SUBJECT 4.2 | Orchestration

Subject 4.2

Jul 24

Written By ODESSA Research Team

Study of Poetic Affect

In this passage, four distinct parts are clearly discernible:

1) The low strings (Db, Vc, Vla) playing an ascending melodic line starting in the low register.

2) the gradually descending melody in the high register played by the flutes and violins.

3) the melodic complementation of the bass line played by the oboe, clarinets, and bassoon in the midde register.

4) the sustained notes by the horns providing the harmonic reinforcement of the passage.

Doublings

Bass Melody

At the beginning of the passage, the cello is doubled by the double bass an octave lower. As the line gradually ascends, the cello line takes over the double bass on the lower end and the viola takes over the cello on the higher octave starting on the last fourth of the first bar of the passage. Starting in measure 2, the bass trombone sustains the keynote B2 doubled by the double bass an octave lower. The octave doubling allows for a more discernible articulation of the melodic line. The low octave provides the body which is articulated clearly by the note in the upper octave.

Main Theme

The melody played by the flutes and violins starts on the D#6 on the upbeat to the fourth beat of bar 1. Flutes 1 and 2 are doubled by the third flutes, and the first violins are doubled by the second violins. Both doublings are an octave lower. The resulting sound highlights the upper octave while the lower octave component contributes to the robustnesss (“body”) of the sonority. One also hears the prominence of the flute’s onset in the high register. However, the blend is well balanced and the characteristic timbre of the violin is clearly audible after the flute’s onset.

Secondary Theme “Contrechant”

Strating on the second beat of bar 2, the clarinets 1 and 2 in A, written an octave apart, are supported by the oboe in the upper note, and the bassoon in the lower note. The resulting sound is an emergent blend with clear timbral attributes of the basoon in the lower portion of the mixed sonority, and a mixture of oboe and clarinet in the higher end. As the melodic line ascends, and the dynamic increases, the timbre of the oboe stands out making up the timbral characteristic of this blend. The timbral composition of this layer changes on the second half of m. 309: the bassoons are reinforced by the violas and cellos playing in tremolo. The timbral quality of the basoon playing the upper octave conserves the “nasal” quality provided by the oboes in the previous bars with the added timbral characteristic of the tremollo strings.

Harmonic Reinforcement

Starting on the third beat of measure 306, horns 1 and 3, play the harmonic reinforcement of the passage in half-notes, doubled by horns 2 and 4 an octave lower. The entrance of the horns is clearly audible on the third beat of m. 306, however, they recede to the background as the other strata with more movement become more prominent. From he second half of m. 309 through the first half of m. 311, the clarinets and oboes reinforce the octavated horns by adding an additional octave doubling on the upper note of the horn doubling.