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oboe d'amore

oboe d'amore

9.9
A musical instrument like an oboe but lower and warmer, used in Baroque music
  • noun
  • /oʊˈboʊ dɑːˈmɔːr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : oboe d'amore
  • The concerto was written specifically for the oboe d'amore, giving it a warm and mellow tone.

Examples

  • She played a solo on the oboe d'amore during the orchestral performance.

  • Many composers wrote for the oboe d'amore in the baroque period.

  • Baroque composers often featured the oboe d'amore for its distinct timbre.

  • The oboe d'amore has a warm and rich tone.

  • Baroque composers often featured the oboe d'amore for its distinct timbre.

  • The concerto was written specifically for the oboe d'amore, giving it a warm and mellow tone.

  • She played a solo on the oboe d'amore during the orchestral performance.

How High

piccolo
5 7.5
flute
75 1.5
oboe
13 5.0
oboe d'amore
  • Specialized
9.9
English horn
1 6.1
bassoon
8 7.4

Surface Forms

oboe d'amore singular
oboes d'amore plural

Morphology

oboe + d'amore

The noun 'oboe' makes it clear this is a type/kind of instrument, so a learner could infer it names a particular oboe. However 'd'amore' is an Italian prepositional phrase ('of love') not likely known to a B1 learner and does not transparently convey the specific acoustic fact (pitched a minor third lower, Baroque use). Because the phrase signals a subtype but requires cross-linguistic or specialist knowledge for the precise meaning, it is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Oboe d'amore comes from Italian: the word oboe names the instrument and d'amore means 'of love', a name given because of its warm, gentle sound. That's why the oboe d'amore refers to the lower, more mellow oboe often used in Baroque music.