Oboe and French horn duked it out, and French horn won.
Third place is a tie between bassoon and timpani.
I play French horn so that’s my choice. But the cello is also near and dear to my heart. My dad (RIP) played cello.
Moving to CS.
I would have voted for the triangle if it was in the list. It’s the instrument I’m least awful at playing.
I’m voting for the harp.
:eek:
:mad:
Oboe, because it sounds like a clarinet with a cold, and I just love that…
Cello has always been an incredibly sexy instrument to me, and I’ve always been fond of the reedy, piercing sound of oboes. Bassoons are nice, but a little too low rangy and “farty” for me. Clarinets are a little too “clean” and pure. Flutes (although not reeds, but often lumped in with them), a bit too dainty and airy for me. Oboes have a nice character to them, with a little roughness to their tone. I’m actually a little surprised that oboes are doing as well in this poll as they are. I’m also a bit surprised by the popularity of the French horn here (another instrument I do like.)
And of course, the violas are the Rodney Dangerfield of the orchestra.
Glad to see you bozos are overwhelmingly going with the right answer here, the cello. Your complete lack of taste in the pudding poll had me wondering about you all.
We seem to be missing the low brass, and while Tuba may not have garnered many votes, I’m surprised to be the first one to point out the lack of Trombone. The Mozart Requiem, Brahms Fourth Symphony and Mahler’s Third Symphony would be much less beautiful without the trombone parts.
And the 1812 Overture is a waste of time without the cannons.
It really is a toss-up between cello and french horn for me. One of the reasons I like the cello so much is because it’s supposed to be the instrument with a range closest to the human voice.
Even with. Why can’t poor Tchaikovsky’s fame rest on Eugene Onegin, Queen of Spades or the last three symphonies instead of 1812?
Because those don’t have CANNONS! Duh! 
I guess; Pachelbel has nothing but a Canon, and look what it’s done for him!
Sorry, I just had to…
If we could stretch the classical orchestra’s range, so to speak, back a few centuries, we could include the sackbutt. Not that it’s that great an instrument, I just like to say “sackbutt.”
And it’s forerunner of the tromboon.
Sure, love triangles.
Come now. Tchaikovsky’s fame clearly rests primarily on the Nutcracker.
Note that this in no way damages your point.
The clarinet is a weedy-sounding thing, unpleasant even when someone skilled is playing it.
try listening to Sifney Bichet
This is why I decided to limit the poll to Wiki’s definition of the “Classical Orchestra”. Otherwise I’d find myself having to include every instrument ever known to have been used in any orchestral context. But I like the additional choices, so keep 'em coming. 