Orchestration

Lore & Background

In classical music, composers historically orchestrated their own work, and only gradually did orchestration become a separate profession. In modern classical music, composers almost invariably orchestrate their own work, with notable exceptions such as Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Malcolm Arnold's orchestration of William Walton's String Quartet in A minor. In musical theatre, film music, and other commercial media, it is customary to use orchestrators and arrangers due to time constraints or the composer's level of training.

Reader's Guide

Orchestration is significant because it determines the tone color and texture of a musical work. The choice of instruments, registers, and dynamics can dramatically alter the sound—for example, a C major chord played by trumpets and trombones fortissimo in upper registers sounds bright, while the same chord played by cellos and double basses sul tasto doubled by bassoons and bass clarinet sounds heavy and dark. Orchestrators may assign melodies to specific sections, double them with other instruments, or incorporate electric and electronic instruments like the electric guitar, theremin, or synthesizer to create new tonal colors. The profession requires training, often a bachelor's or master's degree, though experience can suffice in commercial settings. Orchestration is not limited to orchestras; it applies to any ensemble, such as woodwind quintets or concert bands.

Did You Know?

• Orchestration is also called instrumentation.
• In musical theatre, the composer typically writes a piano/vocal score and hires an orchestrator to create the instrumental score for the pit orchestra.
• In jazz big bands, a lead sheet with melody and chords may be fleshed out by orchestrators into parts for saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and rhythm section.
• Some instruments like woodwinds and brass are monophonic, while strings, piano, harp, and pitched percussion are polyphonic.