The oboe and English horn works of Ross Edwards are fascinating and challenging to oboists of all abilities. However, Edwards' works have received little recognition beyond Australia. These pieces can be used to expose students to non-European influences in music, especially that of Aboriginal Australians. These works deserve to be considered part of the standard repertoire of an oboist due to their musical and technical demands and their position in the repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Modern Australian music history can be traced back to the time the English first colonized the continent. After that time, the country began its journey toward musical independence from England eventually leading to a uniquely Australian sound. Born in 1943, Ross Edwards is a contemporary Australian composer that has identified his music as Australian. He acknowledges several outside sources in his music, from Australian Aboriginal to the distilled sounds of nature from the Australian Outback. Edwards has created his own musical style, utilizing distilled musical fragments later named icons, and system he uses to compose his works. It is through an understanding of where Australia's musical heritage begins, and how it develops, that we may gain a greater knowledge of contemporary Australian composers like Ross Edwards. This study demonstrates the importance of Ross Edwards' music in the development of an Australian sound through historical context and the analysis of his oboe and English horn works.