Annex 2. Musical instruments of the symphony orchestra

The basis of the symphony orchestra is made up of stringed musical instruments. Sometimes this group is also called a string-bow group, since the sound is extracted by a bow, with which the performer leads along the strings. All the instruments of the string group - violin, viola, cello and double bass - have such wonderful qualities as sound extension, softness and evenness of timbre. The violin "sings" in a high voice, the double bass in the lowest, while the viola and cello touch the listeners with their voices in the middle registers.

AND . Strings

Throughout the world, the violin is considered the queen of music, because it is the most common bowed instrument. Italy became famous for the best violins. Outstanding masters Dmatі, Guarneri, Stradivari worked here. They passed on the secrets of making this musical instrument to their families from generation to generation.

The violin has an elegant body. On the upper deck there are cutouts - efs, which are called so for their resemblance to the Latin letter f. A neck with a curl at the end is attached to the body. Inside the case, on two legs, there is a stand through which four strings (mi, la, re and sol) are stretched. During the performance, the violinist changes the pitch by pressing the string to the fretboard with the fingers of his left hand, holding a bow in his right hand, which leads along the strings.

Many different works have been written for the violin by outstanding composers: A. Vivaldi, L. van Beethoven, P. Tchaikovsky, N. Pokorikom and others. The glory of an unsurpassed virtuoso was won by the Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini.

Viola is a stringed bowed musical instrument of the same device as the violin, but larger in size. Through this, the viola has a lower register, and the sound is more saturated, velvety. There are usually 10 violas in a large symphony orchestra.

CELLO is a string-bowed musical instrument of the bass register. It has significantly larger sizes from violin and viola (total height - up to 1.5 m). The sound of the cello is juicy and thick, like a male baritone. Singing melodies most clearly reveal the noble timbre of the cello.

Unlike the violin and viola, which are held horizontally on the shoulder, the cello is held vertically. In ancient times, this instrument was placed on a chair, while the musician had to play while standing. Subsequently, when a metal spire was invented that rests on the floor, cellists began to perform pieces while sitting, which was much more convenient.

For the cello, as an independent instrument, many works have been written, in particular, the well-known suites by J.-S. Bach, variations by P. Tchaikovsky, concertos for orchestra by A. Dvorak, D. Shostakovich and others.

DOUBLE BASIS - the largest instrument of the string-bow group with a low sound. Double bassists play standing up with a bow or pizzicato (striking the strings with their fingers). This bowed string instrument is used in various genres, in particular, in many types of folk and academic music, in jazz, blues, rock and roll.

HARP - plucked string instrument The concert harp, which can be seen in the composition of a large symphony orchestra, is of considerable size. 47 strings of different thicknesses and lengths stretched on a triangular wooden frame 1 m high. With the help of 7 pedals, the performer (harpist or harpist) changes the pitch.

The harp has been known on the territory of Ukraine since ancient times. On one of the frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, you can see this musical instrument.

The significance of the harp in the orchestra lies primarily in the brightness of its sound. She often accompanies other instruments of the orchestra, sometimes she is "trusted" with solo parts. There are many such in the ballets of P. Tchaikovsky, operas by M. Rimsky-Korsakov and G. Wagner, symphonic works by G. Berlioz and f. List. The harp concerto was written by the Ukrainian composer A. Kos-Anatolsky.

II. Woodwinds

FLUTE - one of the oldest instruments, as well as the common name of some wind instruments. In a symphony orchestra, a transverse flute is usually used, sometimes a piccolo flute. The performer - flutist or flutist - holds the instrument horizontally. The nature of the flute sound is quite high, elegant, melodic, poetic, but somewhat cold, flutes are now made of silver-zinc alloy, less often - from precious metal (silver, gold and platinum), even more rarely - from wood or glass.

The oboe is a woodwind instrument, which is a straight conical tube made of ebony or touk wood (about 60 cm). Has 25 holes, 22-24 of which are closed with valves

Sometimes the oboe is used as a solo instrument. A symphony orchestra usually has two or three oboes. One of the first concert pieces for oboe was created by f. Couperin ("Royal Concerts"). Concertos and pieces for oboe were written by A. Vivaldi, G.-f. Handel, J. Haydn, W. -A. Mozart, C. Saint-Saens and others.

Clarinet is an instrument made of noble wood, such as black. It has a wide range, warm and soft timbre. The body of the instrument is a cylindrical tube (about 66 cm), while the oboe has a conical body. The clarinet is used in a wide variety of musical genres and compositions: as a solo instrument, in chamber ensembles, symphony and brass bands, folk music, on the stage and in jazz. In chamber music, the clarinet was used by V. -A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, f. Schubert, N. Glinka.

Bassoon - an instrument made mainly of maple. It has the largest range in its woodwind family (over 3 octaves). When disassembled, the bassoon resembles a bundle of firewood, for which it got its name. There are holes (about 25-30) on the body of the instrument, which the musician opens and closes to change the pitch. Only 5-6 holes are controlled by fingers, for the rest they use a complex valve mechanism.

Usually 2 bassoons are used in a symphony orchestra, they basically duplicate cellos and double basses. Thanks to the bassoon, the melodic line acquires density and coherence. When playing in a high register, mournful intonations often sound.

Composers of the past centuries (I. Haydn, W.-A. Mozart) often provided bassoons with solo parts in symphonies. Several concertos have been written for two bassoons and orchestra.

III. Brass

PIPE - an instrument with significant technical mobility, brightly and rapidly performs staccato (intermittent sounds). It is a long, curved tube that narrows slightly at the mouthpiece and widens near the bell. The basic principle of playing the trumpet is to obtain harmonic sounds by changing the position of the lips and changing the length of the air column in the instrument using the valve mechanism (they are pressed with the right hand).

Trumpet concertos were written by S. Vasilenko, J.-S. Bach, J. Haydn, J. Brahms, By. Bartok, etc.

French Horn - an instrument in the form of a twisted copper tube of a square-shaped shape (in C m), which ends with a wide bell on one side, and a mouthpiece on the other. Among brass brass, it is distinguished by its softness of timbre. The sound can be muffled with the help of a mute (special device).

Trombone - an instrument consisting of a double-curved cylindrical pipe (total length of about 3 m, diameter from 1.5 cm), which ends with a bell. A mouthpiece is installed on the upper part of the pipe, through which the trombonist blows air. The middle part - the wings - is sliding, with its help the musician increases the volume of vibrating air and, accordingly, reduces the sound of the instrument.

TUBA is a rare wind instrument, the lowest in sound. The first tubas were used in military bands, then in a symphony orchestra. The first significant symphonic work where the tuba is used is the "Fantastic Symphony" by G. Berlioz. In a symphony orchestra, only one tuba is used, in a wind orchestra - two. Tuba performers usually play sitting, hanging it on suspenders.

Quite a few original solo works have been written for tuba, a significant part of the repertoire consists of alterations.

IV. Drums

Timpani - an instrument with a certain frequency of sound, which is of Asian origin.

Timpani are a system of two or more copper cauldrons, the open side of which is covered with leather. The main tone of the instrument is determined by the size of the body (varies from 30 to 84 cm). A higher tone is obtained with smaller instrument sizes. Sticks for playing the timpani are wooden, reed or metal, and the tips are made of leather, wood and other materials. Thanks to this, the timpani player can receive various timbres and sound effects.

In a symphony orchestra, as a rule, instruments of three sizes are used - large, medium and small timpani.

