Woodwinds | Scoring Excerpts
Woodwinds | Scoring Excerpts
Extreme Orchestration
by Don Freund and David CutlerPublished: February 2024
Since the members of the woodwind section have such individually distinct timbres, the choices of chord voicings, doublings and octave placements in this section have a particularly notable impact. This series of excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony demonstrate a variety of ways chords and lines can be distributed in a section of woodwinds in pairs (with the later addition of piccolo).
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4, 1st Movement, m. 87-88
In these measures the woodwinds and horns are pitted antiphonally against the strings. Tchaikovsky amplifies the sound by pairing the flutes and oboes doubled in octaves in the strong parts of their ranges, and doubling the clarinets in octaves.
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4, 1st Movement, m. 144-148
Here Tchaikovsky creates a soft but full sound by grouping the flutes and clarinets (later bassoons) in octave doublings. Initially the first oboe and bassoon are paired in octaves; in the alternate texture, oboes are combined with horns.
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4, 2nd Movement, m. 142-145
To create the strongest projection of this line Tchaikovsky uses octaves in both the oboes and clarinets, because the mix of the different timbres in each octave is more penetrating than doubles of the same timbre a2. This is not true in the case of the flutes; if the 2nd flute were an octave lower (doubling the 1st oboe) the sound in this relatively weak register of the flute would contribute less than the a2 higher octave.
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4, 2nd Movement, m. 174-177
Here a full but less brilliant sound is needed to accompany the string melody, so the flutes are used in the middle octave to add body to the sound of the oboes.
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4, 3rd Movement, m. 147-152
In this passage from the 3rd movement the woodwinds are heard alone. The double reeds provide a drone- like accompaniment emphasizing open fifths, filled in by the 2nd clarinet and then both clarinets. Clarinets in octaves are used in their middle low range to match flutes a2 in their mid-high range.
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4, 3rd Movement, m. 161-166
As this passage grows to a ff statement, Tchaikovsky continues to use the flutes a2, adding the piccolo sounding an octave higher. This is the first piccolo entrance in the entire work, very effective musically but physically and psychologically unfriendly to the piccolo player — some inconsequential “warm-up” passage for the piccolo a few bars earlier would make this entrance considerably less traumatic. The alto and tenor voices are assigned to octave-doubled oboes and clarinets, while the bassoon bass note is a2.
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4, 3rd Movement, m. 349-350, 361-362, 365-368
These three passages demonstrate woodwind textures that are used antiphonally against the string section pizzicato. Note the different doubling strategies change as the volume increases. Initially flutes and clarinets are grouped in octaves; at m.361 piccolo is added to create two 3-voice groups an octave apart, but the notes distributed to the clarinet use its timbre distinction to create a contrasting line. In the last fragment the flutes and piccolo are fused into unison, doubling the a2 clarinets at the octave, while the oboes and bassoons join with the horns to produce pungent chords.
More woodwind-related chapters from Extreme Orchestration
Woodwinds are not usually called upon to evoke the sensuous beauty of strings, the heroic grandeur of brass, or the visceral power and splashy color of percussion. Their role in the orchestra is possibly the most subtle and personal of all the instrumental choirs. Developing an appreciation for the special qualities they contribute and discovering techniques for making the most of the timbral resources they provide may be the most important lessons an orchestrator can learn.
Since the members of the woodwind section have such individually distinct timbres, the choices of chord voicings, doublings and octave placements in this section have a particularly notable impact.
The members of the flute family are the only wind instruments that do not use a reed or buzzing lips to initiate their sound. Air is directed from the lips free of a mouthpiece. The only resistance to the airflow is the player’s embouchure, allowing the tongue and mouth to be uniquely unencumbered.
The oboe’s double reed is the heart of its distinct character. Since no satisfactory way of mass-producing oboe reeds has been perfected, oboists spend a good part of their lives making and adjusting reeds. Intonation is largely a matter of fine-tuning the reed, and the quality of the reed can have a decisive impact on the color of the instrument.
