The symphony orchestra: the instruments of the woodwind section [series]

Title

Creator

Osbon, Bert Paul

Language

English

Source

The Young Citizen 5 (7) July 1939

Year

1939

Subject

Symphony orchestras

Woodwind instruments

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

THE YOUNG CITIZEN 2..j.J MUSIC APPRECIATION SECTION THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Hr BERT PAUL OSBON• (Cc111tin111'd fni111 tlir f1111r 1111111b1'r) VII. THE INSTRl'MENTS OF THE WOODWIND SECTION C<Jnfrabnssorm Bassoon /Ja.fS dt1ritll't C!ariurt f:11r1lisl1 /i1Jrn Oboe Flute Piccolo 1:--: the \\'oodwind section of the symphony orchestra the four ''voices" (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) arc represented roughly by the flute, the ob"e· the clarinet, and the bassoon. Of course · these instruments do not sound like the voices singing in a chorus, but they are something like it. When the woodwind section of the orchestra is heard without other instruments, it sounds quite similar to a pipe organ. Now let us examine each instrument of this section. The Flute In the illustration at the top of this page you will see the picture of the flute. The flute is the coloratura soprano of the woodwind family of the orchestra. (Coloratura means capable of performing •Formerly Super\'i~or of Public School :Husic, Uount Lebanon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. runs, trills, etc.) It is an instrument of .~reat antiquity. Its origin may be traced to some of the instruments of ancient Greek mythology. Seu I ptures and paintings of ancient Egypt and Greece show that the instrument was used and liked by those peoples. Ability to play the flute was a required part iri the .education of a boy of ·ancient Greece. It was used to accompany the chorus in the Greek theatre, and skillful performers received high pay. The Romans adopted it in later times. Most of the flutes of those times were vertical instruments blown from the end. The present flute is a transverse instrument- that is, it is held sideways while being played. (See the illustration on this page.) It is a pipe, one end of which is closed, and is made of metal or wood. Although made of metal, it is THE YOUNG CITIZEN July, 1939 still called a woodwind instrument. The player of the flute blows across, not into, a hole in the side called the mouthpiece· or embouchur.e (pronounced om-booshur). · The remarkable agility and "speaking" powers of the flute bring it into constant use as· a melodic instrument. It is often given the melody in unison with the violins. Its upper tones are brilliant and birdlike, well suited to light, delicate passages. The effects of tenderness and melancholy are also within the powers of this instrument. Three flutes are generally used in a modern symphony orchestra, although one of them is some" times replaced by the piccolo. The Piccolo The piccolo is a little flute. It is often called the octave flute because it sounds an octave higher since it is only half as long as a flute. (See the illustration on page 243.) The tone of the piccolo is shrill and piercing, and far above the range of the human voice. The Oboe The oboe, English horn, bassoon, and contrabassoon are often referred to as the oboe family, since the method of playing and producing tone is the same in all four. The tone is produced by the vibration of two very thin pieces of bamboo or cane which are called a double-reed. These instruments are more difficult to play than other wind instruments, but players who can manage them are always in demand. Reed instruments of the oboe type have been found in the tombs of ancient Egypt, and are shown in ancient Greek sculptures and paintings. The oboe is one of the oldest instruments of the orchestra. The modern oboe (pronounced o-bo) is a ·double-reed instrument which is used as the lyric soprano· of the woodwind family. The oboe is especially valuable in the orchestra as a solo instrument, and its thin; nasal, penetrating but facinating·tones are suggestive of outdoor simplicity of ·country life. (See the illustration on page 243.) Only a very light breath pressure is requir.ed to play the oboe, so the player must partially hold his breath. This 'causes him to tire quickly. Therefore the music for this instrument must be written so as to give the player an occasicmal chance to rest. In the orchestra the oboe may often be heard in duets, speaking to and answering the flute, clarinet, bassoon, or another oboe. The modern symphony orchestra uses two or three oboes. This instrument always sounds the A from which the other instruments in the orchestra tune. The En_qlish Horn Compare the picture of the English horn (page 243) with that of the oboe. Notice tha: the English horn is much longer. It is really a large oboe; it h~s a double-reed; and is played like the dboe. In fact, it is one of the oboe players in the orchestra who plays the English horn. The name English horn is not a correct name; this instrument is not a horn at all, but is an alto obo~. The English horn often plays melancholy (sad) music, and sometimes suggests suffering to the listener. The rich tone quality of this instrument is well (Plf'flse t11r11 to page 257.) July, 1939 SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (Continued from page 244) suited to dreamy, melancholy music. It has all the reediness and tender expressiveness of the oboe. While it is sometimes used to express the joys of the pastoral life, th.ere is always a suggestion of sadness and loneliness in its voice. While playing the English horn, the