taille
Illustration — A model of the classical taille The taille, also called the taille de hautbois or the alto oboe, was a Baroque alto oboe pitched in F. It had a straight body, an open bell, and two keys. The instrument was first used in Alcidiane by Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1658 and in French ensembles known as the bandes de hautbois, in which it played the inner lines of polyphonic compositions. Bach employed it when a low-pitched oboe sound was needed to double the viola parts in several of his cantatas, but almost exclusively in movements of a jubilant or otherwise loud nature due to its having had a more piercing sound than that of the cor anglais.
Also recorded as taille de hautbois · alto oboe
taille
- Field
- oboe family instrument
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Documentary summary
Illustration — A model of the classical taille The taille, also called the taille de hautbois or the alto oboe, was a Baroque alto oboe pitched in F. It had a straight body, an open bell, and two keys. The instrument was first used in Alcidiane by Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1658 and in French ensembles known as the bandes de hautbois, in which it played the inner lines of polyphonic compositions. Bach employed it when a low-pitched oboe sound was needed to double the viola parts in several of his cantatas, but almost exclusively in movements of a jubilant or otherwise loud nature due to its having had a more piercing sound than that of the cor anglais.
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gnd · 4293441-2 · wikidata · Q15730895
In this article
Overview
Today, the instrument is rare outside period ensembles, and a cor anglais is commonly substituted. However, the period-instrument movement has seen a revival of the taille, with a number of makers now producing reproductions of classic examples. The term was also later applied to any instrument that played the tenor part in an orchestra, e.g. the tenor viol or viola.
Literature
Literature
Literature
Taille (opera), Oxford Music Online, 2002
TAILLE À 3 ANS DE LA TRUITE COMMUNE (SALMO TRUTTA L.) DANS LES RIVIÈRES DES PYRÉNÉES FRANÇAISES: RELATIONS AVEC LES CARACTÉRISTIQUES MÉSOLOGIQUES ET INFLUENCE DES AMÉNAGEMENTS HYDROÉLECTRIQUES
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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