Orchestration Online

Hopefully I'll be able to quickly follow this up with the next video covering oboe over bassoon, clarinet over bassoon, and English horn over contrabassoon. Let's see how my health holds up this month.

...of the Late Classical period, flute over bassoon. After that, I discuss the similar combination of piccolo over oboe, which (literally) takes the approach of the first team-up to a whole new level.

...and hopefully leave you with some solid guidelines with which to dependably apply this effect to your own scoring should the need ever arise. This first video introduces the effect with a few ground rules; and then goes on to explore the most common 2-octave woodwind pairing...

We've all heard the sometimes eerie, sometimes comical, but always striking combination of two exposed woodwinds playing identical lines two octaves apart. In this latest series of three videos, I break down the practicalities, the repertoire, and the science of combining tones in this way...

YouTube video by OrchestrationOnline 2 Octave Wind Duos, Part 1: Flutes over Double-Reeds

2-OCTAVE UNISON WOODWIND DUOS, PART 1: FLUTE FAMILY OVER DOUBLE-REEDS
Scoring exposed woodwind duos playing unison melodic lines 2 octaves apart entails more than just stacking 2 instruments.
Enhancing certain timbral qualities creates new powerful colours & emotional effects.
youtu.be/INii_Gl9jV8

That's called an "undertone" or "subharmonic." It may look sizeable in terms of width, but it's incredibly weak in projection. Compare it to the height of the main elements of the overtones - it hardly registers. And so it is when you listen to a flute tone. But it can enrich the timbre.

That is the most beautiful expression of appreciation I've ever gotten from an audience for my work - and it's happened at end of every concert. I feel very blessed by these wonderful listeners! 🥹 And then, wonderfully, the choir sings the same thanks back to the audience. An unforgettable moment.

THE MOST INCREDIBLE GESTURE AN AUDIENCE CAN EVER SHOW TO AN ORCHESTRATOR... after 2+ hours of listening to Signature Choir sing with my orchestrations with Sydney Symphony, the audience sings a karakia of thanks to the performers.

Preview of coming attractions: spectrum analysis of separate and combined bassoon and flute played two octaves apart. Tip covering several 2+ octave woodwind combinations dropping in a week or so.

With all that info at hand hopefully my viewers can go on to watch the existing video analysis of the next song Were diu werlt alle min which closes this section, and have a complete grasp of the most important thematic, cultural, and orchestrational aspects of the entire 1st half of Carmina Burana.

...so I've included a deeper dive into the threads which unify Uf dem anger - the key relationships, dramatic arcs, and thematic continuity.

The little bridging section with solo flute wandering innocently around over droning clarinets is pure poetry that looks back all the way to Classical Greece and perhaps beyond. As potent a jewel as this musical interlude may be, it takes very little time to analyse...

...pure, honest desire expressed by contraltos over the soft pulsing strums of the string section, then given radiance with solo strings and muted horns behind the answering tenors and basses.

YouTube video by OrchestrationOnline Carmina Burana IXC: Chume, chum geselle min

CARMINA BURANA IXC: CHUME, CHUM GESELLE MIN
The 3rd of a 3-video release covering the Song 9 Medley.
In this incredibly intimate, simply-orchestrated song, we see the beating heart of the entire Uf dem anger set of songs and dances...
youtu.be/FLL3iUfMUzc

The final Song 9 Medley video covering Chume, chum geselle min coming in about 4 hours, bear with me as I'm finding the last-minute editing and assembly more fiddly than anticipated.

Intriguingly, Orff interconnects this brief splash of colour and energy with several key elements of ongoing approach and melodic construction, keeping this section of medley wonderfully resonant with the rest of the song cycle.

...braying horn octaves, and a pounding bass under punchy chords. A mere 40 seconds of length contains a series of effective lessons in getting the most out of both reduced and full orchestral numbers, with decisive yet playful scoring.

YouTube video by OrchestrationOnline Carmina Burana IXB: Swaz hie gat umbe

CARMINA BURANA IXB: SWAZ HIE GAT UMBE
The 2nd of a 3-video release covering the Song 9 Medley.
Orff's riotous depiction of a maypole dance seethes with jangling pizzicato, mock-heroic gestures, taunting by mischievous maidens, and a whirling coda with dizzying patterns...
youtu.be/gMVg6UHgij8

The next video covering the riotous Maypole dance, Swaz hie gat umbe, will drop in a couple hours.

That nearly explains everything, to the point one might consider the video hardly worth watching after that succinct overview. And yet the subtle way that Orff puts it all together is definitely worth study, even on these four short screens.

Orff continues his neomedievalisms with a viol-like muted string section; drones in cellos and low horns; heavy but subdued sonic footfalls in contrabassoon, tuba, timpani, and double basses; and distant snatches of regal fanfare in C trumpets and high horns.

YouTube video by OrchestrationOnline Carmina Burana IXA: Reie

CARMINA BURANA IXA: REIE
The 1st of a 3-video release covering the Song 9 Medley.
Reie is an obvious callback to ancient dance forms; with lords and ladies moving in stately columns, pairing up and trading off with dignified, courtly paces.
youtu.be/M3JeBLJI3aM

Even in such a simple song as this one, there's a lot going on, which is a credit to Orff's tireless craft.

The haunting reverie's orchestration alone is worth the price of admission; and the circling polyphony of solo violins and trumpets that follows is the premium, a swirling bright cushion behind the soprano's entreaty to the young men to behold their irresistibility.

But since these lyrics were written by the Goliards, the pursuit of love is sanctified, and ends with a pledge to be obedient to the world's abundance of joys. All expressed with melodic directness - playful, coquettish, and yet in its own way rather innocent.

YouTube video by OrchestrationOnline Carmina Burana VIII: Chramer, gip die warwe mir

CARMINA BURANA VIII: Chramer, gip die varwe mir.
The teasing and flirtation continues with coro piccolo sopranos buying rouge from the makeup seller, to make themselves so beautiful that the young men will fall for them whether they want to or not...
youtu.be/PyYCDq7FExI

A place I've always wanted to visit - and now my first time here will be watching 2+ hours of my own orchestrations. Thank you Jadrah, Helen, and everyone at Signature Choir and Sydney Symphony Orchestra! ♥️

Not in New Zealand at present…

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