Types of musical instruments

Instruments are often divided by the way in which they generate sound:

• Wind instruments generate a sound when a column of air is made to vibrate inside them. The frequency of the wave generated is related to the length of the column of air and the shape of the instrument, while the tone quality of the sound generated is affected by the construction of the instrument and method of tone production. The group is typically subdivided into Brass, like the trumpet, and Woodwind instruments, such as the clarinet and flute.

• Percussion instruments create sound, with or without pitch, when struck. The shape and material of the part of the instrument to be struck and the shape of the resonating cavity, if any, determine the sound of the instrument.

• String instruments generate a sound when the string is plucked, strummed, slapped, etc. The frequency of the wave generated (and therefore the note produced) usually depends on the length of the vibrating portion of the string, its mass, the tension of each string and the point at which the string is excited; the tone quality varies with the construction of the resonating cavity.

• Voice, that is, the human voice, is an instrument in its own right. A singer generates sounds when airflow from the lungs sets the vocal cords into oscillation. The fundamental frequency is controlled by the tension of the vocal cords and the tone quality by the formation of the vocal tract; a wide range of sounds can be created.

• Electronic instruments generate sound through electronic means. They often mimic other instruments in their design, particularly keyboards and guitars.

• Keyboard instruments are any instruments that are played with a musical keyboard. Every key generates one or more sounds; most keyboard instruments have extra means (pedals for a piano, stops for an organ) to manipulate these sounds. They may produce sound by wind (organ), vibrating strings either hammered (piano) or plucked (harpsichord), by electronic means (synthesizer) or in some other way. Sometimes, instruments that do not usually have a keyboard, such as the Glockenspiel, are fitted with one. This term is also used to refer to the family of percussion instruments who resemble a piano keyboard. Though they have no moving parts and are struck by mallets held in the player's hands, they possess the same physical arrangement of keys and produce sound waves in a similar manner.

Task: Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. What is a musical instrument?

2. What are the grounds for classifying the musical instruments?

3. How is the science, studying the musical instruments called?

4. What are the main groups of musical instruments?

Text 2. Musical instruments. History and description

Woodwinds

piccolo

The piccolo is a type of a transverse flute that is pitched an octave above the concert (or standard) flute. It has a range of nearly three octaves and reaches the highest pitches of a modern orchestra. It is usually used for special effects in orchestra but is more widely used in concert and marching bands. It is played in the same manner as a flute would be played.

History: The piccolo was originally made out of wood and was featured in many prominent composers’ works. One of the earliest pieces to use the piccolo was Beethoven’s fifth Symphony. however, the most familiar use of the piccolo is in the end of John Philip Sousa’s “The stars and Stripes Forever”.

flute

The flute is the instrument that serves as the soprano voice in most bands, orchestras, and woodwind groups. Most flutes are made of metal and consist chiefly of a tube with a mouthpiece near one end. The musician holds the flute horizontally and blows across the oval shaped hole in the mouthpiece. At the same time, the musician presses levers on the flute, called keys. The keys. when depressed and released, open and close tone holes on the flute to produce different notes. The concert flute is the most popular flute, the other members of the flute family include the piccolo, the alto flute, and the bass flute.

History: The flute that is most commonly used in Western music, was known to have existed in China about 900 B.C. The flute reached Europe during the 12^th century where it became most used as a military instrument in German speaking areas. This led to its formal name, the German flute. The flute then evolved into a chamber musiс instrument during the 16^th and 17^th centuries. These early flutes were often made in one piece with 6 fingerholes. During the 17^th century the flute was redesigned and was built in three sections with joints which connected them together. Gradually, more keys were added to the flute, and it became a quite popular instrument for orchestral pieces.

English horn

The English horn is a part of the oboe family. It is also called an alto oboe because it is tuned one-fifth lower in pitch than an oboe. Its shape is similar to that of an oboe and is often played by the third oboe player in an orchestra.

