MUSIC 175 Instrumentation and Orchestration Fall 2014 WTh 1:00-1:50 plus small group Monday or Tuesday with Jared Slosberg 212 Instructor: David Rakowski Extension 6-3339/Slosberg 217 Office hours: TBA E-mail: TheCoolOne@brandeis.edu Teaching Assistant: Jared Redmond (jared.redmond@gmail.com) Textbook: The Study of Orchestration, Third Edition. Samuel Adler ISBN-13 978-0393975727. The textbook is required. You may also buy the supplemental CD set for the text, which cost a lot of money but is worth it. The textbook is something you ll need your entire life, unless you re silly. Prerequisite: Music 101a and Music 101b or equivalent experience. Experience in partwriting is essential, as is the ability to read treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs. Class format: Here s letting you know in advance that this class is going to involve a lot of written work. Orchestration is 15.2 percent science and 84.8 percent art, and obviously the science can be taught, but the art comes through experience. Normally, there will be lectures given on Wednesdays and Thursdays and assignments given for you to do on the weekend; the assignments may occasionally differ from what is given on the syllabus. On Mondays or Tuesdays, depending on when small groups are scheduled, the assignments are due, and some of them, randomly chosen, will be criticized at the piano in class. On those Mondays or Tuesdays there will be small group meetings with Jared Redmond for more criticism and guidance at times to be worked out by you and him. Also on Wednesdays are surprise pop quizzes and some lectures. The Monday/Tuesday meetings are required. Listening You are given pieces of music to listen to each week. Most will be found in the latte space for the course, if not found there, search on Naxos for them. Most can be heard on the Naxos online database, and are also referenced in the latte course materials. You are required to keep a journal, as detailed below, about the pieces you are assigned to listen to. Some of the listening is not available online, so you will actually have to go to the library to do it. Scores of public domain music not available in latte may be downloaded from the imslp library. Grading: The written assignments given in the syllabus constitute 85% of the grade. The three surprise pop quizzes count for the other 15% of the grade. You will know in advance when a surprise pop quiz is to be given. Attendance policy: Three unexcused absences allowed. The small group meetings with Jared count toward your attendance. 4 percentage points knocked off your final grade for each unexcused absence greater than 3. Homework policy: all homework is given on Thursday and is due the following Monday or Tuesday at small group meetings. You may be late once. Journal: you are required to keep a journal of notes about the required listening. It will be part of your final portfolio, and is also to be passed in in stages. These notes should
include any musings you have about particular use of instruments, combinations of instruments, and anything you have to say about the music itself. Every three or four weeks you must hand in a listening journal of the pieces assigned for those three weeks. Final portfolio: The final portfolio is due at noon on Monday, December 15. It consists of your final orchestral arrangement or composition, your complete journal, and your three best assignments. Students With Disabilities If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see the instructor immediately. From the Office of Academic Affairs Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at Brandeis University. Each student is expected to turn in work completed independently, except when assignments specifically authorize collaborative effort. It is not acceptable to use the words or ideas of another person--be it a world-class philosopher or your lab partner--without proper acknowledgement of that source. This means that you must use footnotes and quotation marks to indicate the source of any phrases, sentences, paragraphs or ideas found in published volumes, on the internet, or created by another student. Violations of University policies on academic integrity, described in Section 3 of Rights and Responsibilities, may result in failure in the course or on the assignment, and could end in suspension from the University. If you are in doubt about the instructions for any assignment in this course, you must ask for clarification. AUGUST 28 This space intentionally left blank. First class. Discussion of the basics of part writing, contrapuntal and piano textures, strategies for isolating instrumental parts from piano textures. The harmonic series, acoustics, its effects on every aspect of orchestration. Reading: Chapter 1, 17 LISTENING: Haydn Symphony 101 first movement, Beethoven Symphony 4, first movement No Small Group Meetings next week. MUS 175 Page 2 Spring 2014
SEPTEMBER 3 Revisiting the August 28 lecture and the same principles applied to other scores in the latte handouts. Preliminary thinking about orchestrator s tools: handoff, color shift, blending, composite gesture, masking, envelope, attack, sustain, decay. 10 The symphony orchestra. Score order, transposition, notational conventions. Principles of woodwind instruments. Overblowing, slurring, tonguing, etc. 4 Definitions: handoff, color shift, blending, composite gesture, masking, envelope, attack, sustain, decay. Orchestral piano pedaling. Assignment: two arrangements for a quartet of generic instruments of music in handouts. LISTENING: Ravel Pavane pour une infant defunte in both piano and orchestra versions. Ravel Ma Mere L Oye in piano and orchestral versions. 11 The flute family. Assignment: two arrangements of piano excerpts: for a quartet from the flute family. Reading: Chapter 6, 7 LISTENING: Ravel, Daphnis et Chloe, Suite #2. Varése, Density 21.5. Rakowski, Ten of a Kind, movements 3 and 4. 17 SURPRISE POP QUIZ (15 min.) based on listening and reading assignments. Be surprised. Mugging okay. Possible live criticism of two arrangements. Review of principles of overblowing. Special effects for flute. Introduction to double reed family (oboe, bassoon, English horn). 18 The clarinet family Assignment: two arrangements: one for four or five double reeds OR for four or five members of the clarinet family. One for a quartet of flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. Reading: Chapter 8 LISTENING: Schumann, 2nd Symphony slow movement. Stravinsky, Le Sacre du Printemps, Tableau I. Rossini, overture to La Scala di Seta (the silken ladder). Bach, Brandenburg Concerto #2. MUS 175 Page 3 Spring 2014
