Chamber Concerto

Hey guys!

I'm getting ready to start on my longest piece to date: a 10-minute chamber concerto featuring the oboe as the soloist. 

Instrumentation (subject to change):

Woodwinds - Oboe, Flute, Bb Clarinet, Basson, Bass Clarinet

Strings - 4 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 cellos, 2 DB

Brass: French Horn, 2 Trumpets

I am not sure where to start, so I was hoping to see if anyone had any resources they could recommend, such as words of advice, structural advice, instrumentation, etc. 

Thank you

Hi @GospelPiano12,

I think it's difficult to provide suggestion to you with just the standard orchestration provided, other than having the information that the oboe would be the featured instrument! I think you can think of the style of the music you want. Do you have any musical ideas to be developed for this piece?

Henry

Most of my work is Romantic, with somewhat of a contemporary feel (in my opinion)

I have three notes written so far lol — F, Db, and Ab. I think the melody will flow with scalar-esque motion and leaps (up and down). I love maj7 leaps on strings and higher-register woodwinds.

In a concerto, are you "allowed" to have an introduction from the ensemble before bringing in the soloist?

2 hours ago, GospelPiano12 said:

In a concerto, are you "allowed" to have an introduction from the ensemble before bringing in the soloist?

In fact that's the common practice of Classical Concerto for the ensemble to bring in the themes first before the soloist comes in. Only Beethoven changed the practice in his Piano Concerto no.4.

Okay awesome - this is all I have so far lol 

On 1/19/2025 at 12:27 AM, GospelPiano12 said:

Brass: French Horn, 2 Trumpets

In my opinion it would make more sense to have 2 french horns and 1 trumpet instead of the other way round. Horns do a better job at creating a fuller and more balanced sound. Composers have always used them (tbf kindof lazily) to fill in harmony because they just work well for it. Also, they blend exceptionally well with the woodwinds, which is why they are above the trumpets on sheet music, despite not being the soprano part of the brass section, because they're "in between" the winds and brass. The trumpet on the other hand is very punchy and doesn't blend as well. This is why in the classical era, they're used largely for fanfare-like textures, and in the romantic era, they often take the foreground playing melodies.

I completely agree - horns are definitely the way to go