History: Prototypes of the English horn appeared before the end of the 17^th century. These instruments were curved and leather covered with holes in the body. It is believed that the oboe da caccia (hunting oboe) which was used by Johann Sebastian Bach was almost identical to the English horn. Its distinctive dark and plaintive tone has been featured by such composers as Hector Berlioz, P.I. Tchaikovsky and Richard Wagner.

Oboe

The oboe is the smallest and the highest pitched double reed instrument. It has a cylindrical wooden body with keys along the length of its body.

History

The oboe was invented in the 17^th century by Jean Hotteterre and Michel Philidor, two French musicians. They modified the louder shawm into a new instrument, the oboe. By the 18^th century most orchestras had incorporated oboes into the ensemble. Throughout history, several composers have written solo pieces for the oboe. These composers include George Frederic Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Clarinet

The clarinet, a member of the woodwind family, usually consists of a log tube with a mouthpiece at one end and a bell-shaped opening at the other end. Usually made of wood, the clarinet has tone holes that are covered by small metal levers. To create sound, the musician blows on a flat cane reed that is attached to the mouthpiece. As the reed vibrates, a full, rich tone is produced.

History

The clarinet was invented in the early 18^th century by Johann Cristoph Denner, a German flute maker, as a modification of a folk reedipe. By the 1840s two complex systems of keywork had been developed for the instrument. Clarinets became common in orchestras by about 1780s. Early works featuring the clarinet include an overture written by George Frideric Handel for two clarinets and a horn and a clarinet concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Bassoon

The bassoon is a double reed instrument. It is made up of about 8 feet of cylindrical wood tubing. There are four joints in the bassoon. The double reed mouthpiece is attached to a crook in the highest joint. The bassoon has about 10 key controlled holes on the body and 8 finger holes. The musician plays the bassoon by putting his or her lips on the double reed, blowing through the instrument, and changing position of fingers on the keys and holes to create different tones.

History

The bassoon was developed in 1650 from the curtal, a similar instrument, which was made from a single block of word. the modern French bassoon was developed in the middle of the 19^th century by a French firm, Buffet-Crampon. The German bassoon was perfected by Wilhelm Heckel, a German manufacturer. Each type of bassoon was played in different parts of Europe.

Saxophone

The saxophone is a member of the reed-sounded wind instruments. In its construction, it combines the single reed and mouthpiece of the clarinet, a metal body, and a widened version of the conical bore of an oboe. Most saxophones are curved at the bottom so they resemble the bass clarinet. A few, such as the soprano saxophone, are straight and look very similar to a clarinet. The saxophone body contains 20 openings that are covered by keys. These keys can be opened or closed in groups by a musician by depressing or releasing 6 studs, or finger plates. Two additional holes are located on the body of the instrument to produce notes above or below the normal range of the instrument.

History.

The saxophone was invented around 1840 by a Belgian instrument maker named Adolph Sax. In 1844 saxophones first appeared in symphonic orchestras. However, pieces were only occasionally written to include saxophones. It wasn’t until the 20^th century in America when saxophones became popular because of their association with the development of jazz.

Brass

Trumpet

The trumpet is a popular brass instrument that is played in both bands and orchestras. The trumpet player produces tones by vibrating his or her lips and blowing into a cup-shaped mouthpiece.

History

Trumpets, which were first made from conch shells, have been used since ancient times as ritual instruments in many cultures. Silver and bronze trumpets with long straight tubes and flared bells still survive from ancient Egypt. Later, in medieval Europe several versions of the trumpet developed. Trumpets with long straight tubes began to be replaced by shorter trumpets with curled tubes. At this time the trumpet was brilliant but it had a very limited note range. By the 1800s, instrument builders sought to build a trumpet that could play a full chromatiс scale. This goal was achieved in the 1820s by adding valves to the trumpet.

French horn

The French horn or the orchestral horn, is a member of the brass family. It consists of a metal tube that is about 12 feet long. The tube is coiled into a circular shape which flares as a bell at the base of the instrument. A musician plays the French horn by vibrating his or her lips in funnel shaped mouthpiece. The musician can change the pitch of the instrument by moving the three valves and by changing his or her lip tension.