23 (Brandeis Thursday) FIRST LISTENING JOURNAL DUE. Possible criticisms of two arrangements. Introduction to brass instruments and their relationship to the harmonic series. Valved vs. natural.. Definition: the pedal note. Rakowski plays trombone in class. Millions go eww. 24 Horn and trumpet. Reading: Chapters 9, 10 Assignment: One of the following possibilities: 4 trumpets and 4 horns, or 2 trumpets and 2 horns. LISTENING: Ravel, Piano Concerto in G, 1st movement. Schumann, Konzertstuck for 4 horns and orchestra. OCTOBER 1 More on horn and trumpet. Review of woodwinds. Trombone and tuba. 2 Trombone, euphonium and tuba, mixing brass and woodwinds. Reading: Chapter 11 Assignment: One arrangement for four or five trombones or four trombones and tuba; and one arrangement for brass quintet (2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba) LISTENING: Ravel, Piano Concerto in G, 1st movement. Schumann, Konzertstuck for 4 horns and orchestra. 8 Possible criticism of four arrangements. Concert band. Band vs. wind ensemble vs. marching band. Saxophones. 9 Sukkot. No class. No group meetings next week. Oct. 13 is a free day. MUS 175 Page 4 Spring 2014
15 SECOND LISTENING JOURNAL DUE 16 Shmini Atzeret. No class. More on the concert band (minus percussion). Reading: Chapter. 19 Assignment: one reasonably long arrangement for concert band. LISTENING: Watch, and listen to, the DVD of the US Marine Band concert from the Midwest Conference of December, 2004. Watch carefully all the closeups of instruments. 22 Rakowski in Indiana this week. Taught by Jared. Introduction to harp, celesta, piano as orchestral instruments. Harp pedaling: Did Columbus Bring Enough Food to Go to America? Reading: Chapter 13 and 14 29 SURPRISE POP QUIZ (15 minutes). Based on woodwinds, brass, listening, etc. Live criticism of two arrangements. Principles of string instruments. Bowing, plucking, bouncing, sul ponticello. Notation of same. 23 Review of harp (it s difficult). More on other instruments. Assignment: one arrangement featuring whatever combination of instruments you want, as long as it includes a harp. LISTENING: Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake. Hindemith, Symphonice Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria Von Weber. Debussy, Prelude a l apres-midi d une faune. Rakowski s fifth symphony premieres Saturday. 30 The violin. Positions, crossing strings, double stops, kinds of bowing. Reading: Chapter 2,3 Assignment: Only one arrangement, for four or five violins. LISTENING: Berg, Violin Concerto. Wagner, Prelude to Tristan und Isolde. Live criticism of four arrangements. MUS 175 Page 5 Spring 2014
NOVEMBER 5 The viola, cello and double bass. Reading: Reread Chapter 2. Chapter 5. 6 More on viola, cello and double bass. String section compared to solo strings. LISTENING: Brahms, 4th Symphony first movement. Stravinsky, Agon. Assignment: two arrangements: one for string quartet; one for string quartet and four woodwinds of your choice. 12 THIRD LISTENING JOURNAL DUE More on the string orchestra. Blending woodwinds with strings. Reading: Chapter 8, again. 13 Finish up with strings and string section. If time, intro to percussion instruments. Conventions of notation. Vagaries of mallets. Bass drum beater, drumstick, hard and soft yarn mallets, timpani mallets, triangle beater. Assignment: one arrangement for double winds and strings; one arrangement for winds, strings, and percussion (keep it simple: timpani, drums, cymbals, etc.) LISTENING: Beethoven, String Quartet Op. 95, first movement. Bartok, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, 1st and 2nd movements. 19 SURPRISE POP QUIZ: what we done so far. Orchestral percussion instruments. Vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, crotales, snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, timpani, vibraslap, flex-a-tone, caxixi, maracas. Which instruments may be bowed. Reading: Ch. 12 20 Much more on percussion. If time, introduction to writing for orchestra. Start thinking hard. N.B. Group meetings do happen next week. Assignment: An arrangement for percussion ensemble. A second assignment, either arranged or composed, for percussion. LISTENING: Varèse, Ionisation. Augusta Read Thomas, Jubilee MUS 175 Page 6 Spring 2014
DECEMBER 3 More on writing for orchestra. Issues of generating and formatting parts: page numbers, page turns, transpositions. 4 Writing for orchestra. The orchestral crescendo/decrescendo. Assignment: one arrangement of a complete piece for full orchestra. You may compose for orchestra instead of arranging, but be very careful. Also do at least one part for a transposing instrument (not in C). Reading: Chapter 15, 16. LISTENING: Your choice! Surprise me and be sure to include it in your journal. Look for something really, really cool. 8 (Monday) Last day of classes. Small groups meeting this week for assistance with orchestra arrangement. Criticism of as many arrangements as there is time for. Free food. 15 MONDAY Final portfolio due at noon. Portfolio consists of: Final orchestral arrangement in full score. Three instrumental parts from the orchestral arrangement, including two that are not notated in C. Complete listening journal. Your three best assignments. MUS 175 Page 7 Spring 2014
MUSIC 175 Instrumentation and Orchestration Provisional listening list Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 95 Beethoven Symphony No. 4 Berg Violin Concerto Brahms Symphony No. 4 Debussy Prélude à l après-midi d une faune Haydn Symphony No. 101 Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphisis on Themes of Weber. Rakowski Ten of a Kind Ravel Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2 Ravel Piano Concerto in G Rossini Overture, La Scala di Seta Schumann Symphony No. 2 Schumann Konzertstuck for 4 horns and orchestra Stravinsky Agon Stravinsky Le Sacre du Printemps Tchaikovsky Suite from Swan Lake Augusta Read Thomas Jubilee Varèse Density 21.5 Varèse Ionisation Wagner Prelude to Tristan und Isolde MUS 175 Page 8 Spring 2014