Principles of Orchestration Part 3

Wood-wind players cannot manage extremely long sustained pa.s.sages, as they are compelled to take breath; care must be taken therefore to give them a little rest from time to time. This is unnecessary in the case of string players.

In the endeavour to characterise the timbre of each instrument typical of the four families, from a psychological point of view, I do not hesitate to make the following general remarks which apply generally to the middle and upper registers of each instrument:

a) Flute.--Cold in quality, specially suitable, in the major key, to melodies of light and graceful character; in the minor key, to slight touches of transient sorrow.

b) Oboe.--Artless and gay in the major, pathetic and sad in the minor.

c) Clarinet.--Pliable and expressive, suitable, in the major, to melodies of a joyful or contemplative character, or to outbursts of mirth; in the minor, to sad and reflective melodies or impa.s.sioned and dramatic pa.s.sages.

d) Ba.s.soon.--In the major, an atmosphere of senile mockery; a sad, ailing quality in the minor.

In the extreme registers these instruments convey the following impressions to my mind:

_Low register_ _Very high register_

a) Flute-- Dull, cold Brilliant b) Oboe-- Wild Hard, dry c) Clarinet-- Ringing, threatening Piercing d) Ba.s.soon-- Sinister Tense.

_Note._ It is true that no mood or frame of mind, whether it be joyful or sad, meditative or lively, careless or reflective, mocking or distressed can be aroused by one single isolated timbre; it depends more upon the general melodic line, the harmony, rhythm, and dynamic shades of expression, upon the whole formation of a given piece of music. The choice of instruments and timbre to be adopted depends on the position which melody and harmony occupy in the seven-octave scale of the orchestra; for example, a melody of light character in the tenor register could not be given to the flutes, or a sad, plaintive phrase in the high soprano register confided to the ba.s.soons. But the ease with which tone colour can be adapted to expression must not be forgotten, and in the first of these two cases it may be conceded that the mocking character of the ba.s.soon could easily and quite naturally a.s.sume a light-hearted aspect, and in the second case, that the slightly melancholy timbre of the flute is somewhat related to the feeling of sorrow and distress with which the pa.s.sage is to be permeated. The case of a melody coinciding in character with the instrument on which it is played is of special importance, as the effect produced cannot fail to be successful. There are also moments when a composer's artistic feeling prompts him to employ instruments, the character of which is at variance with the written melody (for eccentric, grotesque effects, etc.).

The following remarks ill.u.s.trate the characteristics, timbre, and employment of special instruments:

The duty of the piccolo and small clarinet is, princ.i.p.ally, to extend the range of the ordinary flute and clarinet in the high register. The whistling, piercing quality of the piccolo in its highest compa.s.s is extraordinarily powerful, but does not lend itself to more moderate shades of expression. The small clarinet in its highest register is more penetrating than the ordinary clarinet. The low and middle range of the piccolo and small clarinet correspond to the same register in the normal flute and clarinet, but the tone is so much weaker that it is of little service in those regions. The double ba.s.soon extends the range of the ordinary ba.s.soon in the low register. The characteristics of the ba.s.soon's low compa.s.s are still further accentuated in the corresponding range of the double ba.s.soon, but the middle and upper registers of the latter are by no means so useful. The very deep notes of the double ba.s.soon are remarkably thick and dense in quality, very powerful in _piano_ pa.s.sages.

_Note._ Nowadays, when the limits of the orchestral scale are considerably extended (up to the high _C_ of the 7th octave, and down to the low _C_, 16 ft. contra octave), the piccolo forms an indispensable const.i.tuent of the wind-group; similarly, it is recognised that the double ba.s.soon is capable of supplying valuable a.s.sistance. The small clarinet is rarely employed and only for colour effects.

The English horn, or alto oboe (oboe in _F_) is similar in tone to the ordinary oboe, the listless, dreamy quality of its timbre being sweet in the extreme. In the low register it is fairly penetrating. The ba.s.s clarinet, though strongly resembling the ordinary clarinet, is of darker colour in the low register and lacks the silvery quality in the upper notes; it is incapable of joyful expression. The ba.s.s flute is an instrument seldom used even today; it possesses the same features as the flute, but it is colder in colour, and crystalline in the middle and high regions. These three particular instruments, apart from extending the low registers of the instruments to which they belong, have their own distinctive peculiarities of timbre, and are often used in the orchestra, as solo instruments, clearly exposed.

