I play on a Marigaux oboe. It is not what most American oboists prefer, but I discovered them back in the mid 1980s, and now play on my second of these wonderful instruments. Oboes haven’t changed much in about 100 years. The changes to the instrument’s slow evolution have mostly been refinements to the bore, tone holes or the addition of new keys to help facilitate specific note-to-note progressions.
The first real shake-up to the design of the modern oboe has been pioneered by Marigaux. They have completely re-thought & reingineered the disassembly points to their M2 model. Instead of the instrument coming
- Marigaux M2
apart between the top & bottom hand keys, the majority of the oboe has been redesigned to be a solid, continuous piece of wood. Gone are the 3 critical linkage points which control the D trill, the Bb controls & the often-persnickety bridge mechanism of the F# – G# linkage. Oboists often peek at the linkage between top & bottom joints to ensure the alignment is true. An oboe that has twisted a tiny bit becomes a lesser instrument for the moment, and smooth passages can be distorted to clumsy messes.
The description of the new M2 model is this:
- Head-joints can be easily changed to suit individual needs so that tuning, colour, depth and fluidity of sound are all adjustable
- In extreme climatic conditions a phenol-resin head-joint can be used in place of a wooden one to avoid unnecessary cracks
- The instrument is assembled by aligning the octave key pillar with the plate on the main body of the oboe
- Ergonomically improved Bb, B and Eb keys
- Improved positioning of G and G sharp keys, thanks to the removal of the middle joint ring
- Long F key is height-adjustable
- New positioning of the half-hole gives better tuning on D’s and Db’s and improved performance on top octave D’s to Eb’s
I love my “old school” Marigaux, and can’t wait to try an M2 model. My reeds have drawn stares from fellow oboists for years – imagine the glares this would draw!
- Marigaux M2 in its special case
Well, I could dream, couldn’t I?
Why do you reeds draw stares? Do tell!
I, too, play on a Marigaux. Both of mine are rather old, but I still love them. I’d sure like to try this new one, but I doubt I’ll ever be able to afford anything new. (And isn’t my retirement just around the corner? Hmmm. Or maybe not.)
Another Marigaux fan – AWESOME! I’m in the same boat, Patty. Unless something DRASTIC happens, I’m playing on my last oboe as well. It’s nice to dream, alas.
Reed stares: For many years, I played on very long reeds with TONS of bark still left in place. Brenner learned to play this way in Vienna, and I followed his techniques. People were rather stunned that a reed like that could play that way… and how is HE doing it??????
Well, reeds will forever be a mystery to me. I’m a rotten reed maker. I just “deal”. Sigh.
But yay for Marigaux! I even heard from the head (?) of the factory. He said if he’s ever in my area we will meet for lunch. I hope so!
Hurrah for all you Marigaux players and fans! I, too, succumbed years ago to the incomparable quality of sound these instruments produce and have never looked back. It’s incomprehensible to me why the vast majority of Americans still insist on playing that other brand. When selecting my instrument years ago in Europe, I performed on instruments using a blind test, i.e., not knowing the make/model of the instrument being given to me each time. And when I finally kept coming back to the same instrument again and again, it was the Marigaux. The salesperson at the time said it was his favorite too. Here’s to a great company and a wonderful instrument. BTW, I also play a Marigaux EH and it is just as beautiful – deep, rich, mysteriously dark tones – just heavenly!