Spatial sweep across the string sections, traversing all the music stands. Panning effect.

Achieving contrast solely through spatial means while maintaining balance in all other musical parameters.

Alternation between woodwinds and strings in spectral balance on the same chord

Spectral contrast between strings and woodwinds

Example of antiphony in a polychoral work from the Renaissance.

Antiphonic structure created by the alternation between winds and strings. 3rd mov., mm. 99-112

Responsorial structure created by the contrast between two instrumental densities.

Contrast between two instrumental densities: 2 string sections and a solo bassoon.

Contrast through the textural treatment of a melodic line.

Inverse relationship between polyphonic density and instrumental density.

Extreme contrast of orchestral registers

Extreme contrast between the 2nd thematic group in the exposition and the recapitulation of a sonata form

Auditory grouping gives rise to events from which perceptual properties are extracted, which then acquire musical functions within a given sonic context

Auditory grouping processes and the resulting perceptual qualities and corresponding orchestral effects. [Adapted from Goodchild and McAdams 2021, Fig. 1]

Taxonomy of concurrent auditory grouping phenomena

Timbral augmentation (sustained, stable): Debussy, La Mer, i, mm. 122–31

Timbral augmentation (sustained, transforming): Overture, mm. 20–25. Timestamp: 2:03

Timbral augmentation (punctuated): Sibelius, Symphony no. 5, op. 82, iii, mm. 474–482

Timbral emergence (sustained, stable): Debussy, La Mer, i, mm. 6–17

Timbral emergence (sustained, transforming): Schoenberg, Five Pieces for Orchestra op. 16, iii, mm. 1–11