_Note._ Of the six special instruments referred to above, the piccolo and double ba.s.soon were the first to be used in the orchestra; the latter, however, was neglected after Beethoven's death and did not reappear until towards the end of the 19th century. The Eng. horn and ba.s.s clarinet were employed initially during the first half of the same century by Berlioz, Meyerbeer, and others, and for some time retained their position as _extras_, to become, later on, permanent orchestral factors, first in the theatre, then in the concert room. Very few attempts have been made to introduce the small clarinet into the orchestra (Berlioz etc.); this instrument together with the ba.s.s flute is used in my opera-ballet _Mlada_ (1892), and also in my most recent compositions, _The Christmas Night_, and _Sadko_; the ba.s.s flute will also be found in _The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitesh_, and in the revised version of "_Ivan the Terrible_".

Of late years the habit of muting the wood-wind has come into fashion.

This is done by inserting a soft pad, or a piece of rolled-up cloth into the bell of the instrument. Mutes deaden the tone of oboes, Eng.

horns, and ba.s.soons to such an extent that it is possible for these instruments to attain the extreme limit of _pianissimo_ playing. The muting of clarinets is unnecessary, as they can play quite softly enough without artificial means. It has not yet been discovered how to mute the flutes; such a discovery would render great service to the piccolo. The lowest notes on the ba.s.soon,

[Music: B1] and on the oboe and Eng. horn [Music: B3]

are impossible when the instruments are muted. Mutes have no effect in the highest register of wind instruments.

Bra.s.s.

The formation of the group of bra.s.s instruments, like that of the wood-wind is not absolutely uniform, and varies in different scores.

The bra.s.s group may be divided into three general cla.s.ses corresponding to those of the wood-wind (in pair's, in three's, and in four's).

----------------------+-------------------------+-------------------------+ Group corresponding Group corresponding Group corresponding to the wood-wind to the wood-wind to the wood-wind in pair's in three's in four's ----------------------+-------------------------+------------------------- (II--Small trumpet). 2 Trumpets I, II. 3 Trumpets I, II, III. 3 Trumpets I, II, III. (III--Alto trumpet (III--Alto trumpet or or: Ba.s.s trumpet.) {2 Cornets I, II. {2 Trumpets I, II.) 4 Horns I, II, 4 Horns I, II, III, IV. 6 or 8 Horns I, II, III, IV. III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII. 3 Trombones. 3 Trombones I, II, III. 3 Trombones I, II, III. 1 Tuba. 1 Tuba[8]. 1 Tuba. ----------------------+-------------------------+-------------------------+

[Footnote 8: Of late years sometimes two tubas are employed, by Glazounov for instance in his Finnish Fantasia. (Editor's note.)]

The directions are the same as in the preceding table for wood-wind.

It is evident that in all three cla.s.ses the formation may vary as the composer wishes. In music for the theatre or concert room page after page may be written without the use of trumpets, trombones and tuba, or some instrument may be introduced, temporarily as an _extra_. In the above table I have given the most typical formations, and those which are the most common at the present day.

_Note I._ Besides the instruments given above, Richard Wagner used some others in _The Ring_, notably the quartet of tenor and ba.s.s tubas, and a contraba.s.s trombone.

Sometimes these additions weigh too heavily on the other groups, and at other times they render the rest of the bra.s.s ineffective. For this reason composers have doubtless refrained from employing such instruments, and Wagner himself did not include them in the score of _Parsifal_.

Some present-day composers (Richard Strauss, Scriabine) write for as many as five trumpets.

_Note II._ From the middle of the 19th century onward the natural bra.s.s disappeared from the orchestra, giving place to valve instruments. In my second opera, _The May Night_ I used natural horns and trumpets, changing the keys, and writing the best notes "stopped"; this was purposely done for practise.

