Title: 
Headings: APPENDIX MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS & ENSEMBLES
MUSICAL
 
INSTRUMENTS
 
&
 
ENSEMBLES
 

MUSICAL
 
INSTRUMENTS
 
OF
 
THE
 
WESTERN
 
WORLD
 

The
 
HUMAN
 
VOICE
 

The
 
STRING
 
Family
 

The
 
WOODWIND
 
Family

The
 
BRASS
 
family
 

The
 
PERCUSSION
 
family
 

The
 
PIANO
 

ELECTRIC
 
and
 
ELECTRONIC
 
Instruments

COMMON
 
ANCIENT
 
INSTRUMENTS
 

The
 
VIOL
 
Family
 
(Ancestors
 
to
 
the
 
modern
 
violin
 
family):
  

The
 
LUTE
 
Family
 
(Ancestors
 
to
 
the
 
modern
 
guitar
 
family):
  

Ancient
 
Keyboard
 
Instruments
 

The
 
HARPSICHORD
 
(an
 
ancestor
 
to
 
the
 
modern
 
piano)
  

The
 
ORGAN
 

MUSICAL
 
ENSEMBLES

The
 
GROVE
 
SYMPHONY
 
ORCHESTRA
 

ENSEMBLES
 
(performing
 
groups)
 

Large
 
Ensembles
 

Orchestra
 
(also
 
called
 
Symphony
 
or
 
Symphony
 
Orchestra)

BRITTEN:
 
Young
 
Person's
 
Guide
 
to
 
the
 
Orchestra
 

See
 
MUSIC
 
GUIDE
 
1
 
(page
 
8)
 

Concert
 
Band
 

Small
 
Ensembles
 

Basso
 
Continuo

Chamber
 
Ensembles

The
 
String
 
Quartet
 

The
 
Woodwind
 
Quintet

THE
 
ROLE
 
OF
 
THE
 
CONDUCTOR
 


Content: the
 
piccolo
 
(very
 
high)
 
and
 
various-sized
 
flutes
 


 
the
 
oboe
 
and
 
the
 
"English"
 
Horn
 
(a
 
tenor
 
oboe)
  


•
 
various-sized
 
clarinets
 


 
the
 
bassoon
 
and
 
contrabassoon
 
(very
 
low
 
bassoon)
  


•
 
various-sized
 
saxophones
 


 
various-sized
 
recorders
 
(ancestors
 
to
 
the
 
modern
 
flute
 
family)
  
The
 
standard
 
range
 
categorization
 
of
 
this
 
family
 
is
 
as
 
follows: Flute
 
(soprano),
  


 
Oboe
 
(alto),
  


 
Clarinet
 
(tenor)
 


 
Bassoon
 
(bass)
 

Note: The
 
organ
 
is
 
essentially
 
a
 
wind
 
instrument
 
(when
 
its
 
keys
 
are
 
pressed,
 
compressed
 
air
 
is
 
passed
 
through
 
a
 
series
 
of
 
pipes)
Clarinet
(B-flat)
Common
 
Woodwind
 
Instruments
The
 
BRASS
 
family
 
The
 
brass
 
family
 
is
 
comprised
 
of
 
powerful
 
metallic
 
instruments
 
that
 
must
 
be
 
blown
 
into
 
by
 
the
 
player
 
to
 
make
 
a
 
musical
 
sound. The
 
tone-color
 
(timbre)
 
of
 
most
 
brass
 
instruments
 
can
 
be
 
altered
 
by
 
the
 
use
 
of
 
various
 
types
 
of
 
mutes
 
which
 
are
 
inserted
 
into
 
the
 
large
 
end
 
of
 
the
 
instrument. Until
 
the
 
invention
 
of
 
the
 
VALVE,
 
brass
 
instruments
 
could
 
only
 
produce
 
a
 
limited
 
number
 
of
 
pitches,
 
which
 
lessened
 
their
 
usefulness
 
to
 
composers. Instrument
 
builders
 
experimented
 
with
 
various
 
VALVES
 
that
 
would
 
avail
 
more
 
pitch
 
varieties
 
to
 
these
 
instruments. Many
 
modern
 
brass
 
instruments
 
have
 
a
 
system
 
of
 
3
 
VALVES
 
that
 
can
 
be
 
depressed
 
in
 
various
 
combinations
 
to
 
produce
 
different
 
pitches. The
 
modern
 
"rotary"
 
valve
 
was
 
invented
 
in
 
the
 
early
 
Romantic
 
period
 
(c.
 
1830)—an
 
invention
 
that
 
made
 
the
 
brass
 
family
 
more
 
responsive
 
and
 
reliable. As
 
a
 
result,
 
Romantic
 
composers
 
made
 
greater
 
use
 
of
 
the
 
brass
 
family. The
 
most
 
common
 
types
 
of
 
brass
 
instruments
 
include: