Orchestration
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ORCHESTRATION BY CECIL FORSYTH M.ATEdin. MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON & STAINER AND BELL, LIMITED S8 BERNERS STREET, LONDON 1914 PREFACE. In this book an attempt is made first, to describe our modern orches- tral instruments, where they sprang from, how they developed, and what they are to-day; next, to trace the types of music which have been reflected in these constructional changes and, in especial, the types most familiar since Beethoven's time. Without some knowledge on these points the student is working in the dark. He is like a Lascar turned loose in a dynamo-house. It is true that one may show him the button, and, if he presses it, he will get a terrific blaze of light. But what is behind the button ? How were the wires laid ? Why is one type of engine better than another for its own purpose? How is the shop to be run in the most economical way 1 All these questions call for answers, and, on the musical side of the analogy, the answers are not difficult to find. For the facts that underlie instrumentation are few and simple: a skin or a metal plate to be beaten; a column of air in a brass or wooden tube with some sort of mouthpiece or embouchure; a string or two—four is a good number—to be bowed, plucked, or struck. These are the essentials and, if the student grasps them, he will soon be brought to see that change comes but slowly and rarely, and that, when it comes, it is more apparent than real. Edward I.'s " Rogero le Troumpour " ^ sounds very ancient in 1914, but he made exactly the same music for his sovereign at Carnarvon as the cavalry trumpeters now make for George V. at Aldershot. And, even if we leave the Long Valley for the more rarefied atmosphere of Queen's Hall, W., we can only record an additional tube or two each with a mechanical air-switch. This is the point for the practical musician. • The old persists in the new and, without an understanding of the weapon itself, we cannot wield it. It is not necessary to enlarge on these topics here. They are all dealt with as they come up in turn for discussion. The main-lines of study concern the original type of instrument, then its modifications, ^ See page 41. vi PREFACE and last its use in its present-day perfection—or in some cases, one must say, very partial perfection. A good deal of space has been devoted to explaining the String-technique. This is a subject not often studied from the outsider's point of view. It is, however, well worth undertaking as, apart from its inherent musical and scientific interest, its complex and elaborately expressive methods are apt to bafHe the student, especially the student who is a professional pianist. For purposes of reference I have begun with a complete list of orches- tral instruments, their compasses, and notations; and ended with an index which is also a digest of the work. Before concluding this preface I wish to acknowledge my obligations to Sir Charles Stanford. To his encouragement this book owes its existence. And, as an old pupil of his, it is with peculiar pleasure that I try to give back a little where I have received much. I hope he will forgive my zoological dissidences on page 461. To Messrs Boosey and Co. I am indebted for the illustrations which are, I think, an interesting feature of the book. Besides lending me a number of blocks, Messrs Boosey and Co. have allowed me to make photographs from their collection of ancient instruments. Without this courtesy I might not have been able to include such specimens as the Fipple-Flute, Serpent, Cornett, Keyed-Bugle, and Bass-Ophicleide. Finally I must offer my warmest thanks to Mr. Frank Bridge for his kindness and long labour in reading my proof-sheets. His wide musical knowledge and invincible accuracy have been invaluable to me. CECIL FOKSYTH. London, March 1th, 1914. CONTENTS. PACK List of Instkuments - 1 Classification of Instruments - - 13 Pbecussion Instbuments. Pkelbwinaey - 22 No. 1. The Sidb-Dbum - - - 23 No. 2. The Bass-Deum - 27 No. 3. The Tenob-Deum 30 No. 4. The Taboe - - 31 No. 5. The Tamboueine - 32 No. 6. The Teiangle 34 - No. 7. The Cymbals ' 35 No. 8. The Gong 38 No. 9. The Castanets 39 No. 10. The Rattle, the Wind-Machine, and the Anvil 40 No. 11. The Kettle -Dbtjms 41 No. 12. Bells 52 No. 13. The Glockenspiel 60 No. 14. The Celesta 64 No. 15. The DuLCiTONB (OE Typophone) 65 No. 16. The Xylophone - 66 Beass Instbuments. Peeliminaey 68 No. 17. The Valve-Tbumpet 89 No. 18. The Bass-Teumpbt 101 