Musical orchestra
Musical orchestras ( also "(musical) pit band" ) in the orchestra pit of theater buildings are, compared to the symphony orchestras of opera performances , usually smaller ensembles or bands that provide musical accompaniment to musicals . Usually the music is played live here at every performance, but there are also performances of musicals where the accompaniment of the voices comes from a sound carrier as playback .
Structure and general
Symphony orchestras are often made up of 60 to 100 musicians or sometimes even larger, while musical orchestras usually consist of only 5 to 30 musicians. The commercial production structures of Broadway and West End productions in the early days of musical comedy since the 1930s did not allow personnel-intensive musical accompaniment, the space in the theaters was limited and the intelligibility of the text of the vocal parts, which had not yet been amplified, could not be impaired by a full orchestra sound . Of course, the much higher cost, based on a full orchestra (see opera), must also be taken into account.
Due to the progress of sound technology in the course of the 20th century, the line-up has in some cases been reduced. Andrew Lloyd Webber requires around 27 players for his musical The Phantom of the Opera , while Elton John only requires 12 for his musical Aida , or Stephen Schwartz for Godspell only requires 4 ensemble members.
Another difference to the classical instrumentation is that the woodwinds in particular do not only have to master the variant instruments of classical music (e.g. with the flutist the transverse flute as well as the piccolo and alto flute), but like the woodwinds in a big band often between saxophones, Change flutes and clarinets. Especially in the instrumentation that is based on the practice of the salon orchestras around 1900, additional additional instruments are often required, such as the pairing of clarinet, oboe and bassoon (all reed instruments ), trombone, cello and bassoon (all "bass instruments") . Nevertheless, even today multi-instrumentalists are still required for many performances, who have to master at least two different types of instruments. Because of the frequent changes, the woodwinds are not notated as in classical music (e.g. flute 1, flute 2, oboe 1, English horn, etc.), but in reed I, reed II , Reed III etc. split. Musicals often have 3–5 reed players. In Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story , for example, the first woodwind player is required to switch between piccolo and transverse flute, alto saxophone, and Bb and bass clarinet (but this is also a rather extreme example).
In contrast to the woodwinds, the brass instruments tend to have a fixed cast (often 2 horns, 2 trumpets and 1–2 trombones - if the score has more big-band-like features but also 3–4 trumpets / trombones) and usually do not require multi-instrumentalists. Especially the French horns (since they practically only have the Wagner tuba, which is used much less often as a secondary instrument) rarely change. Nevertheless, there are definitely games in which z. B. the 1st trumpet has to switch to the flugelhorn or cornet. A change between tenor and bass trombone, or even tuba, may also be required.
The string orchestras are also very thinly cast compared to the numerous string parts in the classical orchestra and are usually supported by synthetic string sounds on the keyboards . In contrast to the classical orchestra, the violas are sometimes missing , similar to the salon orchestra , where they have been replaced by the violin . The string line-up in a musical production is sometimes composed of just a few violins, one or two cellos and usually only one double or electric bass (string or symphony orchestras, on the other hand, require an average of around 40–60 strings).
In general, several keyboards are used in musicals today (three or more are not uncommon), which not only, as already mentioned above, enriches the sound (especially the sound of the strings, but also partly also of the sheet metal and wood), but also the Instruments that do not exist in the orchestra pit, such as the organ, harpsichord, percussion or wind instruments , can be convincingly emulated with modern sampling technology .
Not least because of the circumstances mentioned, the instrumentation of musicals requires special skill and, similar to film music, is usually performed by someone other than the composer , the so-called orchestrator ( arranger ).
Differences to the large symphony orchestra
As mentioned above, the size (especially extremely with the strings, but also with the woodwinds) and composition differs significantly from a large symphony orchestra. Nevertheless, many instruments that are already known from classical orchestras are of course also used in musical orchestras. However, certain musical instruments that are more known from pop, rock and jazz, such as keyboards, drum kits, electric bass, electric guitar or saxophones (most commonly soprano, alto, tenor and baritone), but also more for pure brass music Conceived instruments (such as cornet, baritone, tenor or flugelhorn) are used with remarkable frequency.
As already described, the woodwinds, but partly also the brass, are almost always multi-instrumentalists who often have to master a considerable number of instruments in order to save staff. Accordingly, the breaks in musical productions are often significantly shorter. Of course, with the wind parts (also here especially with the wood) in large, classical orchestral formations, there is also some change between the instruments, but hardly as excessively. The instrumentalists are never asked to switch to an instrument of a different genre (e.g. from transverse flute to Bb clarinet), but only between the usual instruments within the genre (e.g. from bassoon to contrabassoon, or as already mentioned above from flute to piccolo, to alto flute).
