The complete idiot's guide to classical music by Robert Sherman, Philip Seldon, Naixin He Page B
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or set against the tonal splash of a large orchestra.
Three’s Company, but Four or More’s Not a Crowd
As composers grew more adventuresome, they began creating music for multiple voices, each part having its own importance, its own place in the musical scheme of the piece. In other pieces, the highest voice carries the melody, with the others serving more as an accompaniment. In opera, ensemble numbers (like the famous quartet from Rigoletto or the sextet in Lucia ) allow many characters to express simultaneous views or emotions, each singer having his or her own theme, pacing, and expression.
Chorus Lines
When does a chamber ensemble become an orchestra? If you can answer that one, you can tell us when a group of singers becomes a chorus. A good rule of thumb is whether there is more than one singer (or player) on a part. In other words, if you have two or three tenors singing the same notes, you might as well break down and call it a chorus (or choir, possibly, which usually signifies a small chorus). Usually choirs are divided into groups by vocal range (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass being the most customary, although some composers specify six or even eight subdivisions).
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Bet You Didn’t Know
When Haydn went to London, he first heard Handel’s Messiah in a performance at Westminster Abbey by a monster chorus of 1,000 voices, well over 950 more than Handel himself was able to muster at the premiere of the oratorio. According to contemporary reports, when the great “Hallelujah Chorus” reached its final measure, Haydn burst into tears, crying out “He is the master of us all.”
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A mixed chorus—the ones we usually encounter at the opera or in oratorios—contains both male and female singers. When a chorus is made up entirely of women, it’s called a women’s chorus. We’ll give you three guesses about what they call a chorus made up entirely of men.
The Least You Need to Know
The most basic sound is the human voice.
Sopranos are the highest of female voices, mezzo-sopranos the middle, and altos the lowest.
Tenors are the highest of the male voices, baritones the middle, and basses the lowest.
Part 3
Orchestra, My Kingdom for an Orchestra
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We’ve all heard that one, and it is particularly applicable to understanding orchestral music. There are great soloists, to be sure, and what they perform wouldn’t be as satisfying without them. But imagine how things would sound if the clarinetist decided to borrow a lesson from jazz and go into a solo riff, or the second violins decided that the first violinists’ part seemed like more fun. Or maybe those imposing figures in black in front of the podium decided to go on strike. You’d have a bunch of instruments all right, but the result would not be what we call music. Even avant-garde musician John Cage never left that much to chance.
Music can be produced by a huge symphony orchestra or a small chamber ensemble. It can feature a piano, woodwind, or horn. Or it can be entirely an ensemble work. The keyword is unity. The concept of an orchestra or ensemble pulls together all those individual sounds into a pleasing, exhilarating, and ultimately satisfying whole.
Chapter 8
What Is an Orchestra?
In This Chapter
What is a chamber orchestra?
The symphony orchestra
The instruments of the orchestra
Who is the conductor?
According to Webster’s, an orchestra is a large group of players of musical instruments. How large is large? Well, that’s hard to say. If it’s in the range of 12 to 30 players, it’s usually called a chamber orchestra. The regular orchestra ranges up from there to the 100 or so musicians on the roster of the major symphonies around the country.
----
Music Word A baton is a short stick used by conductors to make their hand motions easier for the players to see. It’s usually made of light wood, painted white for greater
Three’s Company, but Four or More’s Not a Crowd
As composers grew more adventuresome, they began creating music for multiple voices, each part having its own importance, its own place in the musical scheme of the piece. In other pieces, the highest voice carries the melody, with the others serving more as an accompaniment. In opera, ensemble numbers (like the famous quartet from Rigoletto or the sextet in Lucia ) allow many characters to express simultaneous views or emotions, each singer having his or her own theme, pacing, and expression.
Chorus Lines
When does a chamber ensemble become an orchestra? If you can answer that one, you can tell us when a group of singers becomes a chorus. A good rule of thumb is whether there is more than one singer (or player) on a part. In other words, if you have two or three tenors singing the same notes, you might as well break down and call it a chorus (or choir, possibly, which usually signifies a small chorus). Usually choirs are divided into groups by vocal range (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass being the most customary, although some composers specify six or even eight subdivisions).
----
Bet You Didn’t Know
When Haydn went to London, he first heard Handel’s Messiah in a performance at Westminster Abbey by a monster chorus of 1,000 voices, well over 950 more than Handel himself was able to muster at the premiere of the oratorio. According to contemporary reports, when the great “Hallelujah Chorus” reached its final measure, Haydn burst into tears, crying out “He is the master of us all.”
----
A mixed chorus—the ones we usually encounter at the opera or in oratorios—contains both male and female singers. When a chorus is made up entirely of women, it’s called a women’s chorus. We’ll give you three guesses about what they call a chorus made up entirely of men.
The Least You Need to Know
The most basic sound is the human voice.
Sopranos are the highest of female voices, mezzo-sopranos the middle, and altos the lowest.
Tenors are the highest of the male voices, baritones the middle, and basses the lowest.
Part 3
Orchestra, My Kingdom for an Orchestra
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We’ve all heard that one, and it is particularly applicable to understanding orchestral music. There are great soloists, to be sure, and what they perform wouldn’t be as satisfying without them. But imagine how things would sound if the clarinetist decided to borrow a lesson from jazz and go into a solo riff, or the second violins decided that the first violinists’ part seemed like more fun. Or maybe those imposing figures in black in front of the podium decided to go on strike. You’d have a bunch of instruments all right, but the result would not be what we call music. Even avant-garde musician John Cage never left that much to chance.
Music can be produced by a huge symphony orchestra or a small chamber ensemble. It can feature a piano, woodwind, or horn. Or it can be entirely an ensemble work. The keyword is unity. The concept of an orchestra or ensemble pulls together all those individual sounds into a pleasing, exhilarating, and ultimately satisfying whole.
Chapter 8
What Is an Orchestra?
In This Chapter
What is a chamber orchestra?
The symphony orchestra
The instruments of the orchestra
Who is the conductor?
According to Webster’s, an orchestra is a large group of players of musical instruments. How large is large? Well, that’s hard to say. If it’s in the range of 12 to 30 players, it’s usually called a chamber orchestra. The regular orchestra ranges up from there to the 100 or so musicians on the roster of the major symphonies around the country.
----
Music Word A baton is a short stick used by conductors to make their hand motions easier for the players to see. It’s usually made of light wood, painted white for greater
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