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Transcriber’s Notes
About this e-book: This e-book was prepared from a 1964 reprint published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, which in turn was prepared from the two-volume 1922 English translation published by Édition Russe de Musique, Paris.
Volume I contains the text of the work; Volume II contains the musical examples referred to in Volume I. In this e-book, each volume is in a separate HTML document. References in Volume I to the numbered musical examples are hyperlinked to Volume II. See this footnote for the editor's explanation of the musical examples and the boxed rehearsal numbers. The use of asterisks is explained on page XII of the Editor's Preface.
Obvious printer errors have been corrected without note. Other apparent errors are underlined in red with a popup Transcriber's Note.
About the music: Midi or MP3 files have been provided for all music examples (except for single-note examples, and tables of instrument ranges and chords). Click on the [Listen] link to hear the music. For the extended music examples in Volume II, you can also click on the [PDF] link to view an enlarged version of the original music images; and on the [XML] link to view or download the notation in MusicXML.
All MP3 files were created by the Transcriber using Finale with Garritan Personal Orchestra, which employs sound samples of actual musical instruments, except for vocal solos. The MusicXML files were created automatically in Finale and have not been edited further. They reflect primarily the sound of the music, not its appearance. Some workarounds were employed to address minor limitations and bugs in Finale and Garritan that affected the sound (e.g., empty measures at the beginning and/or end of a piece to avoid abrupt cut-offs; changes in dynamics; expansion of shared staves where instruments are doubled; instrument substitutions; etc.). Obvious printer errors have been corrected without note; other questionable items are noted in the MusicXML file.
For each music example in Volume II, a link has been provided back to the page in Volume I on which the example is referenced. Page numbers have been omitted from Volume II, but are available in the PDF files.
NIKOLAY RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Principles
of Orchestration
with musical examples
drawn from his own works
Edited by
MAXIMILIAN STEINBERG
English translation by
EDWARD AGATE
[VOLUMES I and II]
[Édition Russe de Musique, Paris, 1922]
CONTENTS
Volume I
Text
page Editor's Preface VII—XII
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tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Extract from the Author's preface (1891) 1 Extract from the Preface to the last edition 5 Chapter I.—General review of orchestral groups A. Stringed instruments 6 B. Wind instruments: Wood-wind 12 Brass 21 C. Instruments of little sustaining power: Plucked strings 26 Pizzicato 27 Harp 27 Percussion instruments producing determinate sounds, keyed instruments Kettle-drums 29 Piano and Celesta 30 Glockenspiel, Bells, Xylophone 32 Percussion instruments producing indefinite sounds 32 Comparison of resonance in orchestral groups, and combination of different tone qualities 33 Chapter II.—Melody Melody in stringed instruments 36 Grouping in unison 39 Stringed instruments doubling in octaves 40 Melody in double octaves 44 Doubling in three and four octaves 45 Melody in thirds and sixths 45 Melody in the wood-wind 46 Combination in unison
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class="right">47 Combination in octaves 49 Doubling in two, three and four octaves 51 Melody in thirds and sixths 52 Thirds and sixths together 53 Melody in the brass 53 Brass in unison, in octaves, thirds and sixths 55 Melody in different groups of instruments combined together 56 A. Combination of wind and brass in unison 56 B. Combination of wind and brass in octaves 57 C. Combination of strings and wind 58 D. Combination of strings and brass 61 E. Combination of the three groups 61 Chapter III.—Harmony General observations 63 Number of harmonic parts—Duplication 64 Distribution of notes in chords 67 String harmony 69 Wood-wind harmony 71 Four-part and three-part harmony 72 Harmony in several parts 76 Duplication of timbres 77 Remarks 78 Harmony in the brass 82 Four-part writing
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tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">82 Three-part writing 84 Writing in several parts 84 Duplication in the brass 85 Harmony in combined groups 88 A. Combination of wind and brass 88 1. In unison 88 2. Overlaying, crossing, enclosure of parts 90 B. Combination of strings and wind 94 C. Combination of the three groups 95 Chapter IV.—Composition of the orchestra Different ways of orchestrating the same music 97 Full Tutti 101 Tutti in the wind 103 Tutti pizzicato 103 Tutti in one, two and three parts 104 Soli in the strings 104 Limits of orchestral range 106 Transference of passages and phrases 107 Chords of different tone quality used alternately 108 Amplification and elimination of tone qualities 109 Repetition of phrases, imitation, echo 110 Sforzando-piano and piano-sforzando chords 111 Method of emphasising certain notes and chords 111 Crescendo and diminuendo
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tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">112 Diverging and converging progressions 113 Tone quality as a harmonic force. Harmonic basis 114 Artificial effects 116 Use of percussion instruments for rhythm and colour 117 Economy in orchestral colour 118 Chapter V.—Combination of the human voice with orchestra. The Stage band Orchestral accompaniment of solo voices 119 General remarks 119 Transparence of accompaniment. Harmony 120 Doubling voices in the orchestra 122 Recitative and declamation 125 Orchestral accompaniment of the chorus 126 Solo voice with chorus 128 Instruments on the stage and in the wings 129 Chapter VI (Supplementary).—Voices Technical terms 132 Soloists 133 Range and register 133 Vocalisation 134 Vowels 136 Flexibility 137 Colour and character of voices 137 Voices in combination 139 Duet
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tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">139
Trios, quartets etc. 141
Chorus 142
Range and register 142
Melody 144
A. Mixed chorus 145
Chorus in unison 145
Progression in octaves 145
Voices divisi; harmonic use of the mixed chorus 146
B. Men's chorus and Women's chorus 148
Volume II
Musical Examples
List of Works
