It appears that the predecessor to the modern oboe originated in France and spread to England and
Germany shortly thereafter. One practice that suggests this is the combination of French and German in the
term Hautboisten common in Germany. The popularity the oboe enjoyed during the Baroque is best indicated
in the twelve-member oboe and bassoon band of Louis XIV known as Les Grande Hautbois. Many customs of
the court of Louis XIV were imitated throughout Europe, and by the turn of the eighteenth century the
Hautboisten band was imitated by a number of the great residences of Germany.3 A typical instrumentation
for such a band consisted of two soprano oboes, a tenor oboe known as a taille, and bassoon.