Principles of Orchestration Part 27

_Solo quartet:_

_The Christmas Night_ [[222]]--Vn., Viola, 'Cello, D. ba.s.s.

* No. 228. _Tsar Saltan_ [[248]]--Vn. I, Vn. II, Viola, 'Cello.

* The case of a solo stringed instrument doubled by the wood-wind in unison must not be forgotten. The object is to attain great purity and abundance of tone, without impairing the timbre of the solo instrument (especially in the high and low registers), or to produce a certain highly-coloured effect.

_Examples:_

* _Mlada_, Act II [[52]]--Vn. + Fl.; Act IV [[31]]--Viol. + Fl. + Harp.

* _The Christmas Night_ [[212]]--2 Vns + Fl. + Small Cl. (cf. Ex.

153).

* _Pan Voyevoda_ [[67]]--2 Vns + 2 Ob.; 2 Violas + 2 Cl.

* _Legend of Kitesh_ [[306]]--Ba.s.s cl. + C-f.a.g. (cf. Ex. 10).

" " " [[309]]--Vn. + Fl.

* No. 229. _The Golden c.o.c.kerel_ [[179]]--Vn. + Picc.; 'Cello + Ba.s.s cl.

* As shown in Chap. II, 2 Vns soli or Violin solo + Fl. (Picc.) are often sufficient to double a melody in the upper register.

_Examples:_

_Sadko_ [[207]]--cf. Chap. II, p. 42 and Ex. 24.

* No. 230. _Russian Easter Fete_, p. 32--2 Solo violins (in harmonics).

* No. 231. _Legend of Kitesh_ [[297]]--2 Solo violins + Picc.

Limits of orchestral range.

It is seldom that the entire orchestral conception is centred in the upper register of the orchestra (the 5th and 6th octaves), still more rarely is it focussed wholly in the lowest range (octaves 1 and -1) where the proximity of harmonic intervals creates a bad effect. In the first case the flutes and piccolo should be used along with the upper notes of the violins, _soli_ or _divisi_; in the second case the double ba.s.soon and the low notes of the ba.s.soons, ba.s.s clarinet, horns, trombones and tuba are brought into play. The first method gives brilliant colour, the second combination is dark and gloomy. The contrary would be fundamentally impossible.

_Examples:_

_Pan Voyevoda_ [[122]], [[137]] } _Servilia_ [[168]], 8th bar. (cf. Ex. 62) } low No. 232. _The Golden c.o.c.kerel_ [[220]]; } register.

cf. also [[218]], [[219]] }

* _Snegourotchka_, before [[25]] } * _Legend of Kitesh_, before [[34]] } high * No. 233. _The Golden c.o.c.kerel_ [[113]], [[117]] } register.

* No. 234. _Sheherazade_, 2nd movement pp. 59-62 }

The upper and lower parts of a pa.s.sage can seldom be widely separated without the intermediate octaves being filled in, for this is contrary to the first principles of proper distribution of chords. Nevertheless the unusual resonance thus produced serves for strange and grotesque effects. In the first of the following examples the piccolo figure doubled by the harp and the sparkling notes of the _glockenspiel_ is set about four octaves apart from the ba.s.s, which is a.s.signed to a single Double ba.s.s and Tuba. But in the 3rd octave, the augmented fourths and diminished fifths in the two flutes help to fill up the intermediate s.p.a.ce and lessen the distance between the two extreme parts, thus forming some sort of link between them. The general effect is fanciful.

_Examples:_

No. 235. _Snegourotchka_ [[255]].

* No. 236. " [[315]], 5th and 6th bars.

" [[274]] (cf. Ex. 9).

_A Fairy Tale_ [[A]].

_The Golden c.o.c.kerel_ [[179]], 9th bar. (cf. Ex. 229).

Transference of pa.s.sages and phrases.

A phrase or a figure is often transferred from one instrument to another. In order to connect the phrases on each instrument in the best possible way, the last note of each part is made to coincide with the first note of the following one. This method is used for pa.s.sages the range of which is too wide to be performed on any one instrument, or when it is desired to divide a phrase into two different timbres.

_Examples:_

* _Snegourotchka_ [[137]]--The melody is transferred from the violins to the flute and clarinet (cf. Ex. 28).

* " before [[191]]--Solo violin--Solo 'cello.

_Pan Voyevoda_ [[57]]--Trombones--Trumpets; Horn--Ob. + Cl.

A similar operation is used in scoring pa.s.sages covering the entire orchestral scale, or a great portion of it. When one instrument is on the point of completing its allotted part, another instrument takes up the pa.s.sage, starting on one or two notes common to both parts, and so on. This division must be carried out to ensure the balance of the whole pa.s.sage.

_Examples:_

_Snegourotchka_ [[36]], [[38]], [[131]]--Strings.

_The Tsar's Bride_ [[190]]--Wood-wind.

_Sadko_ [[72]]--Strings (cf. Ex. 112).

" [[223]]--Strings.

_The Christmas Night_, before [[180]]--Strings, wind and chorus (cf.

Ex. 132).

* No. 237. _The Christmas Night_, before [[181]]--String figure.

* _Servilia_ [[111]]--Strings (cf. Ex. 88).

" [[29]], 5th bar.--Ob.--Fl.; Cl.--Ba.s.s cl., f.a.g.

No. 238. _The Golden c.o.c.kerel_, before [[9]]--Wood-wind.

* " " " [[5]]--f.a.g.--Eng. horn (+ 'Cellos _pizz._).