GREAT AND SMALL DRUMS The bass drum (bass drum) is the largest percussion instrument of a very low and often strong indefinite pitch. It looks like a metal or wooden cylinder, covered with leather on both sides (diameter about 1 m). It is played with a wooden stick with a soft tip. A special technique of playing - tremolo, is achieved by quickly playing with two sticks. This creates effects ranging from a distant rumble to a powerful rumble.

A snare drum, or simply a drum, is an instrument with two leather membranes stretched over a low cylinder. Strings are stretched along the lower membrane (in concert - 4-10 strings), which give the sound a dry, rocky tone.

The drum is played with two wooden sticks. A characteristic technique of the game is drumming (rapid alternation of beats with sticks). The symphony orchestra was introduced in the 19th century; used in military scenes.

TRIANGLE - a tool in the form of a steel rod bent into a triangle (8-10 mm in diameter), which is freely suspended and struck with a metal stick. The sound of a triangle is of indefinite height, sonorous, brilliant and at the same time gentle.

On the triangle, you can perform both individual rhythmic beats and tremolo. Initially, the triangle was used mainly in military music, later - in symphonic music.

CASTANETS - an instrument without visas of a high pitch in the form of two plates-shells, connected at the top with a rope. Plates have traditionally been made from hardwood, although more recently glass-plastic has been used for this.

Castanets are most often associated with the image of Spanish music, especially with the flamenco style. Therefore, this instrument is often used in classical music to create a "Spanish flavor" (for example, in the opera "Carmen" by Jean Bizet, "Spanish Capriccio" by Rimsky-Korsakov and others).

Cymbals - an instrument with an indefinite pitch in the form of two discs made of a special alloy (copper, brass, bronze). Plates have been known since ancient Egypt, India, China. In a symphony orchestra, paired cymbals are played by striking one another with an oncoming sliding motion. Distinguish between an open blow, in which the cymbals continue to sound freely, and a closed one, when the performer presses the edges of the cymbals to his shoulders.

A tambourine is an instrument with an indefinite pitch, common among many peoples of the world. It looks like a wooden hoop, on one side stretched with leather. On the opposite side, strings or wires are pulled, on which bells are hung. Metal rattles are mounted in special openings, which in shape resemble drum cymbals, only in miniature. Sometimes there are buboes without rattles. The main task in the orchestra is to keep the pace and give a certain flavor to the music. Playing techniques: palm strikes on the hoop or skin, tremolo. Used mainly in dances and marching marches.

ORCHESTRATAL BELLS - an instrument that is a set of 12-18 cylindrical metal tubes (diameter 25-38 mm, suspended in a special frame (height 2 m). They strike the tubes with a katalalka, the head of which is covered with leather.

In an orchestra, the instrument is most often used to imitate bell ringing.

BELLS - an instrument that has a certain pitch and consists of a number of metal plates loosely mounted on bars in two rows. The arrangement of the records on them is similar to the arrangement of white and black piano keys. They play with the help of special metal hammers or a keyboard mechanism or wooden sticks.

TAM-TAM - an ancient instrument with an indefinite pitch of oriental origin. He joined the symphony orchestra at the end of the 19th century. It looks like a forged metal disk made of copper alloy. The diameter of a large tam-tam reaches 100-120 cm, it is 8-10 cm thick.

The tool is hung on a thick string or straps to the hooks of a stable wooden or metal frame. They play it with a wooden katalalka (sometimes for special effects - with sticks from a snare drum or a triangle). The tam-tama sound is low, juicy, deep, with a wide sound wave, which rises after the impact and then gradually subsides.

V. Keyboards

ORGAN - a keyboard and wind instrument, usually located in Catholic churches, concert halls, musical educational institutions.

Organ sound is created by forcing air into pipes of various diameters, lengths, materials (metal or wood). The organ is controlled from the game table, the control panel, which contains the game mechanisms (keys, pedal), mechanisms for switching on and excluding registers. The organ is played with the participation of both hands and feet of the organist, with or without the help of an assistant. The organist has at his disposal one or more manuals (keyboards for the hands) and a pedal (keyboard for the feet).

The organ is used not only as a solo and ensemble instrument, because it goes well with other timbres, with an orchestra, a choir. Many famous composers of different times wrote works for the organ. The unsurpassed genius of organ music was J.-S. Bach.

The harpsichord is an ancient keyboard string-plucked musical instrument. Its metal strings are latched with a feather or leather plectrum. There are two types of harpsichords: large wing-shaped (vertical or horizontal) and smaller - square, rectangular or pentagonal. Instruments of the first type are usually called the harpsichord, and the second - the spinet.

Yielding to the piano in dynamics, the harpsichord had its advantages - it goes well with other instruments and voices, which is important in chamber ensembles.

PIANO (PIANO, ROYAL) is a keyboard-percussion instrument common in the world. A grand piano has a frame with strings and a resonant soundboard arranged horizontally, while a piano has a vertical one. As a result, the grand piano has a wing-like shape, it is more bulky than the piano. However, the sound of the grand piano is more voluminous, fuller, noisier than that of the piano. As a rule, modern grand pianos have three pedals, they are designed to change the volume, timbre or lengthen the sound (in the piano - usually two pedals).

The repertoire of pianists is very diverse in genres and styles. "The soul of the piano" was f. Chopin, an outstanding virtuoso pianist - f. Sheet.

Composition of a modern symphony orchestra

A modern symphony orchestra consists of 4 main groups. The foundation of the orchestra is a string group (violins, violas, cellos, double basses). In most cases, strings are the main carriers of the melodic beginning in the orchestra. The number of musicians playing strings is approximately 2/3 of the entire band. The group of woodwind instruments includes flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons. Each of them usually has an independent party. Yielding to bowed ones in timbre saturation, dynamic properties and a variety of playing techniques, wind instruments have great power, compact sound, bright colorful hues. The third group of orchestra instruments is brass (horn, trumpet, trombone, trumpet). They bring new bright colors to the orchestra, enriching its dynamic capabilities, giving power and brilliance to the sound, and also serve as a bass and rhythmic support. Percussion instruments are becoming increasingly important in the symphony orchestra. Their main function is rhythmic. In addition, they create a special sound and noise background, complement and decorate the orchestral palette with color effects. According to the nature of the sound, drums are divided into 2 types: some have a certain pitch (timpani, bells, xylophone, bells, etc.), others lack an exact pitch (triangle, tambourine, small and large drum, cymbals). Of the instruments that are not included in the main groups, the role of the harp is the most significant. Occasionally, composers include the celesta, piano, saxophone, organ and other instruments in the orchestra. Woodwinds

FLUTE - one of the oldest instruments in the world, known in antiquity - in Egypt, Greece and Rome. Since ancient times, people have learned to extract musical sounds from a cut reed, closed at one end. This primitive musical instrument was apparently the distant ancestor of the flute. In Europe in the Middle Ages, two types of flute became widespread: straight and transverse. The straight flute, or "tipped flute", was held straight ahead, like an oboe or clarinet; oblique, or transverse - at an angle. The transverse flute turned out to be more viable, as it was easy to improve. In the middle of the 18th century, it finally replaced the straight flute from the symphony orchestra. At the same time, the flute, along with the harp and harpsichord, became one of the most beloved home music instruments. The flute, for example, was played by the Russian artist Fedotov and the Prussian king Frederick II. The flute is the most mobile woodwind instrument: in terms of virtuosity, it surpasses all other wind instruments. An example of this is the ballet suite "Daphnis and Chloe" by Ravel, where the flute actually acts as a solo instrument. The flute is a cylindrical tube, wooden or metal, closed on one side - at the head. There is also a side hole for air injection. Playing the flute requires a lot of air consumption: when blown in, part of it breaks on the sharp edge of the hole and leaves. From this, a characteristic sibilant overtone is obtained, especially in a low register. For the same reason, sustained notes and wide melodies are difficult to play on the flute. Rimsky-Korsakov described the sonority of the flute as follows: "The timbre is cold, most suitable for melodies of a graceful and frivolous nature in major, and with a touch of superficial sadness in minor." Composers often use an ensemble of three flutes. An example is the dance of the shepherdesses from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

