Musical Theatre Orchestration

Stellenbosch University

Musical Theatre Instrument ation

A look at the classical orchestra and the jazz band compared to the musical theatre orchestra.

Kelsey Müller

. Introduction !ookin" at the instrumentation o# a symphonic $ork can provide an idea o# $hat sort o# piece one is dealin" $ith. %or e&le' a small orchestra $ith #e$ $ood$inds' brass and percussion already tells us that there is a chance that the piece could be an earlier $ork #rom the ())s $hile a lar"e orchestra tells us that the piece $as composed later and much closer to the t$enty*+rst century. ,hile o# these types o# deductions are #airly dan"erous' as many e&ceptions occur' they o#ten provide insi"ht into the piece that one is studyin". In the same $ay musical theatre orchestras-bands provide similar insi"hts into $hat the style the musical is in and $hether it is an early or recent musical. I $ill thus compare the instrumentations o# jazz and classical music to musical theatre and see $here musical theatre +ts in and $here the speci+c types o# instrumentations stem #rom. ock musicals and musicals $here small bands are used $ill be e&cluded.

/. The 0lassical 1rchestra Strin"s The classical has evolved over many centuries and thus there is no one speci+c instrumentation setup. It is' ho$ever' commonly kno$n that the instruments o# the symphonic orchestra are divided into #our sections. These sections are the $ood$inds' brass' percussion and strin"s. A #e$ sources call the strin" section the #oundation 20asella 3 Mortari' /))45 ()6 o# the orchestra and note that the strin"s are o#ten considered the most important section 2Adler' /))/576 and dominant 28iston' 9(95:6 2in the orchestra. The +rst section to be #ully developed $as the strin" orchestra and thus it become the bi""est section o# the orchestra. The strin" section is also the lar"est section in the orchestra $ith t$o violin parts' a viola part' cello part and bass part. This section is the only section' ho$ever' $here multiple instruments play on the same part. This has o#ten led to divisions in the parts. Accordin" to imsky*Korsakov 29(45 76 a small orchestra contains ei"ht +rst violins and a #ull orchestra contains si&teen +rst violins. ;o$ever' there are modern $orks $ith much lar"er res Flute Concerto in D major, K. 31 277?6' Flute Concerto in ! major, K. 3132777*77?6 and O"oe Concerto

in C major, K. 31 27776 all $ritten close to each other contain @utes' oboes and even horns' $hich are brass' but no clarinets or bassoons. !ater Mozart composed his #amous Die #au"er$%te, K, &'( 2796 $hich contained a relatively small orchestra by today>s standards. Mozart>s opera contains $ood$inds in t$o 2Mozart' ?795 6. ,ood$inds in t$o contains t$o @utes' t$o oboes' t$o clarinets and t$o bassoons 2imsky*Korsakov' 29(45 :6. Another piece that contains this setup is Concerto or small orchestra, O).:4 29/76 by Albert oussel. This is one o# three setups that have become common place in the instrumentation setup o# $ood$inds in the orchestra. The other setups include $inds in three and $inds in #our. ,inds in three contains t$o @utes one piccolo' t$o oboes one n"lish horn' t$o clarinets one bass clarinet or b clarinet and t$o bassoons and contrabassoon 2imsky*Korsakov' 9(45 :6. An e&le o# $inds in three can be seen in the pieces *ictures at an +hi"ition 2?96 by Mussor"sky arran"ed by avel and Concerto or Orchestra 294:6 by Bartok. ,inds in #our contains three @utes one piccolo $ith one @ute possibly doublin" on alto @ute or bass @ute' three oboes one n"lish horn' three clarinets one bass clarinet and one clarinet doublin" on b clarinet and three bassoons one n"lish horn 2imsky*Korsakov' 9(45 :6. An e&le o# a piece $ith $inds in #our is Bartok>sKossuth 29):6. !ater $e $ill see that the $ood$ind section is very diCerent in musical theatre instrumentation.

Sa&ophones are not o#ten #ound in the classical symphonic orchestra' ho$ever' there are naturally a #e$ cases $here this does occur. achmaninov>s-ym)honic

Dances 294)6 contains $inds in three $ith an added alto sa&ophone $hile avel makes use o# a Sopranino' Soprano and Tenor Sa&ophones inolero 29/?6.

