CHAPTER 11
Musical Ensembles
OVERVIEW
Chapter 11 provides an introduction to various types of performing ensembles, with a focus on
choral groups, instrumental chamber ensembles and bands, and the orchestra.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To gain familiarity with the various types of choral ensembles
2. To gain familiarity with the various types of instrumental chamber ensembles
3. To gain familiarity with the various types of concert, jazz, and rock bands
4. To understand the makeup of the symphony orchestra and the roles of the concertmaster and
conductor
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
1. After reviewing the ranges of voices (SATB) from Chapter 9, play a series of excerpts that
explore a variety of choral ensembles. Some examples include the Confutatis from Mozart’s
Requiem (SATB, featuring paired women’s and men’s voices), and Josquin’s El grillo
(men’s chorus, featuring countertenors). The Laudi alla Vergine Maria from Verdi’s
Quattro pezzi sacri showcases the women’s chorus. Prompt students to identify the vocal
makeup of each selection. Consider also comparing a large grand chorus (e.g., the Anvil
chorus from Verdi’s Il trovatore) with a chamber choir (e.g., the King’s Singers,
Chanticleer, Anonymous IV, etc.), using the same teaching strategy.
2. After reviewing the instrument families from Chapter 10, display to the class the seating
plan of the orchestra (see the illustration on p. 51 of the textbook). Next, compare the
seating plans of various orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world. Below are
links to a few YouTube clips that provide large-scale views of the orchestra. When these
shots come into view, pause the video and ask the class to identify how the various
instrument families are arranged in the seating plan. Ask students why, given the various
timbres of the instruments, they think the orchestras are arranged in these various plans.
How do the roles, actions, and movements of the conductors play out in these examples?
▶ Berlin Philharmonic (Iván Fischer, cond.) performing Schubert’s Fifth Symphony in
2011: http://youtu.be/6yVSSK46UqY
▶ Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Mariss Jansons, cond.) performing Mahler’s Second
Symphony (Resurrection) in 2011: http://youtu.be/sHsFIv8VA7w
▶ Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir (Ton Koopman, cond.) performing Ruht wohl,
ihr heiligen Gebeine from J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion in 2011:
http://youtu.be/WreZFn-aqew
▶ London Symphony Orchestra (Leonard Bernstein, cond.) performing Shostakovich’s
Fifth Symphony in 1966: http://youtu.be/zO4Ckome-ps
▶ Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Karl Böhm, cond.) rehearsing and performing
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony in the 1960s: http://youtu.be/1SxVIEJA–nM
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. Listen to the excerpts from the CDs listed below. Can you identify the performing ensemble
(orchestra, chorus, string quartet, etc.)? Can you identify the various voices, instrument
families, and individual instruments that are performing? If many voices or instrument
families are represented, how would you describe the blend of these timbres? Do you think
that certain voices, instrument families, or individual instruments sound better together than
others? Why?
▶ Battle Hymn of the Republic (Civil War song)
▶ Haydn: Symphony No. 100 (Military), II
▶ Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, III
▶ Pachelbel: Canon in D
▶ Schubert: Trout Quintet, IV
▶ America (patriotic song)
2. Below is a list of twentieth- and twenty-first-century orchestral conductors who have made
their mark as influential figures in the profession. Search the Web for performances featuring
these conductors in action. How do their stage presences differ? How would you describe
their conducting styles? How do the musicians respond to their gestures? Can you gather
anything about the personalities of these figures through their conducting styles? If so, how do
you think these traits might affect the musicians performing? What do you think makes these
conductors respected and influential?
▶ Herbert von Karajan
▶ Georg Solti
▶ Leonard Bernstein
▶ James Levine
▶ Eugene Ormandy
▶ John Elliot Gardiner
▶ Seiji Ozawa
▶ Michael Tilson Thomas
▶ Sergiu Celibidache
▶ Gustavo Dudamel
▶ Marin Alsop
▶ Alan Gilbert
TEACHING CHALLENGES
Chapter 11 is the first chapter of the textbook that includes a listening guide (Britten’s The Young
Person’s Guide to the Orchestra). Taking time to introduce students to the features of the
listening guide might be useful. You may also find that students need to review the concepts
listed under “What to Listen For” (melody, meter, harmony, texture, and form). Although this
piece works well as an introduction to the orchestra, students may have trouble detecting
harmony, texture, and form.