player must hold his breath.under great cont r o I. This produces considerable tension in the lips, lungs, and chest. Ther.efore the Eng 1 is h horn, like the oboe, is a difficult instrument to play. Tlze Clm·inet The clarinet (illustrated on page 243) has been called "the queen of the woodwind" because it is capable of doing many. things. It is a single-reed instrument about two feet long. Much has been said in praise of the tone quality of the clarinet, which has been described as noble, refined, mellow, lonely, weird, and sornber. It is the dramatic soprano of the woodwind section. The modern symphony orchestra usually employs two clarinets, a 1 thou g h more are sometimes used. THE YOUNG CITIZEN T lze Bass CIMinet By looking carefully at the picture of the bass clarinet (page 243) you will notice that it is larger than the clarinet. For this rea257 COFFEE ( Ca11tilr11ed from p119e 2+6) fee was cultivated in other tropical countries of Asia and South America. The varieties of coffee son it can play lower tones which have been permitted than the clari.net can play. to grow wild are 20 feet or The bass clarinet looks more in height, but the culsomething 1 i k e a saxo- tivated bushes are kept phone, which is made of trimmed to 6 or IO feet, so metal and does not haye the berries may be picked such a good tone as the bass more readily. clarinet has. The leaves of the coffee Th e b a s s clarinet is made of wood, and its voice is powerful and reedy. It sounds lil<e the 1ower tones of a pipe organ. Tlze Bassoon The bassoon (illustrated on page 243) is a doubler e e d instrument which plays the bass (the lowest part) for the woodwind choir. It is a large instrument. It has been called "the clown" of the orchestra, because it can play in a grotesque manner. There are usually two bassoons in the orchestra, but sometimes more are used. Tlze Contrabassoon By looking at the picture of the contra bassoon (page 243) you will notice that it is larger than the bassoon. Because it is larger, it can play lower tones. Alplant are green and glossy on the upper surface. The flowers are · w h i t e and sweet-scented. The fruit is of an oval shape and of a da~k-red color when ripe. Each fruit contains two cells, and each cell has a, single seed which is the coffee as we see it before it is roasted. (See the illustration on page 246.) Gr.eat attention is paid to the culture of coffee, espec i a 1 1 y in Arabia. The· (Please turn to page 259.) though it has a different appearance, it is played like the bassoon. A bassoon player iA the orchestra usually plays the contrabassoon when it is needed. Next month we shall discuss each of the instruments of the brasswind section. (Please turn to page 260:) 260 WHEK SCOUTS \VEl\T ( C&11tim1ftl from pa gr 2 56) gan to scrape the clay off. "I wonder what kind of a stone this is. It's so shiny. Guess I'll show it to our high school principal." A few days later Esteban showed his rock specimen to Mr. Diaz, the principal of their school, who knew something of geology. Mr. Diaz"exam'ined it carefully. "Come with me, Esteban. We are going to have it examined by an expert," said Mr. Diaz in a few minutes. Soon they were at an assayer's office. The h~ad assayer looked at it. Then he made some tests. "Where did you find this, my boy?" the assayer asked. Esteban told him. "Do you know what this is?" "N: o, sir," said Esteban. "What is it?" "Well, young man, you found a gold nugget-a fairly large one. This nugget is worth, I should judge, about two thousand pesos. Leave this with me and we shall soon find exactly what it is worth." Esteban could hardly believe his ears. Two thousand pesos! That would put him through college. The news soon spread, and everybody was conTHE YOUNG CITIZEN gratulating the boy upon his discovery. One of the first was Rolando. "That afternoon we went hiking I was not so unlucky after all," said Esteban. "Coy found a flower, Fil found a bug-no, I mean a beetle, Jo found a chrysalis, and Art found a feather. But I found a college education!" "Anything can happen when a scout goes hiking," answered Rolando. REYIEU'. I. Did you find this story interesting? Why? 2. Tell something about orchids. Jul,·, 1939 SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (Co111;,,t1td from page 257) REVIEW QUESTIONS I. Can you name. the instruments of the w.oodwind section? 2. Have you examined the picture of each instrument? (See page· 243.) 3. Can you tell about each of the following instruments: (a) flute, (b) piccolo, (c) oboe, (d) English horn, (e) clarinet, (f) bass clari.net, (g) bassoon, ( h) contrabassoon? 4. What is a reed? 5. Can you name the single-reed instruments of the woodwind section? The double-reed instruments? 6. Which ones hav.e no 3. Tell something about reed? the hercules . beetle. 7. Which is the smallest 4. What is a chrysalis? 5. Tell something about the giant moth. 6. Tdl something about the bleeding-heart pigeon. 7. What·is a legend? 8. Tell the legend of the bleeding-heart pigeon. 9. Has gold ever been mined in the Philippines? (Yes, and some gold nuggets have been found._...:T he Editor.) 10. What did Esteban mean when he said, "I found a college education"? woodwind instrument? 8. Which i s I a r g est woodwind instrument? 9. Which woodwind instruments have you seen and heard? IO. Which woodwind instruments can play a solo? (All except the contrabassoon.) 11. What are the most ancient types of woodwind instruments? (Flute, oboe) 12. What ancient nations had instruments of the oboe type? 13. How was the flute regarded by the ancient Gr.eeks?

Media