No. 19. The Coenet 103 No. 20. The Valve-Hobn in F - - 109 viii CONTENTS PAGE 133 The Trombones. Pbbliminaby 134 No. 21. The Tenoe (oh Bb) Tbombone 139 No. 22. The Alto (oe El») Tbombone 140 No. 23. The Bass (ob G) Tbombone 142 No. 24. The Dotjble-Bass-Tbombone 151 No. 25. "The Tubas" 163 No. 26. The Saxhorns and Flugelhorns 166 No. 27. The Saxophones - 170 No. 28. The Sabrtjsophones 172 No. 29. Obsolete Brass-Wind Wood -Wind Instruments. Preliminary 177 182 No. 30. The Flute 196 No. 31. The Bass -Flute 198 No. 32. The Piccolo 204 No. 33. The Oboe (ob Hautboy) No. 34. The Oboe d'Amore 219 No. 35. The English-Hobn 220 No. 36. Rarely -used Wood-Wind 228 No. 37. The Bassoon - - 229 No. 38. The Double -Bassoon 246 251 No. 39. The Clarinet , No. 40. The Bass-Clarinet 272 No. 41. The Eb-CLARiNST - - - 278 No. 42. The Bassett-Horn and the Alto-Clarinet 282 No. 43. The Pedal-Clarinet 286 No. 44. Obsolete Wood-Wind 286 No. 45. The Cuckoo -Instrument 288 Stbinoed Instruments. Pbbliminaby 290 No. 46. The Violin (ob Fiddle) - 303 No. 47. The Viola (oe Tenor) - 381 No. 48. The Viola d'Amore 405 No. 49. The Cello 409 CONTENTS ix Stringed Ikstbuments—conimued PAGE No. 50. The Viola da Gamba ... - 434 No. 61. The Doublb-Bass - - 436 No. 52. The Hasp ... - 461 No. 53. The Chbomatic Habp 476 No. 54. The Mandoline - - 478 No. 55. The Gtjitab ... - . - 479 No. 56. The Dtjlcimeb (ob Cimbalom) . - - 486 Appendix. The Phagotus ov Apbanio 487 Index ... 490 LIST OF PLATES. PAGE I. Kettle-Drum • 42 II. Fia. 1, CoBNETT. Fig. 2, Keyed-Bugle 72 III. Fig. 1, HuNTiNG-HoaN. Fig. 2, Hand-Horn. Fig. 3, Modern Orchestral Valve-Horn 85 IV. Fig. 1, Valve Trumpet in F. Fig. 2, Valve Trumpet in Bb. Fig. 3, Cornet in Bb 93 V. Fig. 1, Bb-EuTHONiuM. Fig. 2, Eb-BASs. Fig. 3, BBb-BASs 156 VI. The Saxophones 167 VII. Bass Ophiolbide 174 VIII. Fig. 1, Embouchure (Modern Flute). Fig. 2, Whistle- Mouthpiece (Fipplb-Flutb). Fig. 3, Double-Reed (Oboe). Fig. 4, Single -Beating-Reed (Clarinet) 180 IX. Bassoon. Fig. 1, Back View. Fig. 2, Front View - 232 X. Bass Clarinet 273 XI. The Serpent 287 XII. The Phagotus. Fig. 1, Front View. Fig. 2, Back View 488 — LIST OF INSTRUMENTS. Thk following list is printed here for convenience of reference. The names of the more commonly used instruments are shown in heavy black type. Obsolete instruments ^ are starred thus,— *. The two semibreve-notes after each instrument give its upward- and downward-compass in actual sounds.^ Extreme notes are shown in crotchet-heads. The square note that follows the two compass-notes is the note which we should have to write if we wished the instrument to produce the sound middle-C ^^ It therefore indicates at a glance whether the instrument is a " transposing " or a " non-transposing " instrument and, in the former case, what the transposition is. Thus the square note ^^' -B- appears opposite BASSOON, and shows that if we want the Bassoon to sound middle-C We must actually write that note. In other words, it is a non-transposing instrument. On the other hand, the square note appears opposite DOUBLE-BASSOON, and shows that if we want that instrument to sound middle-C we must write a note one octave above that sound. In other words it is a transposing instrument, and it sounds an octave lower than its written part. It is important to notice that the square note is only a symbol which gives the student a ready means of seeing the transposition, that is to say, the method of writing for each instrument. It has nothing to do 'Only recently-obsolete instruments, such as the student may possibly come upon in Full Scores, are marshalled above. Schalmeys, Pominers, Bombards, Gurtals, Dulcians, Rebecs, Fipple-flutes, Cromornes, and all the rest of the mediaeval musical brigade are held in reserve. ^ This method of defining the compass of transposing-instruments in actual sounds is strictly confined to this preliminary list. Throughout the rest of the book the method of mentioning only the written notes of the transposing-instruments is adopted. The transposition into actual sound is always understood. This is the plan customary with all orchestral and military-band musicians. A 2 ORCHESTRATION with the instrument's compass. The actual sound, middle-C, may or may not exist on the instrument. That can be found out from the two compass-notes. In the right-hand column the clefs proper to each instrument are given. For fuller information as to their use and as to the_ extreme compass-notes the student is referred to the technical details under each instrumental heading.