Principles of Orchestration Part 10

When the melody is entrusted to two wood-wind instruments in octaves, the usual arrangement producing natural resonance is:

8 [Fl. Fl. Fl. Ob. Ob. Cl.

[Ob. Cl. f.a.g. Cl. f.a.g. f.a.g.] 8.

The combination of flute and ba.s.soon in octaves is rare on account of the widely separated registers of the two instruments. Deviation from the natural order, such as placing the ba.s.soon above the clarinet or oboe, the clarinet above the oboe or flute etc., creates an unnatural resonance occasioned by the confusion of registers, the instrument of lower compa.s.s playing in its high register and _vice versa_. The lack of proper relationship between the different tone qualities then becomes apparent.

_Examples:_

No. 56. _Spanish Capriccio_ [[O]]--Fl./Ob.] 8.

No. 57. _Snegourotchka_ [[254]]--Fl./Eng. horn] 8.

* No. 58. _Sheherazade_, 3rd movement [[E]]--Fl./Cl.] 8.

_Sadko_ [[195]]--Fl./Eng. horn] 8.

_Pan Voyevoda_ [[132]]--Fl./Cl.] 8.

_Tsar Saltan_ [[39]]--Cl./f.a.g.] 8.

No. 59. _Vera Scheloga_ [[30]]--Cl./f.a.g.] 8, likewise any number of examples in the scores of various composers.

The use of two instruments of the same colour in octaves, e.g. 2 flutes, 2 clarinets or 2 ba.s.soons etc., if not exactly to be avoided is certainly not to be recommended, as the instruments, playing in different registers will not correspond one with the other.

Nevertheless this method may be safely employed when stringed instruments, _arco_ or _pizzicato_ double the two members of the wood-wind, and especially in the middle compa.s.s. The process is most satisfactory for repeated notes or sustained pa.s.sages.

_Examples:_

_The May Night_, Act I [[T]]--Cl. I/Cl. II] 8.

* _Sadko_, after [[159]]--Ob. I/Ob. II] 3, doubled by _pizz._ strings.

* _Servilia_, after [[21]]--f.a.g. I/f.a.g. II] 8 + _pizz._ strings.

Instruments of the same branch playing in octaves, e.g.

8 [f.a.g. Cl. Ob. Small cl. Flute Picc.]

[C-f.a.g. Cl. ba.s.so Eng. horn Clar. Alto Fl. Fl. ] 8

always produce a good effect.

_Examples:_

_Snegourotchka_ [[5]]--Picc./Fl.] 8 (cf. Ex. 15).

_The Tsar's Bride_ [[133]]--Picc./Fl.] 8.

_Tsar Saltan_ [[216]]--Picc./Fl.] 8 (cf. Ex. 36).

_Sadko_, after [[59]] Small cl./Cl.] 8.

_Legend of Kitesh_ [[240]]--f.a.g./C-f.a.g.] 8 (cf. Ex. 21).

No 60. _Mlada_, Act III, before [[44]]--Ob./Eng. horn] 8.

As in the strings, so in the wood-wind it is advisable to double in octaves any melody situated in the extremely high or low compa.s.s; an octave lower in the first case, an octave higher in the second. Thus the piccolo will be doubled by the flute, oboe or clarinet an octave lower; the double ba.s.soon will be doubled by ba.s.soon, clarinet or ba.s.s clarinet an octave higher.

8 [Picc. Picc. Picc.]

[Fl. Ob. Cl. ] 8.

8 [f.a.g. Ba.s.s cl. Cl. Cl. f.a.g. f.a.g. ]

[C-f.a.g. f.a.g. f.a.g. Ba.s.s cl. f.a.g. Ba.s.s cl.] 8.

_Examples:_

* _Tsar Saltan_ [[39]]--Picc./Ob.] 8.

* No. 61. _Mlada_, Act II, Lithuanian dance [[32]]--Picc./Small cl.]

8.

_Sadko_ [[150]]--Picc./Small cl.] 8.

* Mixed qualities of tone may be employed in doubling in octaves, the above remarks still holding good.

_Examples:_

_Pan Voyevoda_ [[134]]--Cl. + Ob./Cl. + Eng. horn] 8 (cf. Ex. 7).

No. 62. _Servilia_ [[168]]--2 Fl. + Ob./2 Cl. + Eng. horn] 8.

No. 63. _The Tsar's Bride_ [[120]]--3 Fl. + Ob./2 Cl. + f.a.g. + Eng.

horn] 8.

_Mlada_, Act III [[41]]--Fl. + Ba.s.s fl./Cl. + Ba.s.s cl.] 8.

Doubling in two, three and four octaves.

In such cases the student should follow the above-mentioned rules, and should take care not to infringe the natural order:

Fl. Ob. Fl. Fl. ] 8 In 3 octaves: Ob. Cl. Cl. Ob. ]

Cl. f.a.g. f.a.g. f.a.g.] 8.

Fl. ] 8 In 4 octaves: Ob. ]

Cl. ] 8 f.a.g.] 8.

Mixed timbres may also be employed.