Clarinets are the most prevalent of all woodwinds, despite the fact that they were the last to become standard members of the symphony orchestra, near the end of the Classical Period (saxophones are still waiting). There are many good reasons for this. Its broad range allows it to be a tenor, alto, or even coloratura soprano member of any ensemble.
The saxophone and clarinet families have many things in common. They are the only single reed families. Both have a relatively large number of instruments covering virtually the complete range of the orchestra, and these instruments are playable at the elementary level, while possessing the capacity for virtuosic technical agility and extraordinary dynamic breadth.
The bassoon family is limited to the bassoon and contrabassoon. Since these are double reed, conical bore instruments, basic acoustics might suggest that they should be included in the oboe family (or that oboes be included in the bassoon family since bassoons arguably arrived first). The sound quality of bassoons, however, differs significantly enough from the oboes to merit a family of their own.
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All composers deal with instrumentation and orchestration every time they write music. Even when composing for a solo player, it is imperative to know the potentials of the instrument at hand. Though some students of orchestration argue that they have no compositional ability, all orchestrators deal with composition.
Perhaps it seems odd for a book on orchestration to contain such a hefty chapter on music notation. Certainly learning the rules of notation will not teach the art of instrumentation or orchestration, as notation is a completely separate skill. Yet notation is the single item that orchestrators deliver to performers.
Woodwinds are not usually called upon to evoke the sensuous beauty of strings, the heroic grandeur of brass, or the visceral power and splashy color of percussion. Their role in the orchestra is possibly the most subtle and personal of all the instrumental choirs. Developing an appreciation for the special qualities they contribute and discovering techniques for making the most of the timbral resources they provide may be the most important lessons an orchestrator can learn.
Since the members of the woodwind section have such individually distinct timbres, the choices of chord voicings, doublings and octave placements in this section have a particularly notable impact.
The members of the flute family are the only wind instruments that do not use a reed or buzzing lips to initiate their sound. Air is directed from the lips free of a mouthpiece. The only resistance to the airflow is the player’s embouchure, allowing the tongue and mouth to be uniquely unencumbered.
The oboe’s double reed is the heart of its distinct character. Since no satisfactory way of mass-producing oboe reeds has been perfected, oboists spend a good part of their lives making and adjusting reeds. Intonation is largely a matter of fine-tuning the reed, and the quality of the reed can have a decisive impact on the color of the instrument.
Clarinets are the most prevalent of all woodwinds, despite the fact that they were the last to become standard members of the symphony orchestra, near the end of the Classical Period (saxophones are still waiting). There are many good reasons for this. Its broad range allows it to be a tenor, alto, or even coloratura soprano member of any ensemble.
The saxophone and clarinet families have many things in common. They are the only single reed families. Both have a relatively large number of instruments covering virtually the complete range of the orchestra, and these instruments are playable at the elementary level, while possessing the capacity for virtuosic technical agility and extraordinary dynamic breadth.
The bassoon family is limited to the bassoon and contrabassoon. Since these are double reed, conical bore instruments, basic acoustics might suggest that they should be included in the oboe family (or that oboes be included in the bassoon family since bassoons arguably arrived first). The sound quality of bassoons, however, differs significantly enough from the oboes to merit a family of their own.
Brass instruments are a far more homogeneous group than woodwinds. All brass instruments produce their sound when lips are vibrated into a mouthpiece. Beyond the mouthpiece, the most important element in the structure of all brass instruments is a flaring bell at the end of the tubing, which not only amplifies the sound but also helps the higher partials to speak clearly and evenly.
In the following excerpt, the brass section forms the core of the climax of Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel. Here the brass is organized in a variety of configurations, ranging from contrapuntal balancing to homophonic power chords.
The horn (rarely referred to as the “French horn” these days) is the most extensively used brass instrument in orchestral writing, whether measured by the number of scores which call for it, the number horns usually included in the instrumentation of a score compared to other brass instruments, or by the relative total duration of time that solo or section horns play in a score.
