Instruments of the Orchestra 2
Britten's work, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is a great way to become acquainted with the sound (and look) of the varied instruments of the modern symphony orchestra. This wonderful piece is performed widely across the globe. The linked performance, by the WDR Symphony Orchestra of West Germany, is directed by the Finnish conductor and violinist, Jukka-Pekka Saraste. I suggest you listen to the entire, 17-minute piece before reading this blog post. You also might want to review Part 1 of this short series.
English composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) left the world many wonderful musical treasures, of which The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is one. I love it because it is in no way condescending toward the intended young audience and yet it clearly exposes the sound, timbre, and character of each instrument. The individual variations are so beautifully idiomatic (definition 3)! The clarinet variation, for instance, sounds like wonderful clarinet music--lots of arpeggios across the wide pitch range of the instrument. This is exactly the kind of music we like to hear from the clarinet. Every other variation is similarly idiomatic.
Today, start with Part 2 of this piece, beginning at about 14 minutes into the recording, about 3/4 of the way through.
Part 2 is a complex orchestral fugue, still featuring various individual instruments and their families. The fugue subject, which itself is an 18th variation on Purcell's original theme, is introduced by the instruments and families:
Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bassoon
Violin
Viola
Cello and Double Bass
Harp
French Horn
Trumpet
Trombone (complete with glissandi)
Percussion (with the rest of the orchestra)
Then, while the rest of the orchestra continues with the frenetic fugue subject in all families, the brass enters (at 16:00) in a different, stately meter, majestically recalling the original Purcell theme. Still gives me goosebumps!
Welcome to the glorious symphony orchestra!
This is the second of two posts about this magnificent music and the instruments of the orchestra.
Next post: MIM is local treasure