The Song of Roland – for Oboe and English Horn

Hello everyone,
I'd like to share a recent composition of mine, The Song of Roland, for oboe and English horn.

The piece evokes a medieval atmosphere: slow, melodic, dreamlike and melancholic passages alternate with faster sections characterized by martial affects. Overall, the music is shaped by a sense of grandeur and, at times, dramatic intensity, and is inspired by the medieval epic The Song of Roland.

Here is the link with score:
[YouTube link]

I would be very interested in your impressions — particularly from composers, oboists and other woodwind players.

Score?

You can find the score here:

@Yevgeniy Kazantsev

This is very much a lovely piece of relatable woodwind duo that I can see being performed in many recitals and abound. I mostly appreciate your well-utilized 'echo'-imitative polyphony; as well as your few 'spiced' moments of visiting M2 intervals.

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One point of minor concern that immediately stood out to me is your giving what seems very easily an Oboe II part to the English Horn: with the except of the very end, the range is something that could be achieved on its default Soprano (Oboe).

I usually advise string composers (or composers who include string in their composition; whether it's Quartet, orchestra, small ensemble, etc.) to be sensitive not to write another low Violin part and simply give it to the Viola. Violists will not be happy if you don't regularly visit their C-string; other than their powerful darker Alto intonation, this is the one characteristic that greatly sets them apart from the Violin.

The above advice likewise applies here to the Alto Oboe: English Horn. Be careful that you don't write another Oboe part and simply give it to the English Horn. Under-represented instruments, such as the EH, want their moment to shine; to showcase themselves in those ways that set them apart from their dominant diva counterpart. What sets the EH apart from the Oboe? It reaches an E3 concert-sounding. (I'm confident you're fully aware of this, so I will speak no further about this very point.)

My overall meaning: let the EH access those rich concert-sounding Alto pitches below B-flat-3. They are there because the Oboe cannot access them. Perhaps take some passage 8vb (maybe even 15mb). That would be my only advice; if you were to keep the EH part.

Dear Acerylio,

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful, detailed, and appreciative review! I was genuinely delighted to receive it and have read it several times.

I was actually aware that I had not made enough use of the English horn and its particular qualities in this piece. To be honest, I originally intended to write the piece for two oboes. It was mainly because of the final section, where the very last note falls just below the oboe’s range, that I eventually decided on this instrumentation.

Perhaps I was also a little too hesitant to create a greater contrast between the registers of the two voices, as I did not want to disturb the feeling and character of the piece. I actually tried several times to move the second voice into a lower register in other passages, but somehow it just did not sound right to my ear. So in the end, I decided to leave it as it is.

This is my very first piece for oboe and English horn, and I am only a beginner hobby composer, so your feedback is all the more valuable to me. If I decide to revise the piece at some point, or to write something new for these instruments—or for strings, for that matter—I will definitely keep your advice in mind.

Once again, thank you very much for your time, your knowledge, and your thoughtful and helpful feedback!

Warm regards,
Yevgeniy