Hi all-- writing a ww quintet and I can't think of any better way to answer this question. How long could an advanced oboist hold a note on a single breath? I'm specifically looking for the sound of the instrument being stretched absolutely as long as the player can, but I need to be able to somewhat plan for how long it's going to take. Thanks!

well im no where near being an advanced oboist but as long as the peice isnt too slow for an advanced they should be able to hold for a while. in one of my pieces i have a slur for about eight bars but the piece is between moderato and allegro.
hope this helps

Thanks for the reply-- I guess I'm really looking more for a duration in seconds. Is around thirty seconds a decent estimate? It's obviously not going to be the same for every player, but I do need to know how long to sort of plan around. Notating it is another matter entirely...

hmm well that depends on the note. i find that it takes alot more air for the lower notes and to me 30seconds sounds like a really long time maybe try 15 or 20, remember they have to keep one note and i have found that after a while on one note i start to go out of tune but then it depends on the level of your oboist.
maybe you should find someone and time how long they can hold the note that you want
hope this helps

Currently, with good breath support, I can hold a note for 40 seconds. A professional oboist can hold a note, depending on dynamics, note range, and crescendos/decrescendos, for longer.

If you have a player who has perfected circular breathing in theory he can play until he dies of starvation or dehydration

I have the smallest lungs in the world (which is probably an exaggeration) and have been playing for a while and can hold a note for about 30 seconds at a mf volume. A professional could hold more, and also if the note were say pp or p you could hold the note a whole lot longer.It is not necessary to hold a note forever but usually when i come across long ties they are max. 20 beats. I suggest note divisions as a safe way to go.