Brass Brass is the section that may have under"one the most chan"e since its introduction into the orchestra 28iston' 9(95 /)(6. Datural horns and trumpets e&isted 28iston' 9(95 /)(6 and thus more $ays o# achievin" notes $ere needed such as the crook used in horns be#ore valve $ere created 2Adler' /))/5 :46. Brass remains the most standardized section other than strin"s in the orchestra. Accordin" to Adler the standard instrumentation #or the brass is #our horns' three trumpets' three trombones and a tuba 2Adler' /))/5 /976. 0omposers o# course i"nore these standardizations o#ten in compositions such as ,a"ner $ho o#ten used si& horns instead o# #our. Many o# the pieces mentioned above use the standard horn instrumentation "uideline.*ictures at an +hi"ition' -ym)honic

Dances and olera are e&les o# this althou"holero does include a piccolo trumpet. Some composers pre#er to e&chan"e the third trombone $ith a bass trombone such as Bartok $ho did so inConcerto or Orchestra. The strin"s and $ood$inds are arran"ed in the order o# the instruments> ran"es' ho$ever' in the brass section the horns are above the trumpets even thou"h the trumpets have the hi"hest ran"e o# the brass instruments. The horn appeared in orchestras Amore-n"lish ;orn-;eckelphone III. 0larinet-Soprano Sa&-%lute-ecorder-8iccolo IG. Bassoon-Bass 0larinet-Bb 0larinet

Trumpet-%lu"elhorn Trombone-Tuba : ;orns

=uitar 2Acoustic-Dylon-Synth =tr.6 Hulcimer-=uitar 8ercussion ;arp

Giolins Giola 0ello Bass

44.

The Sound o# Music

Music by5

ichard od"ers

!yrics by5

1scar ;ammerstein II

Source5 od"ers' . 9(). The -ound o 4usic . musical scoreJ De$ ork5 ,illiamson Music Inc. Instrumentation5

/ %lutes-8iccolos 1boe' n"lish ;orn / Bb 0larinets Bassoon

: ;orns : Bb Trumpets / Trombones Tuba

8ercussion ;arp

Giolin I Giolin II Giola 0ello Bass

4F.

,est Side Story

Music by5

!eonard Bernstein

!yrics by5

Stephen Sonheim

Source5

Bernstein' !. 9F?. =est -ide -tory. musical scoreJ De$ ork5

Boosey 3 ;a$kes Inc. Instrumentation5

eeds5 I. 8iccolo-%lute-Alto Sa&ophone-0larinet in Bb-Bass 0larinet II. 0larinet in b-0larinet in Bb-Bass 0larinet

III. 8iccolo-%lute-1boe-n"lish ;orn-Tenor Sa&ophone-Baritone Sa&ophone-0larinet in Bb-Bass 0larinet IG. 8iccolo-%lute-Soprano Sa&ophone-Bass Sa&ophone-0larinet in Bb-Bass 0larinet G. Bassoon

/ ;orns : Trumpets in Bb / Trombones

Timpani 4 8ercussionists 8iano-0eleste lectric =uitar-Spanish =uitar-Mandolin

Giolin I*GII 0ello I*IG Bass

4(.

7. Biblio"raphy Absil' %. /)4./rran0in0 "y +am)le The *ractical !uide to @aBB and *o)

Orchestra /rran0in0. Detherland5 %. =. E. Absil. Adler' S. /))/. The -tudy o Orchestration. De$ ork' !ondon5 ,. ,. Dorton 3 0ompany' Inc. Albert' . 9/7. Concerto or -mall Orchestra. musical scoreJ O). 3. 8aris5 Hurand. Andersson' B. 3 Ulvaeus' B. 9?9.Chess. musical scoreJ De$ ork5 : Kni"hts !TH. Bartok' B. 94(. musical scoreJConcerto or Orchestra. musical scoreJ !ondon5 ;a$kes 3 Son 2!ondon6 !td. BartOk' B. 9(:. Kossuth. musical scoreJ Budapest5 ditio Musica. Bartolozzi' B. 974. :e5 -ounds or =ood5inds. !ondon5 1&#ord University 8ress. Bernstein' !. 9F?. =est -ide -tory. musical scoreJ De$ ork5 Boosey 3 ;a$kes Inc. Bock' E. 9((. The /))le Tree. musical scoreJ De$ ork5 ;al !eonard 8ublishin" 0orporation. Bro$n' . B. 999. *arade. musical scoreJ !os An"eles5 Semolina %ar#elle Music 0o. Inc. 0rumb' =. 977. -tar Child. musical scoreJ De$ ork5 0. %. 8eters 0orporation. =reen Hay. /))9./merican diot. musical scoreJ De$ ork5 Al#red. ;amlisch' M. 3 Kleban' . 977./ Chorus 9ine. musical scoreJ U.S.A.5 ,ren Music 0o.' Inc. and American 0ompass Music 0orp. Kostka' S. /))(. 4aterials and TechniEues o T5entiethCentury 4usic . De$ Eersey5 8earson 8rentice ;all. !ane' B. 9?7. On / Clear Day ;ou Can -ee Fore