The oboe competes with the flute in the antiquity of its origin: it traces its ancestry to the primitive flute. Of the ancestors of the oboe, the Greek aulos was most widely used, without which the ancient Hellenes could not imagine either a feast or a theatrical performance. The ancestors of the oboe came to Europe from the Middle East. In the 17th century, an oboe was created from a bombarda - a pipe-type instrument, which immediately became popular in the orchestra. It soon became a concert instrument as well. For almost a century, the oboe has been the idol of musicians and music lovers. The best composers of the 17th-18th centuries - Lully, Rameau, Bach, Handel - paid tribute to this passion: Handel, for example, wrote concertos for the oboe, the difficulty of which can confuse even modern oboists. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, the "cult" of the oboe in the orchestra faded somewhat, and the leading role in the woodwind group passed to the clarinet. According to its structure, the oboe is a conical tube; at one end of it is a small funnel-shaped bell, at the other - a cane, which the performer holds in his mouth. Thanks to some design features, the oboe never loses its tuning. Therefore, it has become a tradition to tune the entire orchestra to it. In front of a symphony orchestra, when the musicians are gathering on the stage, it is not uncommon to hear the oboist playing in A in the first octave, and the other performers fine-tuning their instruments. The oboe has a mobile technique, although it is inferior in this respect to the flute. It is more of a singing than a virtuoso instrument: as a rule, its domain is sadness and elegiac. This is how it sounds in the theme of swans from the intermission to the second act of "Swan Lake" and in the simple melancholic melody of the second part of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony. Occasionally, the oboe is assigned "comic roles": in Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, for example, in the variation of "The Cat and the Kitty", the oboe amusingly imitates the cat's meow.

The Clarinet is a cylindrical wooden tube with a coronet-shaped bell at one end and a reed-tip at the other. Of all the woodwinds, only the clarinet has the flexibility to change the volume of the sound. This and many other qualities of the clarinet have made it one of the most expressive voices in the orchestra. It is curious that two Russian composers, dealing with the same plot, acted in exactly the same way: in both "The Snow Maiden" - Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky - Lel's shepherd tunes are entrusted to the clarinet. The timbre of the clarinet is often associated with gloomy dramatic situations. This area of ​​expressiveness was "discovered" by Weber. In the "Wolf Valley" scene from "Magic Shooter" he first guessed what tragic effects are hidden in the low register of the instrument. Later, Tchaikovsky used the eerie sound of low clarinets in The Queen of Spades at the moment when the Countess's ghost appears. Small clarinet. The small clarinet came to the symphony orchestra from the military brass. It was first used by Berlioz, who entrusted him with the distorted "beloved theme" in the last movement of the Fantastic Symphony. The small clarinet was often used by Wagner, Rimsky-Korsakov, R. Strauss. Shostakovich. Basset horn. At the end of the 18th century, the clarinet family was enriched with one more member: the basset horn appeared in the orchestra - an old variety of the alto clarinet. In size it surpassed the main instrument, and its timbre - calm, solemn and matte - occupied an intermediate position between the usual and bass clarinet. He stayed in the orchestra for only a few decades and owed his heyday to Mozart. It was for two basset horns with bassoons that the beginning of the "Requiem" was written (now the basset horns are being replaced by clarinets). An attempt to revive this instrument under the name of the alto clarinet was made by R. Strauss, but since then it seems to have had no repetitions. Nowadays, basset horns are included in military bands. Bass clarinet. The bass clarinet is the most "impressive" member of the family. Built at the end of the 18th century, it won a strong position in the symphony orchestra. The shape of this instrument is quite unusual: its bell is bent upwards, like a smoking pipe, and the mouthpiece is mounted on a curved rod - all this in order to reduce the exorbitant length of the instrument and facilitate its use. Meyerbeer was the first to "discover" the enormous dramatic power of this instrument. Wagner, starting with "Lohengrin", makes him a permanent bass woodwind. Russian composers often used the bass clarinet in their work. So, the gloomy sounds of the bass clarinet are heard in the fifth picture of the "Queen of Spades" at the time when Herman is reading Lisa's letter. Now the bass clarinet is a permanent member of a large symphony orchestra, and its functions are very diverse.

The ancestor of the bassoon is the old bass pipe - the bombarda. The bassoon that replaced it was built by canon Afragno degli Albonesi in the first half of the 16th century. A large wooden pipe bent in half resembled a bundle of firewood, which is reflected in the name of the instrument (the Italian word fagotto means "bundle"). The bassoon conquered his contemporaries with the euphony of the timbre, who, in contrast to the hoarse voice of the bombarda, began to call him "dolcino" - sweet. In the future, while retaining its external outlines, the bassoon underwent serious improvements. From the 17th century, he entered the symphony orchestra, and from the 18th century - into the military. The conical wooden trunk of the bassoon is very large, so it is "folded" in half. A curved metal tube is attached to the top of the instrument, on which a cane is put on. During the game, the bassoon is hung on a string around the performer's neck. In the 18th century, the instrument enjoyed great love among contemporaries: some called it "proud", others - "gentle, melancholic, religious". Rimsky-Korsakov defined the color of the bassoon in a very peculiar way: "The timbre is senilely mocking in major and painfully sad in minor." Bassoon performance requires a lot of breathing, and forte in a low register can cause extreme fatigue for the performer. The functions of the tool are very diverse. True, in the 18th century they were often limited to supporting stringed basses. But in the 19th century, with Beethoven and Weber, the bassoon became the individual voice of the orchestra, and each of the subsequent masters found new properties in it. Meyerbeer in "Robert the Devil" forced the bassoons to portray "death laughter, from which frost is tearing at the skin" (the words of Berlioz). Rimsky-Korsakov in "Scheherazade" (a story by Prince Kalender) discovered a poetic narrator in the bassoon. In this last role, the bassoon performs especially often - that is probably why Thomas Mann called the bassoon a "mockingbird". Examples can be found in the Humorous Scherzo for four bassoons and in Prokofiev's Petya and the Wolf, where the bassoon is given the "role" of Grandfather, or at the beginning of the finale of Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony. Varieties of the bassoon are limited in our time to just one representative - the counterbassoon. It is the lowest range instrument of the orchestra. Lower than the limiting sounds of the contrabassoon, only the pedal basses of the organ sound. The idea to continue the bassoon scale downward appeared a long time ago - the first counterbassoon was built in 1620. But it was so imperfect that, until the end of the 19th century, when the instrument was improved, very few people turned to it: occasionally Haydn, Beethoven, Glinka. The modern counterbassoon is an instrument bent three times: its unfolded length is 5 m 93 cm (!); in technique it resembles a bassoon, but is less agile and has a thick, almost organ-like timbre. Composers of the 19th century - Rimsky-Korsakov, Brahms - usually turned to the counterbassoon to enhance the bass. But sometimes interesting solos are written for him. Ravel, for example, in "The Conversation of the Beauty and the Beast" (the ballet "My Mother the Goose") entrusted him with the voice of the monster. Strings

