Holzbläser

As Printed on a Score

German for the woodwind section as a whole. It seldom labels a staff; it appears in directions, footnotes and instrument lists, and German musicians often shorten it to Holz — a word that on a string part means instead the wood of the bow (mit dem Holz, col legno).

Also spelled: Holzblaeser

How Composers Use It

Use it for an instruction that applies to every woodwind player — a collective dynamic, a breath, a request that the winds come forward. A direction to Holzbläser is read by flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons alike, including doublers on piccolo or cor anglais, so when you mean only some of them, name the instruments instead.

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