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04a Homework due
06a homework: Sequence
your orchestration from the last
question on the quiz .
Create an mp3 of your final
result for class.
We now depart
from our month long study of
the string orchestra. The
woodwind choir is a much more
dubious group than the
strings.
In fact, some of
the instruments are not made
of wood at all but rather
brass, silver or even gold.
Furthermore not all woodwinds
read the same notes that we
hear. That is, just as the
Contrabass sounded an octave
lower than the notes it
actually reads, some of the
woodwinds will sound notes
other than those they read.
The layout of the
woodwinds within the orchestra
can be determined by
maintaining each
of the instruments in groups
of twos or threes.For example, if we have
2 flutes, it is most common to
have two oboes, two clarinets
and two bassoons.If we have 3 bassoons
we similarly will have 3
clarinets, three oboes and
three flutes.
The Principle of Transposition
As we saw with
the Contrabasses, writing the
actual sounding pitch of the
instrument would yield a lot
of ledger lines below the
staff.By transposing the
Contrabass down an octave so
that it sounds one octave
lower than the note it reads
we were able to write
comfortably for the instrument
in standard bass clef.A similar phenomenon
occurs with some of the wind
instruments.Most notably,
instruments like the piccolo
would require many ledger
lines above the treble clef so
we use a similar solution and
transpose them up an octave so
they sound one octave higher
than the note they read.Other instruments, like
the clarinet family come in
many different varieties.Each one is constructed
slightly different and would
therefore yield a slightly
different note for any give
manipulation of the
instrument.Since a single clarinet
player is often called upon to
play 3 or 4 different kinds of
clarinets, the instrument is
transposed so the player can
use the same fingering to
yield a given sounding pitch
on one instrument as it does
on another.This thereby eliminatesthe need for the player
to learn different fingerings
for each instrument.So how do you determine
what the actual pitch is?The name of the
instrument will tell you what
sound will be heard when the
player sees a written C.For example on the D
Clarinet, the instrument will
sound a D when the player sees
a written C and therefore the
instrument transposes up a M2.So if this isn't
confusing enough, in order to
avoid many resultant
accidentals a transposing
instrument will read in a
different key.The D clarinet playing
in the key of C will carry a
key signature of Bb.
There is quite
some controversy about how to
deal with transposing
instruments.Some conductors prefer
"concert scores" where all the
written notes sound as
written.Some conductors prefer
"transposing scores" where the
necessary instruments carry
their respective
transpositions and some
actually prefer a combination.One thing is definite
however:YOU MUST PRESENT
TRANSPOSED PARTS TO THE
PLAYERS
That being said,
in Orchestration I, we will
write for the instrument in
concert to facilitate our
focus on the principals of
orchestration.Don't get too
comfortable with this crutch.In Orchestration II you
will need to write transposed!
Just as a string
player can change bow
direction to determine a
phrase, a wind player can
manipulate their tongue as if
to say "tuh" to initiate a
phrase.If many notes are to be
played before the tongue
returns to the roof of the
mouth, the phrase is slurred
and the player is said to be
playing "legato".This would be analogous
to a string player playing
many notes in a single bow.
2. Tenuto (Bassoon) A
variation on non legato implying shorter note durations than
legato but more connected than non legato. Means either a stress or
sustain, depending on context.
Similar to
strings.Short and separated notes (all tongued). Staccato need not mean aggressively short!
5.Soft
Tongue2
(flute) sometimes known as "legato
tonguing" or "Portato" (Adler CD 2-27)
Similar to Loure
and Slurred Staccato in the
strings, it carries the same
notation.The technique is
executed by the player blowing
additional air without the
repeated use of the tongue.It is a softer
separation than staccato.
Notes
with both dots and slurs, or lines and slurs, vary in interpretation,
but are somewhere between legato and non legato. Interpretations of
these markings vary from player to player!
Used for rapid
succession of notes the player
pronounces syllables like "te"
"ke" "ta" "da" "ka"
Tonguing in groups of two or three (e.g. on syllables ta-ka, or ta-ka-ka) to give a very rapid articulation.
Double tonguing 0.00 and 4.12
7.Dynamic Envelopes
(Adler CD 2-29
A very useful
effect to all instruments but
particular suited to winds.
Carries Fp and ><
markings.
Dynamic Envelopes
Effects
The
effects presented below are common to all woodwinds. Additional
effects specific to individual instruments will be discussed with
Individual Woodwinds.
Woodwinid
Mutes are fairly rare and often times are home made devices that are
inserted into the bell or bore of the instrument. One should
check with the player before requesting a woodwind mute.
Playing
chords. In non-specific situations, notate by writing a bottom note
with the word 'chord' above. There are many multiphonics on both oboe
and cor anglais. However, instruments and players vary in the
multiphonics they can find. For more specific notations, consult
specialist manuals.
Intervals
smaller than a semitone. Notations vary, but the examples above show a
microtonal inflection and a quartertone. Produced by using 'fake'
fingerings and/or adjusting the embouchure.