VIOLIN is a stringed bowed instrument, the highest in sound, the richest in expressive and technical possibilities among the instruments of the violin family. It is believed that the immediate predecessor of the violin was the so-called lira de braccio, which originates from ancient viols; like a violin, this instrument was held at the shoulder (Italian braccio - shoulder), the playing techniques were also similar to violin ones. From the middle of the XVI century. the violin is established in musical practice as a solo and ensemble instrument. Many generations of craftsmen worked to improve the design, improve the sound qualities of the violin. History has preserved the names of A. and N. Amati, A. and D. Guarneri, A. Stradivari - outstanding Italian masters of the late 16th - early 18th centuries, who created samples of violins that are still considered unsurpassed. The body of the violin has a characteristic oval shape with notches on the sides. The shell connects two soundboards of the instrument (special holes are cut on the top - efs). There are 4 strings stretched over the fretboard, tuned in fifths. The range of the violin covers 4 octaves; however, with the help of harmonics, a number of higher sounds can also be extracted. The violin is a predominantly monophonic instrument. However, harmonic intervals and even 4-sound chords are extracted on it. The timbre of the violin is melodious, rich in sound and dynamic shades, in expressiveness it approaches the human voice. To change the timbre during the game, sometimes a mute is used. The violin, which has exceptional technical mobility, is often entrusted with the performance of difficult and fast passages, wide and melodic jumps, various kinds of trills, tremolo.

The viola and the way it is played are very reminiscent of the violin, so if you do not notice the difference in size (and it is very difficult to do this: the viola is noticeably larger than the violin), then they can easily be confused. It is believed that the timbre of the viola is inferior to the violin in brilliance and brightness. Nevertheless, this instrument also has its unique advantages: it is indispensable in music of an elegiac, dreamy-romantic nature. In terms of virtuosity, the viola is almost as perfect as the violin, but the large size of the viola requires the player to have appropriate stretching of the fingers and physical strength. The viola did not immediately receive its proper role among the instruments of the orchestra. After the flourishing of the polyphonic school of Bach and Handel, when the viola was an equal member of the string group, they began to entrust him with a subordinate harmonic voice. Violists in those days were usually unsuccessful violinists. In the works of Gluck, Haydn and, to some extent, Mozart, the viola is used only as the middle or lower voice of the orchestra. Only in the works of Beethoven and Romantic composers does the viola acquire the significance of a melodic instrument. The viola owes much of its recognition to the outstanding violinists of the last century, especially Paganini, who played the viola in a quartet and performed in a solo concert. Later, Berlioz introduces the part of the solo viola into his symphony "Harold in Italy", entrusting him with the characterization of Harold. After that, the attitude of composers and performers to the viola began to change. Wagner in "Tannhäuser", in a scene called "The Grotto of Venus", writes for the viola an incredibly difficult part for that time. R. Strauss interprets the solo viola even more masterfully in the symphonic film "Don Quixote". Violas are often entrusted with a melodic voice together with cellos, violins, or completely independently, as, for example, in the second act of Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Golden Cockerel" during the dance of the Queen of Shemakhan.

CELLO came into musical life in the second half of the 16th century. It owes its creation to the art of such outstanding instrumental masters as Magini, Gasparo de Salo, and later - Amati and Stradivari. Like the viola, the cello has long been considered a secondary instrument in the orchestra. Until the end of the 18th century, composers used it mainly as a bass voice, and at the very beginning of the century before last, in connection with this, the cello and double bass parts were written in the score on one line. The cello is twice the size of the viola, its bow is shorter than the violin and viola, the strings are much longer. The cello belongs to the number of "foot" instruments: the performer puts it between his knees, resting the metal spike on the floor. Beethoven was the first to "discover" the beauty of the cello timbre. Following him, the composers turned its sound into the singing voice of the orchestra - let's recall the second part of Tchaikovsky's VIth symphony. Quite often in operas, ballets and symphonic works the cello is assigned solo - as, for example, in "Don Quixote" by R. Strauss. In the number of concert pieces written for her, the cello is second only to the violin. Like the violin and viola, the cello has four strings tuned in fifths, but an octave below the violas. In terms of technical capabilities, the cello is not inferior to the violin, and in some cases even surpasses it. For example, due to the longer strings of the cello, it is possible to obtain a richer series of harmonics on it.

The DOUBLE BASS is far superior to its counterparts both in size and in the volume of the low register: the double bass is twice the size of the cello, which is twice the size of the viola. Most likely, the double bass, a descendant of the old viol, appeared in the orchestra in the 17th century. The shape of the double bass has retained the features of the old viol to this day: the body pointed upwards, the sloping sides - thanks to this, the performer can bend over the upper part of the body and "reach out" to the bottom of the neck in order to extract the highest sounds. The instrument is so large that the performer plays it while standing or sitting on a high stool. In terms of virtuosity, the modern double bass is quite mobile: often, together with the cellos, rather fast passages are performed on it. But "thanks" to its size, it requires a huge stretching of the fingers, and its bow is very heavy. All this makes the technique of the instrument heavier: passages in which lightness is required sound somewhat heavy on it. Nevertheless, his role in the orchestra is enormous: by invariably performing the bass voice parts, he creates the foundation for the sound of the string group, and together with the bassoon and tuba or the third trombone, the entire orchestra. In addition, double basses sound great in an octave with cellos in melodies. In the orchestra, it is very rare to divide double basses into several parts or perform solos on them. Brass

The PIPE has been part of the opera orchestra since its inception; Monteverdi's Orpheus had already sounded five trumpets. In the 17th and the first half of the 18th century, very virtuosic and high-pitched parts were written for trumpets, the prototype of which were the soprano parts in the vocal and instrumental compositions of that time. To perform these most difficult parts, musicians of the time of Purcell, Bach and Handel used natural instruments common in that era with a long pipe and a mouthpiece of a special device that made it possible to easily extract the highest overtones. A trumpet with such a mouthpiece was called "clarino", the same name was given in the history of music and writing style for it. In the second half of the 18th century, with a change in orchestral writing, the clarino style was forgotten, and the trumpet became predominantly a fanfare instrument. It was limited in its possibilities like a French horn, and was in an even worse position, since the "closed sounds" expanding the scale were not used on it because of their bad timbre. But in the thirties of the XIX century, with the invention of the valve mechanism, a new era began in the history of the pipe. It became a chromatic instrument and, after several decades, replaced the natural trumpet from the orchestra. The timbre of the trumpet is not characterized by lyrics, but the heroism he succeeds in the best possible way. Among the Viennese classics, trumpets were a purely fanfare instrument. They often performed the same functions in the music of the 19th century, announcing the beginning of processions, marches, solemn festivities and hunts. Wagner used pipes more than others and in a new way. Their timbre is almost always associated in his operas with chivalrous romance and heroism. The trumpet is famous not only for its sound power, but also for its outstanding virtuoso qualities.

