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  • Instrumentation and Instrumentology

    Reading threads i had the feeling there is some confusion regarding what is what.

    Terminology:
    Orchestration is not composition!!! ...orchestration is the result from the practise of instrumentation. You may compose and do instrumentation in “one go” with a sample library, but still, orchestration is only the result. The basic classes for composition are: Instrumentation, Instrumentology, Harmony, Formenlehre, Music Theory etc..

    Instrumentation:
    a) The study and practice of arranging music for instruments.
    b) The arrangement or orchestration resulting from such practice.
    c) A list of instruments used in an orchestration.

    Instrumentology:
    (germ. Instrumentenkunde)
    The study of the technical, physical, and technical possibilities of musical instrument.

    Orchestration:
    a) A musical composition that has been orchestrated.
    b) Arrangement of music for performance by an orchestra.

    Harmony:
    a) The study of the structure, progression, and relation of chords.
    b) Simultaneous combination of notes in a chord.
    c) The structure of a work or passage as considered from the point of view of its chordal characteristics and relationships.

    Music theory
    The is a field of study that describes the elements of music and includes the development and application of methods for analyzing and composing music, and the interrelationship between the notation of music and performance practice.

    .

    Professional Books on Instrumentation and Instrumentology:

    There are no books in english who combine Instrumentation and Instrumentology. A whole university curriculum is published in german language by Schott:

    Lehrbuch der Instrumentation und Instrumentenkunde
    by Herman Erpf
    Schott's Söhne
    Mainz 1959
    This is quasi the instrumentation bible!!! ...the only one avaliable on this planet in book form.

    Instrumentology Technical/Physical:

    The Physics of Musical Instruments *
    Rossing, T. D. and N. H. Fletcher (199[H].
    Springer, New York.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0387983740/102-2630672-9424158?v=glance&n=283155

    Die Physik der Musik Instrumente (* the same in german)
    Spektrum der Wissenschaft
    Heidelberg

    Joseph Meifred and the Early Valved Horn in France
    online resource
    http://www.public.asu.edu/~jqerics/meifred.htm
    http://www.public.asu.edu/~jqerics/my_bibliography.htm
    http://www.public.asu.edu/~jqerics/about_articles.htm
    http://www.public.asu.edu/~jqerics/articles_online.htm

    Acoustics of brass instruments
    online resource
    http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/brassacoustics.html

    Instrumentology Specialized:

    Die Flöte
    by Pierre-Yes Artaud
    Zimmermann Frankfurt.

    New Techniques For The Bass Clarinet
    by Henri Bok, Eugen Wendel

    Neue Känge für Holzblasinstrumente
    By Bruni Bartollozzi
    Schott’s Sohne, Mainz

    The Other Flute (second edition)
    By Robert Dick
    Multiple Breath Music
    New York

    The Techniques for Oboe Playing
    By Peter Veale, Claus Steffen Mahnkopf
    Bärenreite
    Kassel,Basel, London New York, Prag
    (The first truly well-grounded compendium of new techniques of oboe playing)

    Applying Natural Horn Technique to Modern Valved Horn Performance Practice
    By Heidi F. Wick
    Online resource
    http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?osu991314575
    http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/multiview.cgi/osu991314575/Dissertation.pdf

    The Well Tempered Timpani
    (did you know that you can play flageolets on a timpano?)
    Online resource
    http://music.nebrwesleyan.edu/wtt/index.html

    Formenlehre:

    Formenlehre der Musik
    by Lemacher-Schroeder
    Gerig Köln.

    Harmony Jazz:

    Jazz Harmonie Lehre – Funktionsharmonik und Modalität
    By Axel Jungbluth
    Schott
    Mainz London New York Tokyo

    Praxis Jazz Harmonisation – Anleitung zum Harmonisieren
    By Axel Jungbluth
    Schott
    Mainz London New York Tokyo

    .

    An example of a Curriculum for Composition and Music Instrumentation:
    http://www.moz.ac.at/german/studies/sr/studplan_e/500-neu.pdf

    .

  • Erpf is a great book, but I think it is not suitable for selfstudies. I would prefer Kunitz: Die Instrumentation (in 13 books!; I don't know if there is an english edition) and Adler: Orchestration.

    To other very important books:
    Tannigel/Peinkofer: Handbuch des Schlagzeugs (also an English edition), Schott
    Rabin/Smith: orchester-stricharten (also an English edition), Gustav Bosse Verlag

    Alban

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    @Alban said:

    Rabin/Smith: orchester-stricharten (also an English edition), Gustav Bosse Verlag


    english original edition:

    Guide to Orchestral Bowings Through Musical Styles
    by Marvin Rabin and Priscilla Smith
    1984, University of Wisconsin Press

    This was a impotant book for me. But it is all with examples of the classic area, no 20th century. But includes the most used orchestra bowing techniques. The german translation is exactly the same and very good too.

    .

  • Online it is possible to have almost any information available for download, mostly in *.pdf format. The older and most most popular books are all available when the copyright is outdated, for example the book from the 19th century.

    Here an newer example of a analysis of trumpet mutes:

    13 Spitzdämpfer für Trompeten (Straight Mutes) im Vergleich
    by Robert Kühtreiber

    http://193.170.4.129/Forschung/pdf_dateien/2004d_K%C3%BChtreiber_Spitzd%C3%A4mpfer.pdf

    .

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    @Angelo Clematide said:



    Orchestration:
    a) A musical composition that has been orchestrated.


    Doesn't feel good...

  • PaulP Paul moved this topic from Orchestration & Composition on