Transcriber’s Notes
About this e-book: This e-book was prepared from a 1964 reprint published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, which in turn was prepared from the two-volume 1922 English translation published by Édition Russe de Musique, Paris.
Volume I contains the text of the work; Volume II contains the musical examples referred to in Volume I. In this e-book, each volume is in a separate HTML document. References in Volume I to the numbered musical examples are hyperlinked to Volume II. See this footnote for the editor's explanation of the musical examples and the boxed rehearsal numbers. The use of asterisks is explained on page XII of the Editor's Preface.
Obvious printer errors have been corrected without note. Other apparent errors are underlined in red with a popup Transcriber's Note.
About the music: Midi or MP3 files have been provided for all music examples (except for single-note examples, and tables of instrument ranges and chords). Click on the [Listen] link to hear the music. For the extended music examples in Volume II, you can also click on the [PDF] link to view an enlarged version of the original music images; and on the [XML] link to view or download the notation in MusicXML.
All MP3 files were created by the Transcriber using Finale with Garritan Personal Orchestra, which employs sound samples of actual musical instruments, except for vocal solos. The MusicXML files were created automatically in Finale and have not been edited further. They reflect primarily the sound of the music, not its appearance. Some workarounds were employed to address minor limitations and bugs in Finale and Garritan that affected the sound (e.g., empty measures at the beginning and/or end of a piece to avoid abrupt cut-offs; changes in dynamics; expansion of shared staves where instruments are doubled; instrument substitutions; etc.). Obvious printer errors have been corrected without note; other questionable items are noted in the MusicXML file.
For each music example in Volume II, a link has been provided back to the page in Volume I on which the example is referenced. Page numbers have been omitted from Volume II, but are available in the PDF files.
[Édition Russe de Musique, Paris, 1922]
page | |
Editor's Preface | VII—XII |
Extract from the Author's preface (1891) | 1 |
Extract from the Preface to the last edition | 5 |
Chapter I.—General review of orchestral groups | |
A. Stringed instruments | 6 |
B. Wind instruments: | |
Wood-wind | 12 |
Brass | 21 |
C. Instruments of little sustaining power: | |
Plucked strings | 26 |
Pizzicato | 27 |
Harp | 27 |
Percussion instruments producing determinate sounds, keyed instruments | |
Kettle-drums | 29 |
Piano and Celesta | 30 |
Glockenspiel, Bells, Xylophone | 32 |
Percussion instruments producing indefinite sounds | 32 |
Comparison of resonance in orchestral groups, and combination of different tone qualities | 33 |
Chapter II.—Melody | |
Melody in stringed instruments | 36 |
Grouping in unison | 39 |
Stringed instruments doubling in octaves | 40 |
Melody in double octaves | 44 |
Doubling in three and four octaves | 45 |
Melody in thirds and sixths | 45 |
Melody in the wood-wind | 46 |
Combination in unison | 47 |
Combination in octaves | 49 |
Doubling in two, three and four octaves | 51 |
Melody in thirds and sixths | 52 |
Thirds and sixths together | 53 |
Melody in the brass | 53 |
Brass in unison, in octaves, thirds and sixths | 55 |
-IV- | |
Melody in different groups of instruments combined together | 56 |
A. Combination of wind and brass in unison | 56 |
B. Combination of wind and brass in octaves | 57 |
C. Combination of strings and wind | 58 |
D. Combination of strings and brass | 61 |
E. Combination of the three groups | 61 |
Chapter III.—Harmony | |
General observations | 63 |
Number of harmonic parts—Duplication | 64 |
Distribution of notes in chords | 67 |
String harmony | 69 |
Wood-wind harmony | 71 |
Four-part and three-part harmony | 72 |
Harmony in several parts | 76 |
Duplication of timbres | 77 |
Remarks | 78 |
Harmony in the brass | 82 |
Four-part writing | 82 |
Three-part writing | 84 |
Writing in several parts | 84 |
Duplication in the brass | 85 |
Harmony in combined groups | 88 |
A. Combination of wind and brass | 88 |
1. In unison | 88 |
2. Overlaying, crossing, enclosure of parts | 90 |
B. Combination of strings and wind | 94 |
C. Combination of the three groups | 95 |
Chapter IV.—Composition of the orchestra | |
Different ways of orchestrating the same music | 97 |
Full Tutti | 101 |
Tutti in the wind | 103 |
Tutti pizzicato | 103 |
Tutti in one, two and three parts | 104 |
Soli in the strings | 104 |
Limits of orchestral range | 106 |
Transference of passages and phrases | 107 |
Chords of different tone quality used alternately | 108 |
Amplification and elimination of tone qualities | 109 |
Repetition of phrases, imitation, echo | 110 |
Sforzando-piano and piano-sforzando chords | 111 |
Method of emphasising certain notes and chords | 111 |
Crescendo and diminuendo | 112 |
Diverging and converging progressions | 113 |
Tone quality as a harmonic force. Harmonic basis | 114 |
Artificial effects | 116 |
Use of percussion instruments for rhythm and colour | 117 |
Economy in orchestral colour | 118 |
-V- | |
Chapter V.—Combination of the human voice with orchestra. The Stage band | |
Orchestral accompaniment of solo voices | 119 |
General remarks | 119 |
Transparence of accompaniment. Harmony | 120 |
Doubling voices in the orchestra | 122 |
Recitative and declamation | 125 |
Orchestral accompaniment of the chorus | 126 |
Solo voice with chorus | 128 |
Instruments on the stage and in the wings | 129 |
Chapter VI (Supplementary).—Voices | |
Technical terms | 132 |
Soloists | 133 |
Range and register | 133 |
Vocalisation | 134 |
Vowels | 136 |
Flexibility | 137 |
Colour and character of voices | 137 |
Voices in combination | 139 |
Duet | 139 |
Trios, quartets etc. | 141 |
Chorus | 142 |
Range and register | 142 |
Melody | 144 |
A. Mixed chorus | 145 |
Chorus in unison | 145 |
Progression in octaves | 145 |
Voices divisi; harmonic use of the mixed chorus | 146 |
B. Men's chorus and Women's chorus | 148 |