Trombone gets its name from the Italian name for the pipe - tromba - with the magnifying suffix "one": trombone literally means "trumpet". And indeed: the trombone tube is twice as long as that of the trumpet. Already in the 16th century, the trombone received its modern form and since its inception has been a chromatic instrument. The full chromatic scale is achieved on it not through the mechanism of valves, but with the help of the so-called backstage. The backstage is a long additional tube, shaped like the Latin letter U. It is inserted into the main tube and lengthened as desired. In this case, the system of the instrument decreases accordingly. The performer pushes the wings down with his right hand, and supports the instrument with his left. Trombones have long been a "family" consisting of instruments of various sizes. Not so long ago, the trombone family consisted of three instruments; each of them corresponded to one of the three voices of the choir and received its name: trombone-alto, trombone-tenor, trombone-bass. Playing the trombone requires a huge amount of air, since the movement of the wings takes more time than pressing the valves on a horn or trumpet. Technically, the trombone is less mobile than its neighbors in the group: the scale on it is not so fast and clear, the forte is a bit heavy, the legato is difficult. Cantilena on a trombone requires a lot of tension from the performer. However, this instrument has qualities that make it indispensable in the orchestra: the sound of the trombone is more powerful and masculine. Monteverdi in the opera "Orpheus" perhaps for the first time felt the tragic character inherent in the sound of a trombone ensemble. And starting with Gluck, three trombones became obligatory in an opera orchestra; they often appear at the climax of a drama. The trombone trio is good at oratorical phrases. Since the second half of the 19th century, the trombone group has been supplemented by a bass instrument - the tuba. Together, three trombones and a tuba form a "heavy brass" quartet. A very peculiar effect is possible on the trombone - glissando. It is achieved by sliding the backstage at one position of the performer's lips. This technique was known even to Haydn, who in the oratorio "The Four Seasons" used it to imitate the barking of dogs. Glissando is widely used in modern music. The deliberately howling and rude glissando of the trombone in the Saber Dance from Khachaturian's ballet Gayane is curious. The effect of a trombone with a mute is also interesting, which gives the instrument an ominous, bizarre sound.

The progenitor of the modern horn was the horn. From ancient times, the signal of the horn announced the beginning of the battle, in the Middle Ages and later, until the beginning of the 18th century, it was heard at hunting, competitions and solemn court ceremonies. In the 17th century, the hunting horn was occasionally introduced into the opera, but only in the next century did it become a permanent member of the orchestra. And the very name of the instrument - horn - recalls its past role: this word comes from the German "Waldhorn" - "forest horn". In Czech, this instrument is still called the forest horn. The metal tube of the old French horn was very long: when unfolded, some of them reached 5m 90cm. Such an instrument could not be held straight in the hands; so the horn-pipe was bent and shaped into a graceful shell-like shape. The sound of the old horn was very beautiful, but the instrument turned out to be limited in its sound capabilities: it was possible to extract only the so-called natural scale, that is, those sounds that arise from dividing the column of air contained in the tube into 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. parts. According to legend, in 1753 the Dresden horn player Gampel accidentally put his hand into the bell and discovered that the horn's tuning had dropped. Since then, this technique has been widely used. Sounds obtained in this way were called "closed". But they were deaf and very different from the bright open ones. Not all composers often risked turning to them, usually satisfied with short, well-sounding fanfare motives built on open sounds. In 1830, the valve mechanism was invented - a permanent system of additional tubes that allows you to get a full, good-sounding chromatic scale on the horn. A few decades later, the improved French horn finally replaced the old natural one, which was last used by Rimsky-Korsakov in the opera May Night in 1878. The horn is considered the most poetic instrument in the brass group. In the low register the timbre of the horn is somewhat gloomy, in the upper register it is very tense. The horn can sing or slowly tell. The horn quartet sounds very soft - you can hear it in the "Waltz of the Flowers" from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" ballet.

TUBA is a rather young instrument. It was built in the second quarter of the 19th century in Germany. The first tubas were imperfect and were initially used only in military and garden orchestras. Only when it got to France, in the hands of the instrumental master Adolphe Sax, did the tuba begin to meet the high requirements of the symphony orchestra. The tuba is a bass instrument capable of reaching the lowest end of the range in the brass group. In the past, its functions were performed by the serpent, a bizarrely shaped instrument that owes its name to it (in all Romance languages, the serpent means "snake") - then the bass and contrabass trombones and the ophicleide with its barbaric timbre. But the sound qualities of all these instruments were such that they did not give the brass band a good, stable bass. Until the tuba appeared, the masters stubbornly searched for a new instrument. The dimensions of the tuba are very large, its tube is twice as long as the tube of the trombone. During the game, the performer holds the instrument in front of him with the bell up. The tuba is a chromatic instrument. The air consumption on the tube is enormous; sometimes, especially in forte in a low register, the performer is forced to change his breath on each sound. Therefore, solos on this instrument are usually quite short. Technically, the tuba is movable, although heavy. In an orchestra, she usually serves as bass in a trio of trombones. But sometimes the tuba acts as a solo instrument - so to speak, in characteristic roles. Thus, while instrumenting Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" in the play "Cattle", Ravel entrusted the bass tuba with a humorous image of a rumbling cart dragging along the road. The tuba part is written here in a very high register.

The creator of the SAXOPHONE is the outstanding Franco-Belgian instrumental maker Adolf Sachs. Sachs proceeded from a theoretical assumption: is it possible to build a musical instrument that would occupy an intermediate position between woodwinds and brass? Such an instrument, capable of linking the timbres of copper and wood, was in great need of the imperfect military brass bands of France. To implement his plan, A. Sachs used a new construction principle: he connected a conical tube with a clarinet reed and an oboe valve mechanism. The body of the instrument was made of metal, the external outlines resembled a bass clarinet; flared at the end, strongly bent upwards tube, to which is attached a cane on a metal tip, bent in the shape of "S". Sachs' idea was brilliantly successful: the new instrument really became the link between brass and woodwinds in military bands. Moreover, its timbre turned out to be so interesting that it attracted the attention of many musicians. The coloring of the saxophone sound is reminiscent of the English horn, clarinet and cello at the same time, but the sound power of the saxophone far exceeds the sound power of the clarinet. Having begun its existence in the military brass bands of France, the saxophone was soon introduced into the opera and symphony orchestra. For a very long time - several decades - only French composers turned to him: Thomas ("Hamlet"), Massenet ("Werther"), Bizet ("Arlesienne"), Ravel (instrumentation of Mussorgsky's Katrinok from an Exhibition). Then the composers of other countries also believed in him: Rachmaninov, for example, entrusted the saxophone with one of his best melodies in the first part of the Symphonic Dances. It is curious that on its unusual path the saxophone had to face obscurantism: in Germany during the years of fascism it was banned as an instrument of non-Aryan origin. In the 1910s, musicians of jazz ensembles drew attention to the saxophone, and soon the saxophone became the "king of jazz". Many composers of the 20th century appreciated this interesting instrument. Debussy wrote Rhapsody for saxophone and orchestra, Glazunov - Concerto for saxophone and orchestra, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Khachaturian repeatedly referred to him in their works. Drums

The composition of the symphony orchestra was formed in the era of the Viennese classics.

It was the second half of the 18th-first quarter of the 19th centuries, when the great composers Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven worked. They created that high type of instrumental music, in which all the richness of content was embodied in a perfect artistic form - it was a symphony.

Symphony Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater
An orchestra is a large group of instrumental musicians. But how big? A large symphony orchestra can have up to 110 musicians, and a small one can have no more than 50.

Ludwig van Beethoven
The composition of the symphony orchestra evolved gradually from the 16th century. The "classical" composition of the symphony orchestra was formed in the scores of L. van Beethoven (according to modern concepts, it was a small symphony orchestra). But for the performance of his Ninth Symphony, written in 1824, Beethoven needed an expanded orchestra with some additional instruments - and now it was a large orchestra, it included a small flute, contrabassoon, trombones, a triangle, cymbals and a bass drum. Some composers include even more instruments needed to perform their compositions.
The basis of the symphony orchestra is made up of 4 groups of instruments: bowed strings, woodwinds, brass winds, and percussion. If necessary, the orchestra includes other instruments: harp, piano, organ, celesta, harpsichord.
String instruments: violins, violas, cellos, double basses.
Woodwinds: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone with all their varieties, as well as a number of folk instruments - balaban, duduk, zhaleyka, pipe, zurna.
Brass: horn, trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, trombone, tuba.

