Simple Arrangement for Small Orchestra

Melody & Broken Chord Accompaniment
This is from one of the lectures I gave in my orchestration class at San José State University on how to arrange a simple composition for small orchestra. You can listen to the entire lecture on audio while following the examples below or you can go at your own pace and click on each audio recording. The material is exactly the same. The example is an excerpt.
1. Specifically, this tutorial shows you how to: Transcribe a common piano figuration like the Alberti bass or broken chord Add implied elements to the orchestral accompaniment Use different instruments to change the color or timbre in order to highlight the structure of the music
Here is an example from the Classical period by Ferdinando Carulli with typical Alberti bass or broken chord figuration. This is originally a duet for two guitars, but has the same features found in piano pieces of the same period, specifically, melody with broken chord accompaniment:

Recreate Harmony, Melody & Rhythm

Let’s see how we can re-create the harmony, melody and rhythm with a small orchestra. 3. We have to re-create the harmony provided by the broken chord figuration as well as the rhythm that the figuration provides. Now, there are three basic elements or lines of activity: the melody, a middle simple line and the broken chord accompaniment (with its implications of harmony and rhythm). We can transcribe this in a simplistic way for the 1st and 2nd Violins and Viola like this:
The above excerpt is a direct transfer of elements from the original to the orchestra arrangement without transpositions or other changes. Let’s see what we can do so it looks and sounds more like orchestral music.

Broken Chord Figuration


4. First of all, examine the accompaniment, the broken chord figuration:
5. The viola can easily play this figure especially at a slow tempo, but we want to use string-like figurations like the wide-interval trill or tremolo, which is a common technique of string instruments.

Deconstructing the Bass Line

6. Look at the Alberti bass figuration. If we look at the first note of each group of 16th-notes, we see and hear a standard bass line. In music, the bass gives us a lot of harmonic information, so we are going to use these first notes of the Alberti figure for the bass line of the arrangement:
O.K., now the upper notes.

Arranging the Bass

7. Having deconstructed the Alberti bass figure let’s arrange it in the following manner. First, for the bass line, we’ll use the first note of the Alberti figure and assign it to the Cellos:

Viola – Rhythm Section

8. Then, considering that the viola is regarded as the “rhythm section” of the string ensemble, let’s assign to the viola section the faster moving notes (the upper 16th notes of the broken chord figure). Also, we’ll replace the 16th note rest that resulted from giving the first note to the Cello line with another note and make it an even 4-note figure. It’s easier to play and fills the harmony and rhythm better. This will give the sense of harmony right from the start of the figuration:
So, we end up with this:
9. Next: the melody can be assigned to the 1st Violins and the middle line to the 2nd Violins so together, the three lines, Violins 1 and 2, viola and cello sound like this:
10. Now, we will add the Basses which will double the cellos an octave lower. This is going to give us a fuller sound as the partials of the Basses reinforce those of the cellos. For comparison, so you can hear the difference, you will hear the Bass come in at measure 3. Make sure to use headphones:
11. We're not done with the basses. For a more clear sound, let’s have the Basses pluck softly. This will punctuate the bass line and let the Cellos come through. Here’s the same passage with Basses playing “pizz” at the beginning, then “arco” at measure 5:

Harmonic Sustain

12. But there's more. From master orchestrators like Ravel we learn that there are some techniques that help fill the sound even more. We can call this “harmonic sustain,” which in popular music is referred to a “chord padding.” In music arranging or composing this “pad” idea supports the music with the underlying harmony while staying out of the way. We want it to be present but not too much, but will notice it if its missing.
For the “virtual” orchestra I have selected several woodwind instruments including 2 bassoons and a horn so I will use these for the harmonic sustain. And to get a blended sound I will place the horn in between the two bassoons. The horn and two bassoons will play the chord progression with long notes at a soft dynamic level and without clear attacks. (When combining instruments, there is nothing wrong in placing the horn above the bassoons, if we want a more defined horn and bassoon sound, but here I chose to blend their sound.)
Here is the same passage but now with the winds playing harmony. To better hear their effect, they’ll drop out at m3 and re-enter at m. 5. Let’s listen (make sure to use headphones):

Making the Texture More Dense

13. Finally, we’re going to expand the texture and instrumental color for variety and also to highlight the structure of the piece. Take a look at the broken chord figuration once more. Borrowing Ravel’s technique from his Pavane, let’s add a second layer to the 16th-note figure and give it to the 2nd Violins. Notice the notes in the upper and lower figurations: the two figures play complete triads in the first two 16th notes:
What this does (as in the Ravel example) is to derive a fuller sense of harmony from the broken chord accompaniment and thicken the texture of the accompaniment.

Defining Structure Through Instrumentation

14. The clarinets can take the first phrase of the melody. In order to do this, we’ll have the 1st Violins play the middle line, like this:
15. Now, let's highlight the phrase structure with changes in instrumental color so that each phrase section will be sounded by a different woodwind instrument. Then at the end of the excerpt, we’ll use doublings for more color and sonority. Here is the excerpt with woodwinds on melody. Each sounds a different part of the melodic structure. (Recording without score)

Everything Together

16. In the next and last audio recording the first four measures are repeated while each line in the arrangement is introduced one by one starting with the Contrabass. This will allow you to hear how each individual element helps to build the arrangement (The completed excerpt starts at the double bar):
Copyright © 2024 Pablo Furman. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be copied or used as reference without written permission from copyright holder