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67
Ravel: Boléro
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote, Op. 35
Saint-Säens: Carnival of the Animals
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lawson, Colin, ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2003. Among the fifteen essays in this collection, Tim Carter and Erik
Levi’s “History of the Orchestra” provides a brief yet informative account of the history of
the orchestra from the middle of the seventeenth century to the end of the twentieth.
Peyser, Joan, ed. The Orchestra: A Collection of 23 Essays on Its Origins and Transformations.
2nd ed. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2006. A collection of essays on topics ranging from
instrumental studies (“Technical Development of Musical Instruments”) to reception (“The
Rise of the Classical Repertory in Nineteenth-Century Orchestral Concerts”) to historiography
(“Musicology and the Rise of the Independent Orchestra”). Most useful for this chapter are
the essays on conductors, musical instruments, and the orchestral concert.
Spitzer, John, and Neal Zaslaw. The Birth of the Orchestra: History of an Institution, 1650–
1815. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. A thorough and authoritative
history of the orchestra in its developmental stages. Chapters 9 and 10 deal with the
orchestra during the time of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven and may be the most useful for
the purposes of this chapter.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Musical Ensembles (Chapter 11)
I. Choral Groups
A. Sung music
1. chorus: large body of singers
2. choir: smaller group of singers
3. voice ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, bass (SATB)
4. a cappella: unaccompanied singers
5. madrigal choir, chamber choir: smaller, specialized ensembles
II. Chamber Ensembles
A. Chamber music: two to twelve players, one player per part
1. string quartet: two violins, viola, cello
2. duo sonata: soloist with piano
3. piano trio, quartet, and quintet: piano and string instruments
4. string quintet, sextet, septet, octet
5. woodwind and brass quintets
III. The Orchestra
A. Performing body of diverse instruments
B. Gamelan orchestra: Balinese and Javanese
1. gongs, xylophone-like instruments, and drums
C. Symphony orchestra: Western ensemble
1. strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion
2. over 100 musicians
3. strings: “heart” of the orchestra
IV. Wind, Jazz, and Rock Bands
A. Band: American institution; winds and percussion at core
B. Concert band (wind ensemble): 40 to 80 players
C. Marching band: sporting events, parades
1. military origins: drum majors (or majorettes), flags, and rifles
D. Jazz bands: instrumentation varies
1. reed section: saxophones, clarinet
2. brass section: trumpets and trombones
3. rhythm section: percussion, piano, double bass, and electric guitar
E. Rock bands: amplified guitars, percussion, and synthesizers
V. The Role of the Conductor
A. Group leader for larger ensembles
1. interprets music; decides tempo, dynamics
2. keeps performers together
3. conducting patterns: show emphasis of strong beats
4. baton: stick used to beat standard metric patterns
B. Concertmaster: first-chair violinist
1. decides uniform bowing
VI. The Orchestra in Action
A. Benjamin Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
1. illustrates instrument timbres
2. subtitled Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell
3. based on Henry Purcell (1659–1695) dance tune
4. closes with a fugue
a. polyphonic form, Baroque era (1600–1750)
B. Listening Guide 1: Benjamin Britten, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (1946)
1. Part I: Theme; broad, slow triple meter, minor tonality
a. instrument families as a group
b. stated six times: 1. full orchestra; 2–5. instrument families; 6. full orchestra
2. Part II: 13 short variations
a. illustrate different instrument timbres
b. various instrument combinations
3. Part III: Fugue; theme fragment played in imitation
a. instruments presented in same order as variations
b. full orchestra ending; theme heard over fugue