History

The French horn was developed about the 1650s in France and is a large version of the smaller crescent-shaped horns that existed at the time. The French hunting horn produced about 12 tones and entered the orchestra in the 1700s. By the 1750s the horn gained greater flexibility when hand-stopping was developed. It is the position when the musician puts his or her hand in the bell of the instrument. However, the horn did not make its next evolutionary step until the 19^th century when valves were added. This allowed the musician to alter the length of the tubing by depressing or releasing the valves.

Trombone

The trombone is a brass-wind instrument that is most typically used as the tenor voice in a brass section. It has a cup-shaped mouthpiece, a slide mechanism, and a 9 foot tube that is folded to overlap in the center. Most trombones are made out of brass though some are sometimes nickel plated.

History

The early trombone, called a sackbut, was almost exactly identical to the modern trombone with a few exceptions. In the early trombone, the metal that was used to create the instrument was thicker and the bell of the instrument was narrower. This produced a softer mellower tone which was favored in church and chamber music. The use of the trombone declined in the early 1700s except in town bands where it remained prevalent. however, toward the end of the 18^th century, the trombone began to used in the expanding military. Early orchestral compositions with the trombone included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Ludvig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. But it was not until 1850 when the trombone was firmly established in the orchestra.

Euphonium

The euphonium is a member of the tuba family. It is also known as the tenor tuba and it is the most popular tuba instrument. It has three or four valves and is most commonly used in concert and marching bands.

Tuba

Tuba is the general name for several musical instruments which are the newest additions to the brass family. Tubas are the largest instruments in the brass family and also have the lowest pitch. The tuba, unlike most other brass instruments is held vertically when it is played. The most popular type of a tuba is the baritone tuba, also known as the euphonium. The upright tuba is usually used in symphony orchestra.

History

The tuba was patented in 1835 by Friedrich Wilhelm Wieprecht (a Prussian bandmaster) and Johann Gottfried Moritz (a German builder). It was one of their several attempts to provide the wind band with a suitable brass bass instrument.

Strings

Violin

The violin, which is probably the best known orchestral instrument, is a stringed instrument that is played with a bow. The violin is the highest pitched member of the violin family, which also includes the viola, the cello, and the double bass. The violin consists of several main parts: the front, the ribs, the neck, the fingerboard, the pegbox, the scroll, the bridge, the tailpiece, the f-holes. The front and the sound-board are made of well-seasoned spruce, while the back is made of well-seasoned maple.

When a violin is made, the front, back and ribs are joined together to create a hollow sound box. The four strings of the violin are fastened to the tailpiece, rest on bridge of the violin, are suspended over the fingerboard and run to the pegbox. At the pegbox they are attached to the tuning pegs which can be turned to alter the pitch of the string. By changing the position of his or her fingers on the fingerboard, different pitches are made. Then the player draws a bow across the strings at a right angle to produce a tone. The bow that is used is a narrow, slightly curved stick made of Pernambuco. It is about 75 cm. long and has a band of horse hair strung from one end to the other. Among the most useful characteristics of the violin is its musical tone and its ability to play very rapid, brilliant figurations as well as lyrical melodies. violinists also create special sounds by using the following techniques: pizzicato (plucking the strings rather than playing with a bow), tremolo (moving the bow rapidly back and forth on a string), glissando (steadily gliding the left fingers up and down the strings to produce a sliding pitch).

History

The beginnings of a violin can be traced to Italy in the early 1500s. It seems to have evolved from two other stringed instruments: the fiddle and the lira da braccio (a Renassaince instrument). The craft of the violin making began in the 17^th and 18^th centuries in the workshops of such artists as Antonio Stradivari, Guiseppe Guarneri and Jacob Stainer. The violins made at that time had a shorter neck, a shorter fingerboard and a flatter bridge than the violins of today.

When the violin was first used in classical pieces, it was considered to be an instrument of a low social status. But then through pieces such as Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, and through groups such as the 24 violond du roi (King Louis 13^th band of musicians), the violin began to gain greater stature in thee world of music. This climb continued into the baroque period when many notable composers, including Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Georg Philipp Telemann, featured the violin in their works. The violin became the driving force in new instrumental genres which included the solo concerto, sonata, and suite. During this period violins emerged as the leading section in an orchestra. However, it wasn’t until the 19^th century that violin virtuosos emerged.

