Comment on Haydns use of Brass, Woodwind, Strings and Percussion in relations to the Classical Period and Symphony 103

The classical orchestra of Hydans time was made up of four sections: brass, strings, woodwind and percussion. Generally the classical orchestra would contain 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 flutes, 2 bassoons, up to 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 Timpani, (Tonic and Dominant), 4 violas, 2 double bases, 3 cellos and as many as 12 violins to fill both the parts. The orchestra would ofen be lead by a conductor sat at a pianoforte; the pianoforte was a replacement for the harpsichord, which had been popular in the Baroque orchestra. The pianoforte was used because it was more of a melodic instrument that fitted the style of the classical period and complimented the string section well as its soft sound matched that of the strings. When conducting the orchestra the conductor would ofen play the contrabass and improvise chords to fill out the mid range in sections. When composing for a classical orchestra, the composer would have specific jobs for each instrument section. The woodwind section was used as a more melodic section alongside the strings, playing accompaniment and solos throughout the piece. The brass section could only play in one key throughout the piece, due to the nature of the instrument being valve-less, this also meant that the brass section couldnt play fast passages and were therefore used to fill out chords by adding extra harmonies. The percussion section was used to highlight cadences and motifs in the original key due to the fixed pitch nature of the instruments. The strings were regarded as the most important section, the first violins generally took the melody of the piece and the deeper side of the string section provided accompaniment. These different sections made the classical orchestra more dynamic than ever before, helping the classical style bloom. The classical orchestra contained two types of brass instrument, the trumpet and horn, these were valve-less instruments throughout the classical period meaning their part in the orchestra wasnt as great and as dynamic as today due to their lack of range and also because of their inability to shift between pitches very quickly. The range of these instruments only consisted of notes that are in the harmonic series but few of these notes could be achieved while playing in the standard register, to achieve more notes, the players must play in a higher register, ofen needing a higher skill level than standard. The register in which many notes could be achieved is the clarino register, composers would ofen write for brass instruments in this register to achieve a larger range. A technique sometimes used to create more chromatic notes in the range is called stopping where the bell is stopped in certain places with the left hand. The instrument could only play in one key at any time, composers would only write to suit this, to avoid changing the metal extensions which changed the instruments key, called crooks. Brass instruments were often used to highlight cadence and pedal points for example, the brass section play sustained notes to highlight a cadence at bar 371.

When the Finale movement begins, the brass section plays in 3ths and 6ths creating a horn call. This motif is repeated throughout the piece in the same key to avoid changing crooks. The way woodwind instruments worked is completely different to today, the instruments were more recorderesque at the time. The oboe at the time had a higher range than today, the range being of 18 tones from C4. Woodwind instruments have many holes which allow the use of chromatic passages to be played in the flutes and oboes. The bassoon plays a large part in the symphony also, at bar 127 the bassoon has a solo using the upper register, written in the tenor clef. The bassoon is also used to highlight pedal points and cadences, for example, the oboe holds a pedal note during bar 39. A technique used in the woodwind was double woodwind signified by an a2 marking, this means that there are two instruments playing the line, creating a richer tone to the secion. A new instrument that became popular during the classical period was the Clarinet. Haydn used this instrument because it is very similar to the tone of the human voice. The clarinet quickly became part of the standard Classical orchestra. The first violin generally holds the melody as we see from the beginning at bar 15 through to bar 18. Hydan uses an antiphonal effect in the first and second violins creating a stereo effect, making the section more aurally interesting. At sections both bass instruments play the same part octaves apart which creates a thicker bass sound, during bar 28, though, both instruments play the same rhythm, but the violoncello is playing a melody over the double bass pedal. The string section is by far the most dynamic section of the few, because all notes are accessible, meaning that faster more advanced melodies can be played and other effects can be created aswell. Timpani was used to highlight pedal points using the tonic and dominant tones. These were fixed tones because they couldn't be changed using the mechanism as they do currently. The timpani is used very sparingly, to make sections feel very big.