Marcel
Tabuteau was born on July 2, 1887 in Compiegne, France, and
died January 4, 1966. He is perhaps the most influential oboist
in the United States ever.
At
the age of only 11, Tabuteau was given a post with the orchestra
of his home town, and then went on to study at the Paris Conservatoire.
In
1915, he was appointed principal oboist of the Philadelphia
Orchestra where he stayed until retirement in 1954.
Tabuteau
taught Oboe, Woodwind Ensemble, Orchestral Winds and Percussion
Class, and String Classes at the Curtis Institute of Music
from its founding in 1924 until his retirement in 1953.
Through
his teachings and experimentations, he was responsible for
creating the "American" or "Philadelphia"
sound that is so common in the US.
Because
his teaching method relied on a student hearing what was happening,
there are no written methods that Tabuteau himself created.
The closest thing that we have is a doctoral dissertation
by James Morgan Thurmond called
Note
Grouping: A Method for Achieving Expression and Style in Musical
Performance
There
are, however, some incredible recordings
of Tabuteau that you can hear.
If
you would like to know more about this important musical figure,
here are some articles about him.
Reed
Making and the Philadelphia Oboe Legacy
Marcel
Tabuteau by Lyla Storch
Tabuteau
From a Different Angle
An
Article from Time Magazine
Here
are some interesting pictures of him
A
Great Article About Tabuteau and Hans Meonnig |