oboe da caccia
- noun
- /oʊˈboʊ də ˈkɑːtʃə/
- Archaic
:
oboe da caccia
- Many musicologists consider the oboe da caccia to be the forerunner of the English horn.
Examples
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The oboe da caccia is featured in some of Bach's sacred cantatas.
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The oboe da caccia was popular in Baroque music.
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It is rare to find a musician who specializes in the oboe da caccia today.
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Many composers used the oboe da caccia in their orchestras.
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The oboe da caccia is known for its unique sound, which sets it apart from other instruments in the oboe family.
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In Baroque orchestras, the oboe da caccia played an essential role in enhancing the richness of the music.
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Composed during the 17th century, the piece prominently features the oboe da caccia to create a distinctive melodic line.
How High
Surface Forms
Morphology
oboe + da + caccia
The term is a loan from Italian: 'oboe' plus 'da' ('of') and 'caccia' ('hunt'), so a learner who knows the constituents could reasonably infer 'oboe of the hunt' — i.e. a subtype of oboe (a hunting oboe). However the full, specific historical sense (alto member of the family, predecessor of the English horn) requires specialized musicological knowledge and the Italian elements are not familiar to most B1 learners, so the relation is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Oboe da caccia comes from Italian: oboe is a wind instrument and da caccia means 'of the hunt'. The instrument had a curved, leather-covered body like a hunting horn and a darker, lower sound, so it became a lower oboe and helped lead to the English horn.