Manual of Practical Instrumentation

Book excerpt: Renowned for his talents as organist and composer, Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937) was also a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, where his vast knowledge of counterpoint, fugue, and orchestration benefited such students as Honegger, Varèse, Milhaud, and Dupré. In the course of his four decades of teaching at the Conservatoire, he wrote this study of instrumentation, The Technique of the Modern Orchestra, which he viewed as a supplement to Berlioz’s celebrated but dated treatise on the same subject. Full of insights and details not found in other manuals of instrumentation, Widor’s 1904 text presents a comprehensive catalog of the various abilities and qualities of all the orchestral instruments. It also features an abundance of practical advice regarding instrumental combinations and relevant works to study. This classic work represents an invaluable reference for any student of orchestration.