We will meet in the music technology computer lab next Tuesday (9/22) for a Finale workshop. There are 11 Macs in the lab with Finale 2008. 10 or 11 have MIDI keyboards. You’re welcome to bring your own laptop. I’ll try to bring over some additional MIDI keyboards.
Assignment 3 is to orchestrate the second movement of William Schuman’s Three-Score Set. Music and recording are in my iLocker account (http://ilocker.bsu.edu/users/kkothman/BSU_SHARED/orchestration/3ScoreSet/). It is due 9/29.
Schuman orchestrated the opening of this work for his Fifth Symphony, but only used strings. I think that the dynamic range easily suggests a larger ensemble. With our 18 we can get some interesting combinations.
Things to consider:
- The dynamics and accents suggest a wide dynamic range. The recording encompasses a range far greater than the ff to p in the music. You are not bound to the exact dynamics notated in the piano part. (You never are.)
- There are several ways to orchestrate dynamic contrast. You can simply have the same instruments change dynamics. You can juxtapose loud instruments followed by soft instruments. You can use a subset of the whole for soft passages.
- The piano cannot crescendo during a held note, but an instrumental ensemble can. The slurs indicate phrase markings in the piano. Consider whether subtle (or unsubtle) dynamic shaping would add to the musicality of your orchestration.
- Think about specifying articulations. Accents are definitely mandated where indicated, but you can also indicate articulations at other places in the music that may not match the phrase markings.
- Understand the form of the piece. It is short, but you should be able to easily recognize the sectional divisions. Form can influence your orchestration. For example, repeated sections/phrases can use the same instrumentation, or you could make a decision to vary the orchestration of repeated passages (or contrast them). What is important is that you can decide things.
- Recognize the triadic and polychordal nature of the piece. Keep the integrity of the triads in each hand, and their registral separation that allows one to hear both triads sounding. Octave doublings are ok, with some caveats. Doubling the top part/triad up an octave would be fine, if we have the instruments to do it. (With our group, it may sound a little thin and shrill. No offense.) Doubling the lower part/triad up and octave would be a problem, as you would get part crossing and mush when the two parts converge. Doubling the lower part down an octave would also pose problems, as triads played in lower registers tend to sound more muddy than triadic. You need more space between voices than a third. You could consider doubling the lowest note of the left-hand chords down an octave, or the lowest two notes (which form a perfect fourth).
Our possible instrumentation available for this assignment is listed below. Note that letters after an instrument refer to a person that can play more than one instrument. For example, the A listed after Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Alto Saxophone, means that one person plays all of those instruments. If you choose to use an oboe, you cannot have two flutes, since A performs oboe and one of the two flute parts. Lettered performers can only play one instrument at a time.
- 2 Flutes (A, B)
- Oboe (A)
- 3 Clarinets (A)
- NO BASSOON
- 2 Alto Saxophones (A)
- Horn (C)
- Trumpet (C)
- 2 Trombones, tenor and bass (B)
- Tuba (B, or maybe D if Zac remembers a mouthpiece)
- Piano (and Melodica)
- 2 guitars
- 3 Violins
- Viola (D)
- Double Bass
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