The idea of collecting and analysing old oboes goes back at least a hundred years. Adam Carse's collection was the basis for his extensive scolarly book on "Musical Wind Instruments." Wilhelm Heckel used his collection as the basis for production of early copies and apparently as a source of inspiration for his own work as an instrument maker; the Heckelfon certainly looks like its inventor had knowledege of the Swiss bass musette. But the taking of measurments was limited both in scope and in dissemination. Friedrich von Huene in the 1960's was the first to take extensive measurements of a larger number of oboes, his hand-written notes and tables measurements being generously made available in xerocopies to young researchers and instrument makers.
But the description of each individual oboe involves a couple hundred measurements and the comparative analysis of this data by hand quickly leads to unmanagable mountains of data and computation. The situation is compounded by the fact that there is no accepted standard in the field of oboe measurement, e.g. zero on the length axis might start at the top of the oboe or at the narrowest point; the position of finger holes might be defined by their middle-point or by an edge. In searching for comparative features of historical oboes, or in the attempt at developing better models for use in our contemporary musical scene, deeper analysis of the nature of various measurements relative to each other is indispensible. This work is nearly beyond the means of manual operation.
The Virtual Oboe has been developed as a electronic database to surmount these problems. In it a huge quantity of information on early oboes can be:
Certain attempts have already been made at categorizing early oboes, both in reference to their formal decorative design as well as to simple features of their acoustic design. Halfpenny's pioneering work in this field has been further developed by Haynes and Adkins. A completely new depth of study is made possible with an electronic database and criteria moved from subjective description to objective evaluation of concrete data. In a further stage of development, acoustical analysis of the measurement data is to be made available.
Finally, the Virtual Oboe project will make it possible for future oboe makers to develope new models based on the acoustical analysis of individual oboes in relation to their physical measurements.
Began music lessons as a fourth grade clarinettist; later took up piano and oboe. Studied baroque oboe at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, finishing the first diploma in history for that instrument in 1970, including a thesis comparing measurements of shawms and early oboes with the evidence of historic documents. In Vienna 1970 - 1978 performing with Concentus Musicus and beginning a career as maker of shawms and early oboes. Since 1978 in Zell i.W., baroque bassoons since 1984.
Began music studies at age 12, oboe at age 15, flute at age 19, read music and physics at the University of New Mexico from 1960 to 1966 and played oboe and English horn in local professional orchestra. Began practical experience with computers in 1964; 1968 to 1978 was freelance musician and graphic artist. Occupied various software development and systems analysis positions involved with information technology, real-time process control and aerospace projects to present day.