Drums(including noise): timpani, xylophone, vibraphone, bells, drums, triangle, cymbals, tambourine, castanets, tam-tam and others.

Seating arrangements for the musicians of the symphony orchestra

The conductor decides how to seat the orchestra. He also owns the artistic interpretation of the work.
On the console in front of the conductor lies score(complete musical notation of all parts of orchestral instruments).
The instrument parts of each group are recorded one below the other, starting with the highest sounding instruments and ending with the lowest.

The location of the performers of a modern symphony orchestra is aimed at achieving a coherent sonority. In the 50-70s. 20th century received the most widespread "American seating": the first and second violins are placed to the left of the conductor; on the right - violas and cellos; in the depths - woodwinds and brass, double basses; left - drums.
There is also "German seating". Its difference from the "American" one is that the cellos change places with the second violins, and the double basses are on the left. Brass instruments are to the right, in the back of the stage, and the horns move to the left. Drums are closer to the right wings.

Zakirova Ekaterina Alexandrovna, music teacher

MOU - "Lyceum No. 2", Saratov.

1. String - bowed instruments.

All bowed stringed instruments consist of vibrating strings stretched over a resonating wooden body (deck). To extract the sound, a horsehair bow is used, clamping the strings in different positions on the fretboard, sounds of different heights are obtained. The family of bowed stringed instruments is the largest in the composition.The string-bow group in the orchestra is the leader in the orchestra. It has enormous timbre and technical capabilities.

Violin - A 4-string bowed instrument, the highest sounding in its family and the most important in the orchestra. The violin has such a combination of beauty and expressiveness of sound as, perhaps, no other instrument.It sounds like a singer's voice. It has a gentle, singing timbre.

Alt - it looks like a violin, but it is not much larger in size and has a more muffled, matte sound.

Cello - a large violin, which is played while sitting, holding the instrument between the knees and resting it with a spire on the floor. The cello has a rich low sound, but at the same time soft, velvety, noble.

Double bass - the lowest in sound and the largest in size (up to 2 meters) among the family of bowed stringed instruments. Double bassists must stand or sit on a high chair to reach the top of the instrument. The double bass has a thick, hoarse and somewhat muffled timbre and is the bass foundation of the entire orchestra.

2. Wooden wind instruments.

Wood is used to make wooden tools. They are called wind instruments because they produce sound by blowing air into the instrument.Each instrument usually has its own solo line, although it can be performed by several musicians.The group of woodwind instruments is widely used for sketching pictures of nature, lyrical episodes.

Modern flutes are very rarely made of wood, more often of metal (including precious metals), sometimes of plastic and glass. The flute is held horizontally. The flute is one of the highest sounding instruments in the orchestra. The most virtuosic and technically agile instrument in the wind family, thanks to these virtues, she is often entrusted with an orchestral solo.

The sound of the flute is transparent, sonorous, cold.

oboe - a melodic instrument with a lower range than the flute. A little conical in shape, the oboe has a melodious, rich, but somewhat nasal timbre, and even sharp in the upper register. It is mainly used as an orchestral solo instrument.

Clarinet - There are several sizes, depending on the required sound height. The clarinet has a wide range, warm, soft timbre and provides the performer with a wide range of expressive possibilities.

Bassoon - lowest sounding woodwind instrument with a thick, slightly hoarse, timbre, is used both for the bass line and as an alternative melody instrument.

3. Copper wind instruments.

The loudest group of instruments in a symphony orchestra. Each instrument plays its own solo line - there is a lot of material.For the manufacture of brass instruments, copper metals (copper, brass, etc.) are used. The entire group of brass instruments sounds powerfully and solemnly, brilliantly and brightly in the orchestra.

An instrument with a high clear sound, very suitable for fanfare. Like the clarinet, the trumpet comes in a variety of sizes, each with its own timbre. Distinguished by great technical mobility, the trumpet brilliantly fulfills its role in the orchestra, it is possible to play wide, bright timbres and long melodic phrases on it.

Horn (horn) - originally derived from the hunting horn, the French horn can be soft and expressive or harsh and scratchy. Typically, an orchestra uses from 2 to 8 horns, depending on the piece.

Plays more of a bass line than a melodic one. It differs from other brass instruments in the presence of a special movable U-shaped tube - backstage, moving which back and forth the musician changes the sound of the instrument.

Tuba- the lowest brass instrument in an orchestra. It is often played in combination with other instruments.

4. Percussion musical instruments.

The oldest and most numerous among the groups of musical instruments.This is a large, colorful and diverse group, which is united by a common way of extracting sound - a blow. That is, by their nature they are not melodic. Their main purpose is to emphasize the rhythm, enhance the overall sonority of the orchestra and complement, decorate it with various effects.Sometimes a car horn or a device that imitates wind noise (eolyphon) is added to the drums.Only the timpani are a permanent member of the orchestra. Starting from the 19th century, the shock group began to replenish rapidly.Bass and snare drums, cymbals and triangles, and then tambourine, tom-tom, bells and bells, xylophone and celesta, vibraphone . But these instruments were used only sporadically.

A hemispherical metal case covered with a leather membrane, the timpani can sound very loud or, on the contrary, soft, like a distant peal of thunder; sticks with heads made of different materials are used to extract different sounds: wood, felt, leather. The orchestra usually has two to five timpani, it is very interesting to watch the timpani play.

Cymbals (paired) - convex round metal discs of various sizes and with an indefinite pitch. As noted, a symphony can last ninety minutes, and you only have to hit the cymbals once, imagine what responsibility for the exact result.

Xylophone- with a certain pitch. It is a series of wooden blocks of different sizes, tuned to certain notes.

Celesta- small keyboard percussion , similar in appearance to , sounding like .

Big and snare drums

triangles

tom-toms percussion musical instrumentgong .
tambourine .

5. Keyboard instruments

A characteristic feature of a number of instruments is the presence of white and black keys, which are collectively called a keyboard or, for an organ, a manual.
Main keyboard instruments:organ (relatives -portable , positive ), clavichord (related -spinet in Italy andvirginal in England), harpsichord, piano (varieties -piano Andpiano ).
According to the sound source, keyboard instruments are divided into two groups. The first group includes instruments with strings, the second group includes organ-type instruments. Instead of strings, they have pipes of various shapes.
piano This is an instrument in which both loud (forte) and quiet (piano) sounds were extracted with the help of hammers. Hence the name of the instrument.

Timbreharpsichord - silvery, the sound is not loud, of the same strength.

Organ - the largest musical instrument. They play it, like the piano, by pressing the keys. The entire front part of the organ was decorated in the old days with fine artistic carvings. Behind him are thousands of pipes of various shapes, each with its own distinct timbre. Consequently, the organ emits both the highest and lowest sounds that the human ear can only catch.

6. A frequent member of the symphony orchestra isstring-plucked tool -harp , which is a gilded frame with stretched strings. The harp has a gentle, transparent timbre. Its sound creates a magical flavor.

