10 Beginner Oboe Solos You Can Learn Now

If you have recently started playing oboe, you may not know what oboe music is out there for you to learn. Here is a good list of beginner oboe solos to get you started! The list is loosely organized into easiest to hardest so that if you work your way through you will be ready to start some more intermediate pieces next!

Piece V by Cesar Franck

Franck’s Piece V for oboe and piano is a modern piece with simple rhythms and a very peaceful feel. What might be challenging about this piece are the frequent tempo and dynamic changes throughout, but that is exactly what makes the solo fun and an exercise in musicality for a new oboist.

Serenade and Piece by G. Pierne

Pierne’s pieces are full of character. Even the Serenade is bouncier than you would think! These would pair well together as a slower and faster piece in a recital.

Vocalise by Sergey Rachmaninoff

Although not written for oboe originally, this sweeping soprano solo is perfect for the timbre of the oboe.

Arioso by J.S. Bach

Another solo arranged for oboe, Arioso is a beautiful baroque piece written as a vocal solo. The oboe works very well playing soprano lines, so looking for other arias you love is a great way to find some more lyrical beginner oboe solos to learn.

Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone

Gabriel’s Oboe, featured in the movie “The Mission,” is one of the best pieces written for oboe. It can be learned early on when learning the oboe, but it is also worth coming back to over and over and perfecting even when you are an advanced oboist.

Concerto in d minor, Op. 9, No. 2 by Tomaso Albinoni

This concerto starts out playful and light and has a gorgeously simple slowly movement. With only three movements, this could be a great first concerto to perform.

Concerto for Oboe and Strings by Corelli-Barbirolli

This baroque concerto is made up of five, relatively short movments. The movements are a mix of slow and fast and they end with a giga or gigue (lively dance) in 6/8 time.

Concerto in g minor by G.F. Handel

While getting a little more advanced, Handel concertos are another great option as an introduction into playing full concertos. The lines are simple in this one, but are still a challenge for those not used to quick playful lines and four movement pieces. This piece starts with a slow movement and then a stately allegro movement.

Concerto No. 1 in Bb Major for Oboe and String Orchestra by G.F. Handel

This Handel concerto also starts with the slow movement before the robust second movement, and is very satisfying to play.

What are some other solos you would add to this list? Is there a piece that stands out to you from when you were a beginner oboist?