Georges Gillet and the Paris Conservatoire Concours oboe solos, 1882-1919

Georges Gillet, Professor of Oboe at the Paris Conservatoire from October 1881 to January 1919, has earned a reputation as possibly the greatest performer in the history of the instrument. His influence on oboe pedagogy is no less remarkable, as his students held important teaching and orchestral posts throughout the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. As the first long-term Paris Conservatoire Professor of Oboe not to compose the required solos for the Oboe Concours held at the end of each academic year, Gillet prepared his students to compete in Oboe Concours requiring works from the baroque masters, from earlier Conservatoire Professors of Oboe, and from contemporary composers, many of whom dedicated their works to Gillet.;The present writer has chosen to present a chronological overview of the required Oboe Concours works during Gillet's professorship. The dissertation first summarizes the early days of the Paris Conservatoire, and it profiles the Conservatoire Professors of Oboe up to and including Gillet. The year by year analyses of the Concours oboe solos cover such details as editions (available or out of print) as well as the names of the Concours prizewinners for each year. The appendices list the 1882-1919 Concours oboe solos and document the recitals performed by the present writer in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Washington.