Orchestration is a vital part of any composer’s project. If you are working with a small ensemble or an 80-piece orchestra, it is essential to provide flow, colour and emotive interest in any composition project.
In this article we will explore the importance of this facet of composition, basic tips on how to begin to develop this skill for yourself, and how this can help ensure a flawless recording once completed.
This will be a multi-parted series that explores the nuances of orchestration, evaluating techniques one instrument group at a time. Based on academic resources such as Samuel Adler’s The Study of Orchestration and Elaine Gould’s Behind Bars, which are widely regarded as the bibles for all things orchestration, this series of articles will aim to condense this vital information into a helpful handbook for all composers to develop a solid foundation in the making of their scores. Written for all levels of musical literacy, this series of articles will include visuals, audio and explanations to allow you to get the best sound from your compositional ideas, and allow the greatest success when recording your masterpiece.
What is Orchestration?
Always a good place to start, orchestration is how we arrange different parts in a score to best suit the intended sound, emotions and instruments. The orchestra includes different families of instruments - strings, brass, woodwind, and percussion - that all have unique tonal qualities, abilities and sounds. When understood, these vastly different tones can be harnessed to create beautiful soundscapes, varying from angelic flute solos to dramatic brass sections.
Once we understand the tools in our toolbelt we can begin to add an extra dimension into our compositions. By learning how to weave the parts together, using contrapuntal and homophonic textures, imitation, harmony, augmentation, diminution and countermelodies (these will be explored and explained in future articles), we can create complex and exciting variations of the beautiful melodies we wish to bring to life. Without the rich history of orchestral music over the centuries, we would not have the countless techniques for scoring our melodies, and so would be void of the mesmerising and intricate music we hear today.
The Tune
Throughout this series we will use this simple melody as the foundation of our explanations, orchestrating it in a variety of different ways to demonstrate different techniques. Based in the key of C minor (including B, E and A flats), this melody begins on the root note of a C, with a generally descending melodic line, a D flat is included in the second bar for a little interest, and a simple rhythm (ignoring the short embellishments). Alongside this the large leaps between the notes continue to add interest and a mellow feel. Finishing on a G (five notes above the C when counted in an ascending scale), this creates a feeling of anticipation and incompletion at the end of the melody, alluding to what may come next. Below, a picture of the score is included alongside a short audio clip. You may notice the mellow sound achieved through the sad minor key and descending melodic line - we will experiment with this and see how we can alter the mood through some creative orchestration.
The Orchestra and the Score
Essential to the success of an orchestra, a well written score allows the musicians to intuitively understand and work together to produce a fantastic sound. Much like a football team, all of the individuals have to work collaboratively, following a well set game plan (the score) under the direction of the manager (the conductor). When recording, a well orchestrated score allows the musicians and conductor to understand your vision more clearly and allows the sound technicians to draw the very best sound from the performance. If you use simplicity or a more complex approach, when used correctly the effects can be incredibly powerful. Hans Zimmer’s Dream is Collapsing from Inception is a fantastic example of simplistic scoring. Much like most of his work there are at most three different musical lines, delegated to the correct instruments creating a massive, awe inspiring sound. Listen out for the rhythmic ‘chugging’ of the strings and percussion, the metronomic violin countermelody, and the grand brass melody, all combining into a colossal sound.
A fantastic example of the beauty of more complex orchestration is Micheal Giaccino’s Guardians of the Whills Suite. On first listening you may only hear a melody and its accompaniment, but listen closely and see the depth created in this piece by the many different fragments of the melody underneath the overriding tune. In the beginning the melody is passed between different instruments, imitating and developing the melody and countermelody, with an almost call and response quality echoing the melody throughout the orchestra. After listening to this piece well over a hundred times we can still find new parts appearing within the thick texture and clever orchestration.
Orchestration Examples
As with anything musical, an example is infinitely better than words. Below we have orchestrated the melody twice - the first is an example of poor orchestration and the second is a more ideal representation of how the melody could be orchestrated. Please remember this is only one of an endless combination of ways to score this melody - there are so many different ways to change the orchestration to fit the intended mood, but we will delve into this in future articles.
In the first example the score remains stiff, doubling the melody over different parts with no variation throughout, with a simple rhythm and harmony that results in a directionless melodic idea. Similarly, the instrumentation is non-idiomatic (not suitable for the chosen instrument), such as the trumpet and clarinet parts which are written at the very top of their range creating a harsh, piercing sound, alongside a solo bassoon that is expected to play double-stopped (two notes at once) which is impossible on this instrument. Finally, the countermelody and bassline remain stagnant with little harmonic or rhythmic interest, finishing with an unconvincing cadence, again feeding into this directionless feeling.
The second example utilises all available instruments of the orchestra in an idiomatic way - respecting the range, abilities and specialisms of each instrument. Using the solo oboe reinforced by the harp, the strings accompany using textual techniques to ensure contrast and depth; pizzicato ensures the pulse is established, providing rhythmic stability and drive, and the violin two and viola tremolo provides essential textual and harmonic depth. In the second half the melody diversifies to include harmonising parts on the woodwind and brass, and doubling in octaves the essence of the melody. Importantly, the oboe and harp no longer play a soloistic melody, creating vital contrast and development. A large run into this alongside a wide range of dynamics ensures direction and momentum continues forward. Ending in a dramatic cadence and arpeggiated harp part, this orchestration leaves the melody feeling complete but with an expectation that there is more to come.
The Recording Process
We have spoken a lot about what orchestration is, but how does this affect the quality when it comes to performing and recording your work? In a recording session it is common for the musicians to be performing with little or no prior practice, so it is essential we ensure the music is well suited and playable for each instrument - this is called idiomatic writing. A well written score will give clear instructions of dynamics, mood, playing techniques and style alongside logical and playable musical lines - some instruments can play faster, higher or lower than others!
Besides the musicians, a well constructed score will allow the conductor to draw your intended sound for each note out of the orchestra. This will involve much less stopping and starting in the recording session allowing for longer takes, so saving time (and money!). This will also assist the sound technicians when recording and mixing as the instruments are being used in an optimum way, allowing the very best sound to be drawn and mixed from each part.
Conclusion
Overall, a good score will not only elevate your music to new levels, but it will allow everyone who is supporting you through the process to create music of an exceptional quality. Thinking of instrument pairings, idiomatic writing, texture and harmony, orchestration can be an infinitely creative process with a plethora of options to suit every occasion. Stay tuned for Part 2 where we will be discussing all things strings - the instrument, special techniques, textures and their place in the wider orchestra.
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