Symphony orchestra instruments

"Guests of the Orchestra"

IN symphony orchestra there are instruments that sound in some works, but in others they may not be, so they are sometimes called " orchestra guests ". These include piano, harpsichord, organ and others. Let's take a closer look at some of them.

Percussion instruments of a symphony orchestra

Percussion instruments are the oldest musical instruments. Initially, they arose, of course, in folk music. And only many years later, professional musical instruments appeared, which are part of one of the four groups of the symphony orchestra. You can play a melody on some percussion instruments (let's call them melodic). These include bells, xylophone, celesta and others.

The second group includes noise instruments (snare drum, bass drum, castanets, tambourine and others).

This group is not dominant in a symphony orchestra, but not infrequently the sound of these instruments is an important means of musical expression.

If in the orchestras of the 18th century mainly timpani, a large and a snare drum were used, then in the music of the 19th and especially the 20th centuries the composition of the percussion group expanded significantly, and they began to play a more significant role in the works.

Listen to a video lesson on this topic to get to know the representatives of this group better.

Brass instruments of the symphony orchestra. Video lesson.

Group brass instruments of the symphony orchestra small in composition. But it immediately attracts attention with a festive, solemn sound of metal. The art of blowing a horn or a conch was already known in ancient times. Subsequently, people learned to make tools similar to a horn and intended for military and hunting purposes.

These instruments are named after the metal they are made from. Most often it is a special alloy, consisting of 60% copper, 10% nickel, 30% zinc, or silver. But in the old days, some of them were made from horn, shell or bone.

There was a time when these instruments were made of precious metals, and musicians believed that precious metals give the timbre of the instrument a special shade: silver makes the sound fuller, gold - soft, platinum - deep. But these differences, if they exist, are noticeable mainly only to the musicians themselves. Later, they decided to conduct an unusual experiment. They took a piece of rubber hose, the wall thickness and other dimensions of which corresponded to the clarinet tube, made holes in it and built a clarinet mouthpiece into it. The improvised clarinet sounded quite similar to the real one.

If the sound of woodwinds often reminds us of a shepherd's flute, then brass instruments are associated in our minds with military signals and marches. And this is not accidental, since brass instruments are used in military brass bands. From there they came to the symphony orchestra.

Many people think that the trumpet sounds because it is blown. If you try to do this, then most likely you will only get a hiss. In brass instruments, like woodwinds, there is no reed, passing through which the air begins to oscillate, making a sound. For brass, the musician's own lips are used as a vibrator. He folds them roughly the way bassoon or oboe reeds are folded, and the recess in the mouthpiece helps to do this. Such a certain position of the lips when playing is called the embouchure, and the instruments are called embouchure.

The trumpet is not blown so that the air from the lungs of the musician passes through it. Yes, this is sometimes impossible: the volume of our lungs is approximately four liters of air, and if we compare them with the volume of a bass helicon, it becomes clear that a person cannot fill it with air with one exhalation. When playing wind instruments, the musician's breathing only helps to excite the vibrations of the air that is already in the pipe.

Let's take a look at brass instruments.

FRENCH HORN. German Waldhorn - forest horn. This is the literal translation of the name of this instrument. The ancestor of the horn was hunting horns, which were blown when it was necessary to give a signal during a hunt or some solemn event, to announce the gathering of troops. In order to make the sound louder and stronger, so that it could be heard at a great distance, the horn began to be lengthened. But playing such a long tube was inconvenient. Therefore, the tube of the instrument began to be “twisted”. First there was one turn, then two, then three. The modern French horn is a narrow tube, about three meters long, rolled into a circle with a cone-shaped extension at the end, turning into a wide bell.

The location of the horn when playing is unusual - with the bell down, to the musician's right hand, which rests with the palm of the hand against the wall of the bell, slightly covering it. This position was introduced by the Dresden horn player Anton Gampel around 1750, so that it would be easier to control the sound of the horn by inserting the hand into the bell. This technique is widely used by modern horn players. The timbre of the horn is influenced by the shape of the mouthpiece, the cup, as in other brass instruments.

The horn plays a very important role in the orchestra. Her voice is soft and noble. It can convey both a sad and solemn mood, it can sound caustic and derisive. It is primarily an orchestral instrument, but there is also solo literature for it. In the performance of the horn, you can hear a melodious, soulful melody, which, for example, sounds at the beginning of the second part of P.I. Tchaikovsky. In the Manfred symphony, Tchaikovsky commissioned four ffff horns to play the main musical theme, which paints a musical portrait of the hero. And in the "Waltz of the Flowers" from the ballet "The Nutcracker" the horn quartet sounds soft and melodious. The concerto for horn and orchestra by R. M. Gliere is very popular.

PIPE - one of the most ancient brass instruments. Even in the "Old Testament" mention is made of the use of pipes in religious ceremonies. The annals of the siege of Kyiv by the Pechenegs in 968 speak of the important role of pipes in the fighting of the Russian army. The trumpet has been used as a signaling instrument by many peoples since ancient times. She warned of danger, supported the courage of warriors in battle, opened solemn ceremonies, and called for attention.

In ancient times, a warrior stood on guard on the tower of the fortress wall of the city of Krakow in Poland. Vigilantly he looked into the distance: whether the enemy would appear. In his hands he held a copper pipe to give a signal in case of danger. And then one day he saw in the distance an approaching enemy army. The watchman began to play, and an alarm sounded over Krakow. A cloud of arrows flew at the sentinel. One of them pierced the trumpeter's chest. Gathering all his strength, he finished playing the signal. Only at the last sound the trumpet fell out of his hands.

For many centuries, the memory of the hero who saved his city at the cost of his life has been carefully preserved among the people. And now the callsigns of Krakow are the ancient war signal of the trumpet, breaking off at the last sound.

At the beginning of the XVII century. The trumpet entered the opera orchestra. At first, she played a modest role: only occasionally played short signals, participated in the accompaniment chords. At that time, only simple melodies built on the sounds of a triad could be played on it. But over time, the instrument was improved, its range increased, it became possible to play complex and expressive parts on the trumpet. Her bright sound began to attract the attention of composers. And the trumpet sounded in solemn, heroic, and sometimes in lyrical episodes. In the XVIII century. she already occupied a prominent place in the symphony and brass bands.

The next highest brass instrument is TROMBONE. Its name comes from the Italian word tromba (trumpet), supplemented by the magnifying suffix one. In the literal sense, this name can be translated as "trumpets". And indeed it is. In the XV century. the pipe was greatly lengthened, for which they made a retractable tube-scene. This is how the trombone was born.

The trombone has the same ancestors as the trumpet, but in a sense, the trombone turned out to be happier - it was a chromatic instrument from birth, so it almost did not change. The trumpet of the trombone, narrowing and curving, passes into a narrow cylindrical tube, on which a sliding mechanism is put on. It consists of two fixed tubes along which a U-shaped slide tube slides. By moving the slide with his right hand, the trombonist can smoothly change the pitch, performing glissando, and also extract any sounds with equal ease.

The trombone takes pride of place in the group of brass instruments. He has a very strong voice, easily covering the sound of the entire orchestra. And when several trombones play together, it gives solemnity and brilliance to the music. The trombone succeeds very well in heroic, tragic melodies. But most often, three trombones and a tuba, united in one group, play chords in the orchestra, acting as an accompaniment.

TUBA- the lowest sounding instrument of the brass group. Its range is from mi counteroctave to F of the first octave, its timbre is severe, massive. Unlike other instruments of this group, the tuba is relatively young. She was born in Germany in 1835 because a brass band needed a good steady bass. It consists of pipes of different sizes, a bell, a mouthpiece and valves.