The trumpet is arguably the loudest and most powerful member of the orchestra, if one excludes the organ and certain deafening percussion. A single trumpet in its middle to high register at the ƒ dynamic level can always be heard, no matter how dense and loud the texture surrounding it.
The trombone is so similar in its acoustic structure to the trumpet (predominantly cylindrical) that it may be considered a bass trumpet with a slide replacing the valves.
The tuba functions as the bass of the brass section. Comparable to the way string basses commonly double the cellos an octave lower (like adding an organ “16-foot” stop), the tuba is acoustically designed to provide depth and strength to the bass voice. Its sound is open and relatively diffuse, a “sub-woofer” to the brass and the orchestra as a whole.
Though percussion instruments can be pitched (such as marimba, xylophone, and timpani1) or non-pitched (such as snare drum, triangle, and cymbals) there is often a fine line between these two categories.
Percussion notation has the same goals as all notation: it should be clear, specific, and easy to follow. Many attempts have been made to standardize percussion notation, yet none have proven definitive. However, following the guidelines set below will allow you to deliver comprehensible, easy to read percussion parts.
Most drums have a single head, made from a stretched membrane, affixed to a shell. Some have a second head on the opposing side (i.e. bass drum), adding resonance by creating a sound chamber between the heads.
Though the mallet percussion instruments range widely in material (some are wood instruments, while others are metals) and timbre, they share many common characteristics. All of these instruments are pitched and capable of playing chromatically throughout their given range. They are all set up similarly to a piano in that the pitches that correspond to white keys are pushed forward, with the black keys appropriately placed behind them.
Any kind of item, even those not normally found in the percussion section, may be struck (though you may want to take out some extra insurance on particularly fragile items!). The timbre is determined primarily by its material, shape, density, and the type of mallet used.
Objects can be shaken, scraped, pulled, cranked, blown, etc. Some of these instruments imitate nature sounds (composers seem to have a particular obsession with the weather) or everyday life, while others are used simply to create rhythms, texture, or noise. With few exceptions, these instruments are non-pitched.
Keyboard instruments are designed to be polyphonic, giving one performer the ability to play as many notes simultaneously as the fingers of two hands (and in some cases two hands and feet) can manage. The piano and organ have the ability to create a complete musical fabric, often suggesting the range, textural richness, and dynamic impact of a large orchestra.
The piano is a percussion mechanism masquerading as a sustaining, lyric instrument. Considering the tremendous amount of music written for it, thoroughly convincing in all manner of styles and characters, this masquerade is conspicuously successful.
Despite its extreme expressiveness, harmonic potential, wide array of techniques, and the fact that it is the one of the oldest living instruments, the harp seems to strike fear in the hearts of many composers and orchestrators.
Idiomatic Scoring for the Harp: Music for harp is usually written on a grand staff, similar to piano music. Most of the time, the top staff should be in treble clef, and the bottom staff in bass clef.
The bowed string family of the modern symphony orchestra consists of only four instruments: violin, viola, cello, and bass. More music has been written to feature these instruments than any other family of the orchestra (woodwinds, brass, or percussion). A full string section forms the backbone of most orchestral literature.
On string instruments, it is possible to change the pitch of a string by stopping the string with the left hand. In other words, the left hand applies pressure to a string against the fingerboard, in essence shortening its length. Shorter strings produce higher pitches, so as notes are stopped higher on the fingerboard, the pitch rises.
The most common way to produce a sound on orchestral string instruments is by drawing a bow across one or more of its strings. This technique is called arco. Because playing with a bow is the default method of playing these instruments, it is not necessary to write the term arco on the score unless canceling out an alternative way of playing, such as plucking or striking the strings.
It is possible to achieve a greater variety of timbres with the bowed strings than with any other orchestral instrument. Through the use of harmonics, mutes, varied bow placement, plucking or striking the strings, and other extended techniques, a large selection of sound possibilities becomes available.
The violin generally takes the soprano role of the strings, though it is possible to score violin below viola, or even upper register cello.
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