Book Recommendations

Any recommendations for reading of composing and how to's and instrumentation? I'd just like a list of the musts and great books every composer should have. I don't know much on theory, so I find a lot of things out there confusing, though.

How is:

Hearing and Writing Music: Professional Training for Today's Musician (2nd Edition)

Ron Gorow

I have that; it's a good book. Try Rimsky-Korsakov's thing on orchestration, that's nice too.

I have that; it's a good book. Try Rimsky-Korsakov's thing on orchestration, that's nice too.

I would suggest that as well. It is by far the best book I own on orchestration.

I'm by all means NOT an expert in this, but I really enjoy "The Technique of Orchestration" by Kent Kennan/Donald Grantham because it's a great reference for understanding the place of many instruments in an orchestra and their relationships - if this is the kind of information you are looking for.

I like the examples and the little anecdotes and historical information they include in each section, and it's not cryptic like some books I've tried to work with. I don't know if others here have used it but I think it's a very informative and interesting book. I like how it discusses the instruments' prevalence in orchestras of different levels and the average capabilities of the people who might be playing something (high school v. college v. professional). It made sense to me and I tend to remember what I read without having to review it. I'd recommend it but I'm not an authority figure on the matter.

I drag it with me everywhere STILL in the padded envelope I recieved it in over a year ago :P so you can see that I treat it with care for a reason.

Here's a helpful freebie.

http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryindex.htm

The numbers on the fourth line are the lessons.

It's another source, anyway. Different musicians approach these things differently but most who have bothered to study western art music will understanding this, like in discussion here.

:) M

I have a school book this summer I forgot to return to my teacher on Harmony.. maybe it would be a good idea to read this. I'm taking harmony next year instead of Piano Lab.. :D.. although I feel left out when I'm here since I don't know a triad from the C Major Scale. The book is called Elementary Harmony Theory and Practice by Robert W. Ottman. Does anyone know any good books just on composition in general preferrably for the piano?

I have Ottman's book on Sightsinging. Lots of mistakes in it.

An excellent book on orchestras in general is "Anatomy of the Orchestra" by Norman del Mar. As well as all the usual instrumental range information, technical limitations, special effects, etc. that come as standard in instrumentation books, it also contains a lot of useful (or in parts simply intriguing) tidbits such as platform planning diagrams, peculiarities pertaining to various instruments, obscure score layouts, trivia (did you know Strauss's "Alpensinfonie" requires 20 horns?), a myriad of score examples, references, and details on pretty much every orchestral instrument... well, ever.

A very heartily recommended purchase.

Twenty horns is not the difficult aspect of it - the symphony also requires a Heckelphone, a very rare double reed instrument resembling the oboe (except four times the size).

I managed to 'have a blow' on a Heckelphone in April this year, when John Orford came up to play with us when we played the Alpine Symphony. It is an incredible instrument - powerful but mellow. I was able to listen to it quite closely, as I was playing 4th Bassoon/Contrabassoon, so was directly behind the Heckelphone.

What an experience...

I have Ottman's book on Sightsinging. Lots of mistakes in it.

My Aural Skills class uses Ottman's Sight-Singing book too! I hate it, and I hate the class.

Twenty horns is not the difficult aspect of it - the symphony also requires a Heckelphone, a very rare double reed instrument resembling the oboe (except four times the size).

I managed to 'have a blow' on a Heckelphone in April this year, when John Orford came up to play with us when we played the Alpine Symphony. It is an incredible instrument - powerful but mellow. I was able to listen to it quite closely, as I was playing 4th Bassoon/Contrabassoon, so was directly behind the Heckelphone.

What an experience...

Ah yes, the "Baritone Oboe." I've heard 'em, their quite amazing, eh?

I hear good things about Composition: A New Approach. Is it just me their?

A baritone oboe is not a Heckelphone! They are often confused for each other, though.

The baritone oboe is literally a big oboe - twice the size of the oboe. The Heckelphone, however, has a very different bore from the oboe as it is much wider. The sound is distinctive with a strong and loud sound, whereas the baritone oboe is relatively thin. Both have amazing properties of sound and I dearly want one of each!

Another interesting thing is that most players of the Heckelphone are bassoonists rather than oboists. Baritone oboes are usually played by oboists. This is due to the heckelphone reed being very similar to the bassoon reed whereas the baritone oboe's reed is like an oboe reed.

Edit: Wagner requested of Heckel (the famous bassoon maker) that a more powerful bass of the oboe section be created. Heckel obliged and made the instrument. However, Wagner didn't live to see it. Only a few hundred have ever been made in its 120 years or so of existence.