Principles of orchestration :: :: University of Virginia Library

There are times when the general tone, character and atmosphere
of a passage, or a given moment in an orchestral work point
to one, and only one particular manner of scoring. The following
simple example will serve for explanation. Take a short phrase
where a flourish or fanfare call is given out above a tremolando
accompaniment, with or without change in harmony. There is no
doubt that any orchestrator would assign the tremolo to the strings
and the fanfare to a trumpet, never vice versa. But taking this for
granted, the composer or orchestrator may still be left in doubt.
Is the fanfare flourish suitable to the range of a trumpet? Should
it be written for two or three trumpets in unison, or doubled by
other instruments? Can any of these methods be employed without
damaging the musical meaning? These are questions which I shall
endeavour to answer.

If the phrase is too low in register for the trumpets it should
be given to the horns (instruments allied to the trumpet); if the
phrase is too high it may be entrusted to the oboes and clarinets
in unison, this combination possessing the closest resemblance
to the trumpet tone both in character and power. The question
whether one trumpet or two should be employed must be decided
by the degree of power to be vested in the given passage. If a
big sonorous effect is required the instruments may be doubled,
tripled, or even multiplied by four; in the opposite case one solo
brass instrument, or two of the wood-wind will suffice (1 Ob. + 1 Cl.).
The question whether the tremolo in the strings should be supported

by sustained harmony in the wood-wind depends upon the purpose
in view. A composer realises his intentions beforehand, others
who orchestrate his music can only proceed by conjecture. Should
the composer desire to establish a strongly-marked difference between
the harmonic basis and the melodic outline it is better not to
employ wood-wind harmony, but to obtain proper balance of tone
by carefully distributing his dynamic marks of expression, pp, p,
f and ff. If, on the contrary, the composer desires a full round
tone as harmonic basis and less show of brilliance in the harmonic
parts, the use of harmony in the wood-wind is to be recommended.
The following may serve as a guide to the scoring of wood-wind
chords: the harmonic basis should differ from the melody not only
in fullness and intensity of tone, but also in colour. If the fanfare
figure is allotted to the brass (trumpets or horns) the harmony should
be given to the wood-wind; if the phrase is given to the wood-wind
(oboes and clarinets) the harmony should be entrusted to the horns.
To solve all these questions successfully a composer must have full
knowledge of the purpose he has in view, and those who orchestrate
his work should be permeated with his intentions. Here the question
arises, what should those intentions be? This is a more difficult
subject.

The aim of a composer is closely allied to the form of his
work, to the aesthetic meaning of its every moment and phrase
considered apart, and in relation to the composition as a whole.
The choice of an orchestral scheme depends on the musical matter,
the colouring of preceding and subsequent passages. It is important
to determine whether a given passage is a complement
to or a contrast with what goes before and comes after, whether
it forms a climax or merely a step in the general march of musical
thought. It would be impossible to examine all such possible
types of relationship, or to consider the rôle played by each passage
quoted in the present work. The reader is therefore advised not
to pay too much attention to the examples given, but to study them
and their bearing on the context in their proper place in the full
scores. Nevertheless I shall touch upon a few of these points in
the course of the following outline. To begin with, young and
inexperienced composers do not always possess a clear idea of
what they wish to do. They can improve in this direction by reading

good scores and by repeatedly listening to an orchestra, provided
they concentrate the mind to the fullest possible extent. The search
after extravagant and daring effects in orchestration is quite a
different thing from mere caprice; the will to achieve is not sufficient;
there are certain things which should not be achieved.

The simplest musical ideas, melodic phrases in unison and
octaves, or repeated throughout several octaves, chords, of which
no single part has any melodic meaning are scored in various
ways according to register, dynamic effect and the quality of
expression or tone colour that may be desired. In many cases,
one idea will be orchestrated in a different way every time it
recurs. Later on I shall frequently touch upon this more complicated
question.

Examples:

* Snegourotchka 58;65 and before 58 — sustained note in unison.

There are fewer possible ways of scoring more complex musical
ideas, harmonico-melodic phrases, polyphonic designs etc.; sometimes
there are but two methods to be followed, for each of the primary
elements in music, melody, harmony, and counterpoint possesses
its own special requirements, regulating the choice of instruments
and tone colour. The most complicated musical ideas sometimes
admit of only one manner of scoring, with a few hardly noticeable
variations in detail. To the following example, very simple in
structure I add an alternative method of scoring:

Example:

No.175. Vera Scheloga, before 35 — a) actual orchestration,
* b) — another method.

It is obvious that the method b) will produce satisfactory tone.
But a 3rd and 4th way of scoring would be less successful, and a
continuation of this process would soon lead to the ridiculous. For
instance if the chords were given to the brass the whole passage
would sound heavy, and the soprano recitative in the low and
middle register would be overpowered. If the F sharp in the

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double basses were played arco by 'cellos and basses together it
would sound clumsy, if it were given to the bassoons a comic
effect would be produced, and if played by the brass it would
sound rough and coarse, etc....

The object of scoring the same musical phrase in different ways
is to obtain variety either in tone colour or resonance. In each
case the composer may resort to the inversion of the normal order
of instruments, duplication of parts, or the two processes in combination.
The first of these is not always feasible. In the preceding
sections of the book I have tried to explain the characteristics of
each instrument and the part which each group of instruments
plays in the orchestra. Moreover many methods of doubling are to be
avoided; these I have mentioned, while there are also some
instruments which cannot be combined owing to the great difference
in their peculiarities. Therefore, as regards the general composition
of the orchestra, the student should be guided by the general
principles laid down in the earlier stages of the present work.

The best means of orchestrating the same musical idea in various
ways is by the adaptation of the musical matter. This can be
done by the following operations: a) complete or partial transference
into other octaves; b) repetition in a different key; c) extension
of the whole range by the addition of octaves to the upper and
lower parts; d) alteration of details (the most frequent method);
e) variation of the general dynamic scheme, e. g. repeating a phrase
piano, which has already been played forte.

These operations are always successful in producing variety of
orchestral colour.

Examples:

No. 176, 177. Russian Easter Fête A and C.
The Christmas Night 158 and 179.
No. 178-181. The Tsar's Bride, Overture — beginning, 1, 2, 7.
Sadko 99-101 and 305-307(cf. Ex. 289, 290, and 75).
No. 182-186. Tsar Saltan 14, 17, 26, 28, 34.
No.187-189. " 181, 246, 220.
* No. 190-191. Ivan the Terrible, Overture 5 and 12.
Spanish Capriccio — compare 1st and 3rd movement.

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* No. 192-195. Shéhérazade, 1st movement — beginning of the allegro A, E, M.
" 3rd movement — beginning A, I.
" 3rd " E, G, O.
* No. 196 - 198. Legend of Kitesh 55, 56, 62.
* No. 199-201. " " 68, 70, 84.
(Cf. also Ex. 213, 214. Legend of Kitesh 294 and 312.)
* No. 202-203. The Golden Cockerel 229, 233.

The process of scoring the same or similar ideas in different
ways is the source of numerous musical operations, crescendo, diminuendo,
interchange of tone qualities, variation of tone colour etc.,
and incidentally throws new light upon the fundamental composition
of the orchestra.