The final instrumentation, however, is very variable and depends heavily on style, genre (pop, rock, swing etc.) and style of the musical, as well as financial conditions. In some styles, certain additional skills are required of the instrumentalists; This is the case with big band, pop or funk-inspired instrumentations, in which, as is typical of the style, particularly high trumpet tones, up to the middle three-stroke octave and higher, are expected, with the clean execution / intonation of such high tones a "classic" trumpeter certainly Could have problems. Similarly, big band techniques are used much more frequently, especially in sheet metal (if appropriate), such as B. Falls (falling tone), Doits (falling figure) or Turns (a kind of short trill). These techniques may not be too typical of classical orchestral work either.
Examples of occupations
Cole Porter: Anything Goes , 1934
The musical Anything Goes by Cole Porter, which was mainly orchestrated by Hans Spialek (premiered on New York Broadway in 1934) originally had the following orchestral line-up:
Reed I: oboe , English horn , bass oboe , celesta . Reed II: flute , clarinet , bass clarinet , alto saxophone , baritone saxophone . Reed III: piccolo , flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone. Reed IV: flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone ), 3 trumpets , trombone , drums, piano, violins (3 consoles A – C), viola (with guitar ), cello , double bass .
Richard Rodgers: Oklahoma! , 1943
The musical Oklahoma! Orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett ! by Richard Rodgers (premiered on Broadway in 1943) has a “classical” orchestra according to the style of the music: Reed I: flute, piccolo. Reed II: oboe, English horn. Reed III: clarinet, bass clarinet. Reed IV: clarinet. Reed V: bassoon . 2 horns , 2 trumpets, trombone, drums, piano, guitar (with banjo ), harp, strings.
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Evita , 1978
The electro-acoustic amplification of all voices brought a fundamental change since the 1960s. The piano is being replaced by keyboards, electric guitars and bass guitars are arriving, and the woodwinds have to switch between fewer instruments.
The musical Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber, orchestrated by Hershy Kay (world premiere in London 1978), originally has the following orchestral line-up: 3 reeds: all with flute, clarinet and saxophones. 2 horns, 2 trumpets, trombone, 2 electric guitars , electric bass , harp, drums, percussion, 2 keyboards , 6 violins, 3 cellos.
Enlarged musical ensembles
However, musical numbers do not always have to be intended for small ensemble groups.
The most typical exception are film musicals or films that contain many musical numbers. These then usually fall back on a full orchestra, since there is no budget or other in the way of the production. Examples include B. are a variety of Disney films, the old MGM productions from the post-war period, or last but not least the award-winning film La La Land and TV series such as Family Guy or the Simpsons.
The originally small musical orchestrations are also adapted for larger orchestras on certain occasions. This happens e.g. Often at award ceremonies such as the annual Tony Awards or the Olivier Awards, or at concerts such as the Proms (a large-scale summer concert series in London). This happens less often with anniversary editions or new editions, such as the Miss Saigon: Complete Symphonic Recording from 1995.
literature
- Dominic Symonds: Orchestration and Arrangement: Creating the Broadway Sound, in: Raymond Knapp, Mitchell Morris, Stacy Wolf (eds.): The Oxford Handbook of the American Musical, Oxford Univ. Press, New York 2011, pp. 266-280. ISBN 978-0-19-538594-6
Individual evidence
- ↑ 'Phantom Of The Opera': 20 Years In The Pit. In: NPR.org. Retrieved March 19, 2016 .
- ^ AIDA, Elton John & Tim Rice's | Musicals | Josef Weinberger. In: www.josef-weinberger.com. Retrieved March 19, 2016 .
- ^ The Broadway League: Godspell | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information. In: www.ibdb.com. Retrieved March 19, 2016 .
- ^ The Official West Side Story Web Site - FAQ. (No longer available online.) In: www.westsidestory.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016 ; Retrieved March 19, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Carl Dahlhaus, Sieghart Döhring: Piper's Enzyklopädie des Musiktheater, Vol. 5, Piper, Munich 1994, p. 49.
- ↑ Carl Dahlhaus, Sieghart Döhring: Piper's Enzyklopädie des Musiktheaters, Vol. 5, Piper, Munich 1994, p. 309.
- ↑ Carl Dahlhaus, Sieghart Döhring: Piper's Enzyklopädie des Musiktheater, Vol. 3, Piper, Munich 1989, p. 521
