Orchestration: An Anthology of Writings is designed to be a primary or ancillary text for college-level music majors. Although there are several 'how to' textbooks aimed at this market, there is little available that traces the history of orchestration through the writings of composers themselves. By collecting writings from the ninenteenth century to today, Mathews illuminates how orchestration has grown and developed, as well as presenting a wide variety of theories that have been embraced by the leading practitioners in the field.
The collection then traces the history of orchestration, beginning with Beethoven's Orchestra (with writings by Berlioz, Wagner, Gounod, Mahler, and others), the 19th century (Mahler, Gevaert, Strauss) the fin de siecle (on the edge of musical modernism; writings by Berlioz, Jadassohn, Delius, and Rimsky Korsakov), early modern (Busoni, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Grainger, and others), and high modern (Carter, Feldman, Reich, Brant). Many of these pieces have never been translated into English before; some only appeared in small journals or the popular press and have never appeared in a book; and none have ever been collected in one place.
The study of orchestration is a key part of all students of music theory and composition. Orchestration provides a much needed resource for these students, filling a gap in the literature.
- The Early Nineteenth Century: Beethoven's Orchestration
- The Late Nineteenth Century: French and German Orchestration I
- Interlude: Orchestral Possibilities on the Eve of the New Music
- The Turn of the Twentieth Century: French and German Orchestration II
- Early Twentieth Century: Klangfarbenmelodie and Texture
- Later Twentieth-Century Innovations
a.
Carl Czerny
On the Symphony from School of Practical Composition
b.
Hector Berlioz
Instruments Added to the Scores of Old Masters
c.
Richard Wagner
On the Rendering of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
d.
Charles Gounod
Instruments Added By Modern Composers: Wagner and Beethoven
e.
Gustav Mahler
Pamphlet about Mahler's Performing Edition of Beethoven's Ninth
f.
Igor Stravinsky
On Beethoven's Orchestration
a.
Gustav Mahler
Statements on Orchestration
b.
F.-A. Gevaert
First Lesson of Cours methodique d’orchestration
c.
Richard Strauss
Forward to Berlioz's Treatise on Instrumentation
a.
Hector Berlioz
The Orchestra
b.
Salomon Jadassohn
Tutti from A Course of Instruction in Instrumentation
c.
Delius & Papus
From Anatomy and Physiology of the Orchestra
d.
Nicolay Rimsky-Korsakov
Composition of the Orchestra
a.
Ferrucio Busoni
Insufficiency of the Means for Musical Expression
b.
Joseph Matthias Hauer
The Orchestra: Diatonic and Atonal Music
c.
Arnold Schoenberg
Instrumentation
d.
Percy Grainger
Possibilities Of The Concert Wind Band
e.
Charles Koechlin
The Balance of Sonorities from Traité de l’orchestration
f.
Igor Stravinsky
Instrumentation
a.
Arnold Schoenberg
Klangfarbenmelodie from Theory of Harmony
b.
Anton Webern
Letter to Scherchen regarding the Bach Ricercata Orchestration
c.
Letter to Jalowetz regarding his Symphony, op 21
d.
Arnold Schoenberg
Anton Webern: Klangfarbenmelodie
e.
Alfred Schnittke
Timbral Relationships And Their Functional Use
f.
Igor Stravinsky
Klangfarbenmelodie
Layering
a.
Charles Ives
Program Note to the Fourth Symphony
b.
Elliott Carter & Allen Edwards
The Problem of The Tutti
c.
Steve Reich
On the Size and Seating of the Symphony Orchestra
d.
Henry Brant & Frank J Oteri
Spatial Music
Timbre
e.
Morton Feldman
Three Excerpts on Orchestration
f.
Pierre Boulez
Timbre and Composition — Timbre and Language
Bibliography
Sources
Index
Biography
Paul Mathews teaches at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University where he has previously been chair of Music Theory and currently directs the music classes on the main Hopkins campus. His recent scholarship concerns the dialectic of French and German orchestration in the late nineteenth century. Mathews is also an active composer.
"Orchestration: An Anthology of Writings is a refreshing joy to read as it's filled with many treats working professionals will appreciate..." --Film Music