As a rule, the role of the tuba in the orchestra is limited to doubling an octave below the part of the third trombone. It serves as the foundation of the brass group, like the double bass of the strings. It is the tuba that “cements” all the music. It is generally accepted that this instrument is clumsy and motionless. Indeed, it is very difficult to play it. A large air flow is required, so the performer sometimes has to breathe on every sound. But the tuba can also be played quickly. True, her sound is very thick, strong, juicy, and fast music with such a sound will be heavy. The tuba very well conveys the image of an elephant in Saint-Saens' play "The Elephant" from the suite "Carnival of the Animals".

Of course, tuba solo episodes are very rare in orchestral works. One of them is the play "Cattle" from the suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" by M. Mussorgsky, orchestrated by M. Ravel.

We repeat once again that the group of brass instruments includes:

trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba.

String instruments of a symphony orchestra. Video lesson.

Stringed instruments in the symphony orchestra are the largest group. They are called string instruments because they are most often played with a bow, in contrast to stringed folk instruments, on which the sound is extracted with a pinch. There are folk instrument orchestras in every country, but I think you understand that the folk instrument orchestras of different countries will consist of different instruments, because. Folk instruments are different for different nations.

For example, a very common Ukrainian folk instrument is bandura, therefore in Ukraine there is bandura orchestras, in Belarus, for example, cymbals are a common folk instrument, so they will definitely be part of a folk orchestra.

But there is an orchestra, which, no matter what country we come to, will be the same - this Symphony Orchestra.

And they play a major role bowed string instruments which we are going to meet today.

Violins are one of the most important instruments of this group.

The violin has a rather long prehistory, which we will not delve into, we will only note that the viol's predecessor was the viola, which, in turn, was formed from the merger of several instruments. The viola, unlike the violin, was most often held not on the shoulder, but on the knee. Look at a 15th century painting of a viol playing

The shape of the violin was finally established by the 16th century. And at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, masters appeared who learned how to make violins, the sound of which they still cannot repeat, despite the fact that science and technology have stepped far ahead.

Not a single musical instrument has attracted such close attention as the violin. It was studied by mathematicians, physicists, chemists, acousticians and many other scientists who wanted to unravel the secret of the magnificent sound of violins made by the Italian masters Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri.

There were many legends that explained the wonderful sound of violins in their own way. Some of them said that in order to make a good violin, you need to choose a tree in the forest on which birds land, and only from such a tree can a good violin be made.

There were allegations that these violins were covered with a special varnish, the secret of which nobody knew. It was also said that it was necessary to observe strict mathematical proportions of the parts of the violin.

But when studying, for example, Stradivari violins, all these statements were refuted by scientists. It turned out that Stradivari did not harvest wood, but bought boards for violins from artisans.

He even shared his lacquer recipe with foreigners who sometimes came to see him.

Studying the ratios of the parts of various violins, they could not find any “magic” regularity, thanks to which these violins would sound good. Obviously the secret was quite different.

Stradivari made his first violin at the age of 11, and the last shortly before his death, and he died at 93, and every day throughout his life he worked from dawn to dusk. And, of course, a great talent multiplied by a huge work led to such results. Let's now get acquainted in more detail with the first of the four representatives of the string group.

Violin. She is often referred to as the "queen of the band".

If you look closely at its shape, you can find in it a resemblance to the human figure.

It has two f-shaped holes on its body. These are eps.

The violin has 4 strings tuned to the notes: mi, la, re, sol. The range of the violin is from the salt of a small octave to the salt of the 4th octave. If you look at the violinist playing, it may seem that he is holding the violin with his left hand. But it's not. A special device is attached to the body of the violin, the violinist puts the violin on his left shoulder and presses it with his chin.

The violin is most often played with a bow. If you pluck a violin string, the sound will quickly die out, but when you lead the strings with a bow, the sound lasts for a long time, does not die out. The bow is a cane with horsehair stretched. So that the hair of the bow is not smooth, does not slide along the strings, but makes them vibrate, they are rubbed before playing, most often with rosin.

The violin often performs as a solo instrument.

There have been many outstanding famous violinists in history, one of whom was Nicolo Paganini.

He was accused of witchcraft, because they could not believe that a simple person could play the violin like that.

They say that…

One day a blind music teacher and a friend came to Paganini's concert. Listening to Paganini play, he asked a friend: "How many people are playing on stage?" Having learned that one musician was playing, he grabbed his friend by the hand and dragged him to the exit, saying that a simple person cannot play like that, this is the devil.

Paganini was not only an outstanding violinist, but also a composer.

The violin can be the soloist in the orchestra. For example, in Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic suite Scheherazade, the violin very well conveys the image of the narrator Scheherazade.

In a symphony orchestra there can be 30 or more violins, in the 3rd part of the symphonic suite "Scheherazade" you can hear how beautiful and rich the string group of instruments will sound.

If you start playing the violins not with a bow, but with a pinch (this way of playing is called pizzicato), then you can convey the sound of folk instruments (balalaika, domra). When composers want to convey a folk flavor, portray the playing of folk instruments, they use this playing technique.

Thus, the first representative of the string group in a symphony orchestra is violin

The next instrument of the string group is alto.

Outwardly, it is very similar to a violin, only a little larger. He is also held on his shoulder, pressing his chin, and played, like the violin, with a bow.

If you look at the performer from afar, it is difficult to distinguish him from the violin.

If the lowest sound of the violin is the salt of a small octave, then the lowest sound of the viola is up to a small octave, i.e. five steps down. The viola plays an important role in the orchestra, but is rarely assigned solo parts. Viola players are not often found either, although the situation has changed recently. If earlier viola performers played mainly works written for the violin, now more and more often composers began to create works for the viola. One of the outstanding violists of our time is Yuri Bashmet, who is not only a soloist, but also a conductor, creator of the Moscow Soloists chamber orchestra.

If the viola differs slightly in appearance and way of playing from the violin, then this cannot be said about the next instrument that we will meet with you.

Cello differs from the violin not only in its significantly larger size, but also in the way it is played.

If you look at a photograph of one cello, then without realizing its size, it is very difficult to get an idea about this instrument. In its appearance, it is very similar to a violin, only much larger in size. The cellist plays sitting on a chair, and the cello stands in front of him on the floor on a special retractable "leg", on a metal rod that rests on the floor.

If the violin can be compared with a high female voice, then the cello is a low male voice - melodious, velvety, rich. It also has 4 strings and is almost always played with a bow. The cello, unlike the viola, is much more often a solo instrument; it conveys sadness, grief, and deep feelings especially well.

An outstanding cellist and conductor of the 20th century was Mstislav Rostropovich, whom you see in the photo, who will perform a fragment of Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto in the video lesson.

And the last representative of the string group is the double bass. It is the largest and lowest sounding instrument. He plays a very important role in the orchestra, being, as it were, the foundation of the orchestra. If you look closely at its shape, you will notice that it differs from all previous stringed instruments in more sloping "shoulders", thereby more resembling a viol. The double bass is often used in jazz and pop orchestras, but it is played there with a pluck, i.e. in a way called pizzicato. As a solo instrument, the double bass does not often perform, although some double bassists have achieved very high skill on this instrument.

In the video lesson, there will be a play by Camille Saint-Saens from the suite "Carnival of the Animals", which is called "The Elephant". The low register of the double bass very well conveys the image of this large animal here.

Let's now repeat once again what instruments are part of the string instruments of a symphony orchestra.

This is a violin, viola, cello and double bass