ORCHESTRATION by Books by Walter Piston y conor WALTER PISTON COUNTERPOINT PROFESSOR OF MUSIC, HARVARD UNIVERSITY LONDON VICTOR GOLLANCZ LTD 1969First published November 1955 Second impression June 1938 ‘Third impression May 1 oe Fourth impeeaion September 1965 Fifth impression May 1969 eos oni 8 4 CONTENTS FOREWORD vii ONE . THE INSTRUMENTS OF THE ORCHESTRA 1. STRINGED INSTRUMENTS 3 THE VIOLIN 37 3. THE VIOLA fi Un eS - 4. THE VIOLONCELLO 80 OF TASMANIA 5. THE DOUBLE-DASS 98 LERARY 6, WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS 4 { 7. THE FLU 28 8. THE onoe 146 9. THE CLARINET 163 ns re 10. THE BASSOON 188 11, BRASS INSTRUMENTS 206 12, THE HORN 13. THE TRUMPET 1g. THE TROMBONE 15. THE TUBA priya 1 hear BRITAIN BY 16. PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS 296 17. THE HARP 333 18, KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS 340ORCHE RATION TWO ANALYSIS OF ORCHESTRATION ‘TYPES OF TEXTURE—TYPE I, ORCHESTRAL UNISON TYPES OF TEXTURE—TYPE Il, MELODY AND ACcOM- PANIMENT TYPES OF TEXTURE—TYPE Il, SECONDARY MELODY TYPES OF TEXTURE—TYPE IV, PART WRITING ‘TYPES OF TEXTURE—TYPE V, CONTRAPUNTAL TEXTURE TYPES OF TEXTURE—TYPE VI, CHORDS ‘TYPES OF TEXTURE—TYPE VI, COMPLEX TEXTURE THREE - PROBLEMS IN ORCHESTRATION ORCHESTRATION OF MELODY BACKGROUND AND ACCOMPANIMENT. SCORING OF CHORDS VOICE LEADING AND COUNTERPOINT CONCLUSION INDEX 355 364 374 382 388 396 405 ans Bt 452 461 463 FOREWORD He true art of orchestration is inseparable from the creative act | ‘of composing music, The sounds made by the orchestra are the ultimate external manifestation of musical ideas germi- nated in the mind of the composer. One skilled in the technique of or- chestration may practice a somewhat lesser att of transcribing for orchestra music originally writcen for another medium. This can be a fine though difficult art, provided the orchestrator is able to put him- self momentarily in the composer's place, and, so to speak, to think the composer's thoughts, Failing this, the result is unlikely to amount to more than a display of skill and craft, often of a superficial and artificial nature, Orchestration, in the sense here employed, refers to the process of writing music for the orchestra, using principles of instrumental com- bination essentially those observed operating in the scores of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, It is a common technique, employed in present-day symphonic music as well as in that of the classical and romantic periods. For the present purposes it will not be considered to embrace earlier processes based on improvisation, fortuitous instru- ‘mental balance, and the stabilizing influence of a keyboard instrument, with basso continuo. The technical equipment of both composer and orchestrator must include a thorough knowledge of the individual instruments, their capabilities and characteristics, and a mental conception of the sound of each. Then the effects and resources of instrumental combination must be learned, involving such matters as balance of tone, mixed tone colors, clarity in texture, and the like. Finally, the orchestra is to be sensed as itself an individual instrument, flexibly employed to present the music, in form and content, with fidelity and effectiveness.