Oboe

A Brief History of the Oboe 

The English word "oboe" is a phoentic rendering of the French hautbois, meaning "high wood", which refers to the instrument's tone. It is not known who actually invented the oboe, but it was being played in Paris by 1670 and within ten years had spread to other European cities. it was developed as a woodwind instrument that could provide a tone quality suitable for indoor music, as opposed to the shrill shound of the shawm, which was regarded as fit only for open-air performances.  Close relatives of the oboe are the English Horn, and the Heckelphone.