Viola

The viola is the second highest member of the violin family. music for the viola is written in the alto clef. violas vary in size, although they are always bigger and tuned lower than violins. Haydn and Mozart used violas in their works. The viola plays an important part in the symphony, although its solo repertory is limited. Other composers such as hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann also used the viola extensively in their works.

Cello

The cello, also known as violoncello, is a stringed instrument which is part of the violin family. It is played with a bow much like violin. It is also shaped like a violin but is much bigger. The cello is about 4 feet long and 1.5 feet across at its widest and thus it is played sitting down.

Supported by an end pin which is laced on the floor, the cello is then placed between the musician’s knees and played with a large bow. The cello, like a violin also has 4 strings and notes are changed on the instrument when the musician changes his or her fingerings on the neck of the instrument. The cello’s range can extend over more than 4 octaves.

History

The earliest surviving cellos date back to the 1560s and were made by the Italian violinmaker Andrea Amati. Until the late 18^th century, cellos were not featured instruments, but played the bass line in an orchestra to add fullness to the piece of music. however, during the Baroque era, composers like Antonio Vivaldi and Luigi Boccherini composed unaccompanied cello suites. by the 19^th century other pieces for the cello included concertos that were written by Johannes Brahms and Antonin Dvorak. Composers such as Sergey Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich further explored and expanded the cello’s capabilities as a solo instrument during the 20^th century.

String bass

The double bass (also known as the string bass, bass viol, contrabass) is the largest and lowest pitched string instrument of a violin family. It is usually 6 feet high and has 4 strings. some basses have an optional mechanism that allows the player to lengthen one string, lowering the pitch.

History

Three strings basses were common during the 18^th and the 19^th centuries and survive today in Eastern European folk music. Until the 19^th century, the only means of playing the bass was by a bow that was curved out. Later, musicians began to use a technique of plucking the strings or using bows that were similar to violin bows which were curved inwards. Basses have become to be used in orchestras and some chamber music groups. It is one of the most important rhythm instruments in jazz and popular music today.

Rhythmic Percussion

Drum set

The first drum sets were put together in the late 1800s sometime after the inversion of the bass drum pedal. This invention made it possible for one person to play several percussion instruments (snare drum, bass drum, and cymbals) at one time. the set developed as it was used to accompany jazz musicians in New Orleans during the 1920s.

As new instruments were introduced to the drum set (tom-toms and the high hat cymbal) in the late 1920s and 1930s, new techniques developed. Gene Krupa, one of the greatest jazz drummers of the big band era, highlighted tom-toms in his pieces and did solo using the drum set as the featured instrument.

The typical drum set usually includes the bass drum, the snare drum, cymbals and tom-toms.

Other percussion instruments included into the percussion family commonly are known as “toys”. Some examples of these can be: cymbals, triangle, gong, maracas, tambourine, and hand drums. Many of these instruments are very old and still are used in folk music.

Melodic percussion includes xylophone, harp. the xylophone is a mallet percussion instrument. It consists of a set of graduated wooden bars which are hit with mallets to produce a tone. They were used in Southeast Asia during the 1300s and spread to Africa, Latin America and Europe.

The harp is a stringed instrument and produces a sound by plucking the strings which are perpendicular to the body of the instrument. The strings themselves run between a neck and a sound box also known as the body or resonator. There are several types of harps that are classified depending on their shape: arched harp, angular harp, frame harp.

The modern orchestral harp has 46 strings. Arched harps are the most ancient in the family and date back to Egyptian times.

Task 1: Read the text.

Task 2: Translate into Russian the underlined expressions and sentences.

Task 3: Find in the text information and speak about the famous composers who either used certain musical instruments in their works or composed pieces for them

Task 4: Find information in the text and speak about the inventors of musical instruments.

Task 5: Speak about each family of musical instruments using the expressions from the text.