Good Books on Orchestration?
  • Susdem
    Posts: 11
    Hi all,

    I have some talented trumpet players in the parish. I also have some talented string players. I would like to write some instrumental parts incorporating both for some Masses of Thankgiving that we will be having in May (a parish son and a seminarian assigned to our parish are both being ordained in May). I've written a ton of string parts so feel very comfortable writing parts for just strings but am new to doing anything for trumpets or anything that would include both so am looking for some good books on orchestration. Any suggestions?

    Thanks in advance.

    Susan
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,275
    Walter Piston's book "Orchestration" was always my go-to source for orchestration. It's been scanned and is available at:

    https://hugoribeiro.com.br/area-restrita/Piston-Orchestration.pdf

    Thanked by 6probe Liam francis Susdem Drake DavidOLGC
  • probe
    Posts: 77
    There are free tutorials which I have seen other people recommend: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSt_ZRe_mla4tRgYC_GNElQ
    OrchestrationOnline
    Free online tutorial for the craft of orchestration.
    Thanked by 1Susdem
  • Susdem
    Posts: 11
    Thanks! I ordered a used copy of the Walter Piston book since I like hard copies of stuff but will definitely be using the pdf in the meantime and listening to the online tutorials.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • CGM
    Posts: 790
    Other books that you can order hard copies of, linked here in PDF versions:

    1. Treatise on Instrumentation, Hector Berlioz, revised & enlarged by Richard Strauss

    2. The Study of Orchestration, Samuel Adler

    3. Orchestration, Cecil Forsyth
    Thanked by 1Anna_Bendiksen
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,926
    It's unclear what you want to orchestrate. If you just want music with string plus trumpets accompaniment, Mozart has already done the work for you.
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,221
    Adler is great. Forsyth is great for strings (notsomuch winds and percussion), and as a history of orchestral instruments. Plus he's funny; he's to orchestration as Thomas Morley's Plain and Easy Introduction is to practical music theory ca. 1600.

    Mostly you're looking at instrumentation as opposed to orchestration per se; a small church ensemble doesn't have a lot of opportunities in blending and color. A couple of quick precepts though:
    1. Any time a string instrument doubles a brass instrument, it's a waste of a string instrument.
    2. Don't be literal. It's really easy to look at an organ part or voices and say, "This part fits this instrument, so we're home free" when that might not be the most effective thing to do. I had a course once where we had to orchestrate piano pieces that their composers had orchestrated. We'd be assigned a passage, given the instruments that the composer used, and a few hints, and then be on our honor to not look at the composer's version. It was mind-blowing. You probably don't want to add real harmonic material (maybe in a hymn) but look at texture and doubling in a free way. Try to tease out the composer's intentions and implement them with the new possibilities.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Charles_Weaver
    Posts: 170
    I second Jeffrey's assessment of Forsyth. I stumbled on it in Dover paperback early in life when I knew nothing and I still think it's a good read just for history etc.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,221
    Mon chère maitre Bill Bolcom wrote the preface to that Dover edition.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,926
    I was just reminded of this thread by part of an interview with Garrick Ohlsson.
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