Though far less flexible than the wood-wind, bra.s.s instruments heighten the effect of other orchestral groups by their powerful resonance. Trumpets, trombones, and tubas are about equal in strength; cornets have not quite the same force; horns, in _forte_ pa.s.sages, are about one half as strong, but _piano_, they have the same weight as other bra.s.s instruments played softly. To obtain an equal balance, therefore, the marks of expression in the horns should be one degree stronger than in the rest of the bra.s.s; if the trumpets and trombones play _pp_, the horns should be marked _p_. On the other hand, to obtain a proper balance in _forte_ pa.s.sages, two horns are needed to one trumpet or one trombone.

Bra.s.s instruments are so similar in range and timbre that the discussion of register is unnecessary. As a general rule quality becomes more brilliant as the higher register is approached, and _vice versa_, with a decrease in tone. Played _pp_ the resonance is sweet; played _ff_ the tone is hard and "crackling". Bra.s.s instruments possess a remarkable capacity for swelling from _pianissimo_ to _fortissimo_, and reducing the tone inversely, the _sf_ [music symbol: decrescendo] _p_ effect being excellent.

The following remarks as to character and tone quality may be added:

a) 1. _Trumpets_ (_B[flat]-A_). Clear and fairly penetrating in tone, stirring and rousing in _forte_ pa.s.sages; in _piano_ phrases the high notes are full and silvery, the low notes troubled, as though threatening danger.

2. _Alto trumpet_ (in _F_). An instrument of my own invention, first used by me in the opera-ballet _Mlada_. In the deep register (notes 2 to 3 in the trumpet scale) it possesses a fuller, clearer, and finer tone. Two ordinary trumpets with an alto trumpet produce greater smoothness and equality in resonance than three ordinary trumpets.

Satisfied with the beauty and usefulness of the alto trumpet, I have consistently written for it in my later works, combined with wood-wind in three's.

_Note._ To obviate the difficulty of using the alto trumpet in ordinary theatres and some concert rooms, I have not brought into play the last four notes of its lowest register or their neighbouring chromatics; by this means the alto trumpet part may be played by an ordinary trumpet in _B[flat]_ or _A_.

3. _Small trumpet_ (in _E[flat]-D_). Invented by me and used for the first time in _Mlada_ to realise the very high trumpet notes without difficulty. In tonality and range the instrument is similar to the soprano cornet in a military band.

_Note._ The small trumpet, (_B[flat]-A_) sounding an octave higher than the ordinary trumpet has not yet appeared in musical literature.

b) _Cornets_ (in _B[flat]-A_). Possessing a quality of tone similar to the trumpet, but softer and weaker. It is a beautiful instrument though rarely employed today in theatre or concert room. Expert players can imitate the cornet tone on the trumpet, and _vice versa_.

c) _Horn_ (in _F_). The tone of this instrument is soft, poetical, and full of beauty. In the lower register it is dark and brilliant; round and full in the upper. The middle notes resemble those of the ba.s.soon and the two instruments blend well together. The horn, therefore, serves as a link between the bra.s.s and wood-wind. In spite of valves the horn has but little mobility and would seem to produce its tone in a languid and lazy manner.

d) _Trombone._ Dark and threatening in the deepest register, brilliant and triumphant in the high compa.s.s. The _piano_ is full but somewhat heavy, the _forte_ powerful and sonorous. Valve trombones are more mobile than slide trombones, but the latter are certainly to be preferred as regards n.o.bility and equality of sound, the more so from the fact that these instruments are rarely required to perform quick pa.s.sages, owing to the special character of their tone.

e) _Tuba._ Thick and rough in quality, less characteristic than the trombone, but valuable for the strength and beauty of its low notes.

Like the double ba.s.s and double ba.s.soon, the tuba is eminently useful for doubling, an octave lower, the ba.s.s of the group to which it belongs. Thanks to its valves, the tuba is fairly flexible.

Table C. Bra.s.s group.

These instruments give all chromatic intervals.

Trumpet, Cornet.

(_B[flat]-A, alto in F_).[A]

Horn (_F, E_).

Trombone (tenor-ba.s.s).[B]

Tuba (_C_-ba.s.s).

[Music]