What is the purpose of a Young Persons Guide to the orchestra?
Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra was originally an educational piece meant to teach children about all of the different instruments in the orchestra.
What is the Young Person’s Guide to the orchestra based on?
the Rondeau
Structure. The work is based on the Rondeau from Henry Purcell’s incidental music to Aphra Behn’s Abdelazer, and is structured, in accordance with the plan of the original documentary film, as a way of showing off the tone colours and capacities of the various sections of the orchestra.
What instruments are used in the Young Person’s Guide to the orchestra?
There are thirteen variations: (1) flutes and piccolo, with harp accompaniment; (2) oboes; (3) clarinets; (4) bassoons; (5) violins; (6) violas; (7) cellos; (8) double basses; (9) harp; (10) horns; (11) trumpets; (12) trombones and tuba; (13) percussion. Finally, the composition ends with a new tune.
What are the 4 main families of the orchestral instrument?
These characteristics ultimately divide instruments into four families: woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings.
How does orchestra conductor work?
Conductors act as guides to the orchestras or choirs they conduct. They choose the works to be performed and study their scores, to which they may make certain adjustments (such as in tempo, articulation, phrasing, repetitions of sections), work out their interpretation, and relay their vision to the performers.
What instrument are in the orchestra?
String instruments can be plucked or bowed. The strings will include violins (first and second), violas, cellos, and basses. Woodwind are the second largest section and make sound by blowing through a reed which vibrates. Woodwind instruments in an orchestra include the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.
What is the first chair violinist called?
the concertmaster
The first chair violinist of an orchestra—known as the concertmaster—is a vital musical leader with widely ranging responsibilities, from tuning the orchestra to working closely with the conductor.
What is a master violinist called?
Also Called. First Chair, First Violinist, Concertmistress. The first chair violinist of an orchestra—known as the concertmaster—is a vital musical leader with widely ranging responsibilities, from tuning the orchestra to working closely with the conductor.
What is orchestra instrument?
An orchestra (/ˈɔːrkɪstrə/; Italian: [orˈkɛstra]) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families, including. bowed string instruments such as the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. woodwinds such as the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.
How many sections does an orchestra have?
four
The typical orchestra is divided into four groups of instruments: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
How many players are in an orchestra?
An orchestra is a group of musicians playing instruments together. They make music. A large orchestra is sometimes called a “symphony orchestra” and a small orchestra is called a “chamber orchestra”. A symphony orchestra may have about 100 players, while a chamber orchestra may have 30 or 40 players.
What is a conductor’s stick called?
baton
A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to enlarge and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians.
How does the young person Guide to the orchestra work?
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. The theme is first stated by the full orchestra, then restated by different sections of the orchestra (in order, woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion) before being stated again by the full orchestra. In so doing, Britten makes clear the different timbres of the different sections of the orchestra.
When did Henry Purcell write the young person Guide to the orchestra?
He composed The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (also known as Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell) in 1945. The Young Person’s Guide begins by first playing the main theme, a melody from the 17th century by English composer Henry Purcell.
How are the instruments of an orchestra organized?
Instruments of the Orchestra. Leading the group of musicians in the conductor. The instruments of the orchestra are organized into families: Strings – String Instruments use vibrating strings to make their sound. The violin is an example of a string instrument. Woodwinds – Woodwind instruments are made of a long hollow tube of wood or metal.
Which is the highest pitched instrument in the orchestra?
Generally speaking, he begins with the highest-pitched instruments in each family (for example, flutes and piccolo in the woodwinds) and proceeds to the lowest (in the woodwinds, the bassoon ), with different tempi and energies to make the most of the varied instrumental timbres.