Instrumentation and Orchestration
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The course objective is to recognize technics of orchestration from baroque to the present day through practical test aimed to give the instruments and the knowledge requested to move inside the experience of instrumentation with absolute expressive freedom.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students can read and comment on every scores, knowing mechanisms and stylistic conventions and re considering experiencing in philological way or through their own fantasy or inventiveness.
Lesson period: Open sessions
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
(Erogato presso il Conservatorio)
Course syllabus
Short notions about instrumentation
orchestral instruments, their disposition, their historical features, conventions, practice and custom.
Extensions, tone colour and functionality inside the whole orchestra.
Short notions about instrumentation during the classical period:
Orchestration transition from '700 to Beethoven
The orchestration in melodrama between '800 and '900
The connection between voice and orchestra: Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini.
Wagner and Strauss.
The orchestration in romantic and late romantic period:
The tone colour birth in western music as a purely aesthetic factor.
The renovation of instruments functionality inside a score.
The orchestration in '900
The new techniques, new developments, new tone colours comparisons among instruments families; new expressive possibilities of single families.
The transcription from score to music sheet and from music sheet to score.
Technical problems, practical needs, synthesis obligation.
Practical tests of instrumentation for piano music or chamber music and education to acoustic visualisation of scores, visualisation of sounds worlds through preparation of scores, timbral invention and imagine sounds with different tones.
orchestral instruments, their disposition, their historical features, conventions, practice and custom.
Extensions, tone colour and functionality inside the whole orchestra.
Short notions about instrumentation during the classical period:
Orchestration transition from '700 to Beethoven
The orchestration in melodrama between '800 and '900
The connection between voice and orchestra: Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini.
Wagner and Strauss.
The orchestration in romantic and late romantic period:
The tone colour birth in western music as a purely aesthetic factor.
The renovation of instruments functionality inside a score.
The orchestration in '900
The new techniques, new developments, new tone colours comparisons among instruments families; new expressive possibilities of single families.
The transcription from score to music sheet and from music sheet to score.
Technical problems, practical needs, synthesis obligation.
Practical tests of instrumentation for piano music or chamber music and education to acoustic visualisation of scores, visualisation of sounds worlds through preparation of scores, timbral invention and imagine sounds with different tones.
Prerequisites for admission
Good knowledge of musical language is needed, as well as the knowledge of musical grammar and notation even if basic level.
Teaching methods
Theoretical lessons will be accompanied by practical exercises based both on the philological reconstruction of the scores analysed and on their reconsideration with personal creations through computer technology, targeted listening and live with the orchestra when possible, control on original scores.
Teaching Resources
Scores and music sheets about the authors of the program.
Hector Berlioz: grande trattato di orchestrazione e strumentazione. Edizione Ricordi - Milano 1957
Nicolaj Rimskij-Korsakov: Trattato di strumentazione. Rugginenti editore - Milano
Alfredo Casella - Virgilio Mortari: La tecnica dell'orchestra contemporanea Edizione Ricordi - Milano 1950
J Leibowitz, R & Maguire: Thinking for orchestra
Charles Koechlin: traité de l'Orchestration vol I,II,III et IV. Ed. Eschig 1955
Hector Berlioz: grande trattato di orchestrazione e strumentazione. Edizione Ricordi - Milano 1957
Nicolaj Rimskij-Korsakov: Trattato di strumentazione. Rugginenti editore - Milano
Alfredo Casella - Virgilio Mortari: La tecnica dell'orchestra contemporanea Edizione Ricordi - Milano 1950
J Leibowitz, R & Maguire: Thinking for orchestra
Charles Koechlin: traité de l'Orchestration vol I,II,III et IV. Ed. Eschig 1955
Assessment methods and Criteria
Presentation of 4 scores:
From Baroque to romanticism;
From last romanticism to first '900
A score using the voice
A free Orchestration of a score freely choose even in a non classical repertory.
Almost one of them must respect philological standard and almost one for great orchestra.
From Baroque to romanticism;
From last romanticism to first '900
A score using the voice
A free Orchestration of a score freely choose even in a non classical repertory.
Almost one of them must respect philological standard and almost one for great orchestra.
L-ART/07 - MUSICOLOGY AND HISTORY OF MUSIC - University credits: 6
Lessons: 45 hours