Virtual Tour of "Beethoven & Berlioz, Paris & Vienna: Musical Treasures from the Age of Revolution & Romance 1789-1848" Oboe by Johann Ziegler, Vienna, ca. 1840 NMM 10071.  Oboe by Johann Ziegler, Vienna, ca. 1840. Stamped on all three joints: [Hapsburg eagle] / I. ZIEGLER / WIEN. / 1.  Built of boxwood with ivory mounts and fourteen brass keys. Tuning slide to the top joint, with a compass one note lower than would be expected at the time. Hardly ever played, it survives in perfect original condition, along with the original, velvet-lined case covered with black leather with a stamped design and the original, black, cardboard, telescoping reed box with four compartments, holding four early reeds in the French style. Berlioz notes the rustic quality of the oboe sound, relating back to the 18th-century sound concept, but also noted in his famous treatise on instrumentation (1844; 2nd ed., 1855) that Beethoven appreciated "this precious instrument" for its "joyful sound," as well as "when he gave it sad or desolate music." On the other hand, Berlioz also wrote about "useful inventions  .  .  .  destined to replace oboes and cors anglais in provincial orchestras, where these instruments are very little and very badly played." Board of Trustees, 2001. Source: André P. Larson, Beethoven & Berlioz, Paris & Vienna: Musical Treasures from the Age of Revolution & Romance 1789-1848, with essay by John Koster, exhibition catalog, Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, September 12-November 2, 2003 (Vermillion: National Music Museum 2003), p. 43.   Click arrow to continue Virtual Tour of Beethoven and Berlioz Exhibition Go to Beethoven and Berlioz Exhibition Virtual Tour Index Go to Virtual Gallery Tour Index Exhibition catalog and poster available from Gift Shop National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD 57069 ©National Music Museum, 2003-2014 Most recent update: March 1, 2014 The University of South Dakota Return to Top of Page