US. Any research that can offer an edge in the design and manufacture of the instrument is to be welcomed: it is essential for makers to be developing and refining their products in a very competitive market. The impacts of some of the research could therefore be very significant for the makers. Other oboe makers may also, eventually, benefit from the research, especially if ideas developed as part of, or from the research, become standard on the instrument.
The electronic technology being developed for the instrument has not been used on a musical instrument before. This technology can very easily be placed on a wide range of instruments and it is the intention of the developers to market the product commercially. As has been mentioned above, this development could be culturally very significant for the oboe's future.
Other Instrument makers, and especially woodwind instrument makers, could benefit from the approaches to the research as some of the methods developed and explored are transferable. More widely, the development of the instrument and work towards making the developments commercially viable will be of interest to other makers considering similar projects.
Oboists will have a redesigned instrument with extra technical and musical capability available which could be especially important for performers who work in the contemporary music area or who have to perform demanding music from this repertoire. There will also be some interesting new repertoire available to perform.
Instrumentalists interested in making similar developments to their own instrument will find some of the approaches and methods of great value as they will offer models and approaches to research.
There will, in addition, be some commercial benefits to the publishers of the compositions and the CD makers. Festivals and other concert promoters will benefit from having either premiers or new works available for programming and the added attraction of an unusual instrument on which the works will be performed.
The composers being commissioned will benefit from the opportunity to write new works with guaranteed performances and recordings.

The timescales for benefits to be realised will vary considerably. Performances and recordings of the works will take place during the period of the project and so the composers, publishers and concert promoters will see 'impacts' as the project continues. These impacts will also be long term as sales and performances will continue for many years. Impacts in the area of oboe development will vary as it will take time to realise the implications of some of the research. The sale of electronic technology will probably begin before the end of the project. The areas where the research may help or inspire other instrumentalists and makers is more difficult to be precise about a timescale but work will be done to make sure that the information is available to interested parties (see the Dissemination section).