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3. jazz bands: instrumentation varies
a. reed section: saxophones, clarinet
b. brass section: trumpets and trombones
c. rhythm section: percussion, piano, double
bass, and electric guitar
4. 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. rehearses ensembles in practice sessions
5. 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: 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 grand fugue
a. polyphonic form, Baroque era (1600–1750)
B. LG 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 dif fer ent instrument timbres
b. vari ous instrument combinations
OUTLINE
I. Choral Groups, Sung Music
A. Homogenous sound
1. chorus: large body of singers
2. choir: smaller group of singers
3. 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. Heterogeneous performing body, diverse
instruments
1. gamelan orchestra: Balinese and Javanese
a. gongs, xylophone- like instruments, and drums
2. symphony orchestra: Western ensemble
a. strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion
b. over 100 musicians
c. strings: “heart” of the orchestra
IV. Wind, Jazz, and Rock Bands
A. Band: American institution; winds and percussion
at core
1. concert band (wind ensemble): 40 to 80 players
2. marching band: sporting events, parades
a. military origins: drum majors or majorettes,
ags, and ries
CHAPTERfi11 Musical Ensembles
Berlin Philharmonic (Iván Fischer, cond.) performing
Schubert’s Fifth Symphony in 2011: http:// youtu . be / 6y
VSSK46UqY
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Mariss Jansons,
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. Listen to the excerpts from the online play list below. Can
you identify the performing ensemble (orchestra, chorus,
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?
2. Below is a list of twentieth- and twenty- first- century
orchestral conductors who have made their marks as
inuential figures in the profession. Search the web for
per for mances featuring these conductors in action. How
do their stage presences differ? How do the musicians
respond to their gestures? Choose at least three conduc-
TEACHING CHALLENGES
It might be useful to take time to introduce students to the
3. Part III: Fugue; theme fragment played in
imitation
a. instruments presented in same order as
variations
1. To gain familiarity with the vari ous types of choral
ensembles
2. To gain familiarity with the vari ous types of instrumen-
tal chamber ensembles
3. To gain familiarity with the vari ous types of concert,
jazz, and rock bands
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
rus. Prompt students to identify the vocal makeup of each
se lection. 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, Anon–
ymous IV, etal.), using the same teaching strategy.
the orchestra. When these shots come into view, pause
the video and ask the class to identify how the vari ous
instrument families are arranged in the seating plan. Ask
the class to consider how the vari ous timbres of the
conductors play out in these examples?
Musical Ensembles | 31
YOUR TURN TO EXPLORE
Below are seven YouTube clips that feature the diverse cham–
1. Schubert: Octet in F Major
Model response:
Ensemble: octet
3. Beethoven: Septet in E– at Major, Op. 20
Model response:
4. Ligeti: Six Bagatelles
Model response:
Ensemble: woodwind quintet
5. Schumann: Piano Quartet in E– at Major, Op. 47
Model response:
Ensemble: piano trio
Ensemble: Brass quintet; instrumentation: trumpet
(2), French horn, trombone, and tuba
features of the listening guide. You may also find that stu-
dents need to review the concepts listed under “What to lis-
ten for” (melody, meter, harmony, texture, form). Although
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
teen essays in this collection, Tim Car ter and Erik Levi’s “His-
tory 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.
2006. A collection of essays on topics ranging from instrumen-
tal studies (“Technical Development of Musical Instruments”) to
reception (“The Rise of the Classical Repertory in Nineteenth-
tory of an Institution, 1650–1815. New York and Oxford: Oxford
chapter.