These were written at the suggestion of Janet Popesco Archibald, my oboe teacher, who expressed a need for more nice pieces for oboe students early in their training. Because of these students' relatively poor endurance, the piano takes over the melodies in places to give the oboist opportunities to rest. They are suitable for beginning and intermediate level students, both young and adult. Piano cues appear in the oboe part so more of the melodies can be played on the oboe when appropriate.
First Melody is derived from the cheerful parts of First Melodies (above) with the rhythm simplified. Belvoir is a piece I composed as a teenager but never wrote down before including it in this collection. It is named after the street I lived on at the time, in University Heights, Ohio. It may well be the most beautiful of the seven melodies. The two Hamelin pieces are from my Pied Piper of Hamelin (above). Hamelin Before is the happy melody in C major depicting Hamelin before the Pied Piper arrived. Hamelin After depicts Hamelin after the town lost its children. The notes of the melody are the same but they are played slower and the harmony is sad, in A minor. In the original woodwind quintet version, the Hamelin After melody is played on English horn. The Sarabande and March melodies are from Little Suite for Orchestra (above) and March Fantasy is derived from Fantasy on a March (above).
Audio recordings are available here of all seven melodies. Belvoir appears twice, first played with the other six melodies, all played by Heather Morris, piano and me. The second Belvoir is played by Janet Popesco Archibald, oboe, and John McCarthy, piano.
