School of Arts and Creative Technologies
Rosemary Lynch
PhD by research
Thesis
Thesis
Oboism? A thematic analysis of oboistic discourse from 1695 to present day
- Supervisor: Dr Jennifer Cohen, Dr Caroline Waddington-Jones
The oboe has attracted strong opinions throughout its evolution with the first oboe concertos emerging from Venice, a place steeped in mythological language, whose survival relied on promoting the facade of the ethereal despite its tangibly man-made structures and troubles. My interdisciplinary research explores recurrent themes I have found in past and present oboists’ discourse. I hope to promote awareness of how linguistic barriers have persisted which, paradoxically, have had both positive and negative effects on the oboe’s appeal. To ensure the oboe’s relevance, accessibility, and visibility in today’s world, should we acknowledge and reframe our ‘othering’ of it? Or should we embrace its alienated position as the very conduit necessary for its survival?
