A list of them will be given in this article. It also contains information about the types of wind instruments and the principle of extracting sound from them.
These are pipes that can be made of wood, metal or any other material. They have different shapes and produce musical sounds of different timbres, which are produced through air flow. The timbre of the “voice” of a wind instrument depends on its size. The larger it is, the more air passes through it, which makes its vibration frequency lower and the sound produced low.
There are two ways to change the output of a given type of instrument:
The sound depends entirely on the flow of air, hence the name - wind instruments. A list of them will be given below.
There are two main types - copper and wood. Initially, they were classified in this way depending on the material from which they were made. Nowadays, the type of instrument largely depends on the way the sound is extracted from it. For example, the flute is considered a woodwind instrument. Moreover, it can be made of wood, metal or glass. The saxophone is always produced only in metal, but belongs to the woodwind class. Copper tools can be made from various metals: copper, silver, brass and so on. There is a special variety - keyboard wind instruments. The list of them is not so long. These include harmonium, organ, accordion, melodica, button accordion. Air enters them thanks to special bellows.
Let's list the wind instruments. The list is as follows:
You can name some other similar tools.
Brass wind musical instruments, as mentioned above, are made of various metals, although in the Middle Ages there were also those made of wood. The sound is extracted from them by strengthening or weakening the blown air, as well as by changing the position of the musician’s lips. Initially, brass instruments were played only in the 30s of the 19th century, valves appeared on them. This allowed such instruments to reproduce a chromatic scale. The trombone has a retractable slide for these purposes.
Brass instruments (list):
Musical instruments of this type were initially made exclusively from wood. Today this material is practically not used for their production. The name reflects the principle of sound production - there is a wooden reed inside the tube. These musical instruments are equipped with holes on the body, located at a strictly defined distance from each other. The musician opens and closes them while playing with his fingers. Thanks to this, a certain sound is obtained. Woodwind instruments sound according to this principle. The names (list) included in this group are as follows:
There is another type of wind instrument - reed. They sound thanks to a flexible vibrating plate (tongue) located inside. The sound is produced by exposing it to air, or by pulling and plucking. Based on this feature, you can create a separate list of tools. Reed wind instruments are divided into several types. They are classified according to the method of sound extraction. It depends on the type of reed, which can be metal (for example, as in organ pipes), freely slipping (as in Jew's harp and harmonicas), or beating, or reed, as in reed woodwinds.
List of tools of this type:
Wind instruments with a freely slipping reed include: button accordion, labial. In them, air is pumped by blowing through the musician’s mouth, or by bellows. The air flow causes the reeds to vibrate and thus produce sound from the instrument. The harp also belongs to this type. But its tongue vibrates not under the influence of an air column, but with the help of the musician’s hands, by pinching and pulling it. Oboe, bassoon, saxophone and clarinet are of a different type. In them the tongue is beating, and it is called a cane. The musician blows air into the instrument. As a result, the reed vibrates and sound is produced.
Wind instruments, the list of which was presented in this article, are used in orchestras of various compositions. For example: military, brass, symphonic, pop, jazz. And also occasionally they can perform as part of a chamber ensemble. It is extremely rare that they are soloists.
This is a list related to this has been given above.
The flute is one of the oldest musical instruments. It does not use a reed like other woodwinds. Here the air is cut through the edge of the instrument itself, due to which sound is formed. There are several types of flutes.
Syringa - single-barreled or multi-barrel instrument Ancient Greece. Its name comes from the name of the bird's vocal organ. The multi-barreled syringa later became known as the Pan flute. This instrument was played by peasants and shepherds in ancient times. IN Ancient Rome Syringa accompanied the performances on stage.
The recorder is a wooden instrument belonging to the whistle family. Close to it are the sopilka, pipe and whistle. Its difference from other woodwinds is that on its back there is an octave valve, that is, a hole for closing with a finger, on which the height of other sounds depends. They are extracted by blowing air and closing the 7 holes located on the musician's fingers. front side. This type of flute was most popular between the 16th and 18th centuries. Its timbre is soft, melodious, warm, but at the same time its capabilities are limited. Such great composers as Anthony Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel and others used the recorder in many of their works. The sound of this instrument is weak, and gradually its popularity declined. This happened after the transverse flute appeared, which is by far the most used. Nowadays, the recorder is used mainly as a teaching instrument. Beginning flutists master it first, only then move on to the longitudinal one.
The piccolo flute is a type of transverse flute. It has the highest timbre of all wind instruments. Its sound is whistling and piercing. Piccolo is half as long as usual. Its range is from “D” second to “C” fifth.
Other types of flutes: transverse, panflute, di, Irish, kena, flute, pyzhatka, whistle, ocarina.
This is a brass instrument (the list of those included in this family was presented in this article above). The word "trombone" is translated from Italian as "big trumpet". It has existed since the 15th century. The trombone differs from other instruments in this group in that it has a slide - a tube with which the musician produces sounds by changing the volume of air flow inside the instrument. There are several types of trombone: tenor (the most common), bass and alto (used less frequently), double bass and soprano (practically not used).
This is a Chinese reed wind instrument with additional pipes. Its other name is bilandao. He has three or four pipes in total - one main (melodic) and several bourdon (low-sounding). The sound of this instrument is soft and melodic. Most often, hulus are used for solo performance, very rarely - in an ensemble. Traditionally, men played this instrument when declaring their love to a woman.
The second unit of the modern symphony orchestra, capable of great variety and richness of expression, should be recognized as the “family” of woodwind instruments. Possessing a precious ability to withstand sound, they even have some advantage over strings - their sound power to a certain extent eliminates the need for an excessive increase in their number. The technical and artistic means of woodwinds are not so rich, varied and flexible. This applies primarily to their volume. They cannot freely change the degree of sound intensity and often find themselves unable to even control the qualities of their extreme steps at the bottom or at the very top of the sound fall. All representatives of this association have a genuine pianno or proper fone, and a range of degrees of sound power. Protected by complete freedom to change the strength of sound, woodwind instruments are also associated with certain features of extracting the sound itself, the reproduction of which requires relatively more time than bowed instruments. It's clean in theirs technical qualities, with their undoubted advantages, they are also inferior to string instruments - woodwind instruments are relatively less mobile, and the complexity of the constructions assigned to them is less intricate. Even in the means of their sound production, they differ significantly from bowed ones.
Currently, the association of woodwind instruments is represented by four main and two additional types, differing from each other not only in purely natural properties, but also in the inherent qualities and features of each of them. In the orchestra of the past, which composers used until the very beginning of the 19th century, woodwind instruments were used in a fairly limited composition and not always evenly. With the development of more sophisticated artistic means of the orchestra, in general the capabilities of the woodwinds have greatly increased.
The community of woodwind instruments, as already mentioned, consists of four main and two additional more or less isolated types. The main ones include the family of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, and the additional ones include the families of saxophones and saruzophones. All these instruments belong to the so-called wide-bore instruments, that is, those whose main tube, despite its relatively wide diameter, is relatively short. Every musical instrument has its own special method of sound production, which depends on the exciter of vibrations. If for wind instruments the “sound-forming elements” are the edges of the cut of the sound hole, simple or double reeds are the reeds or the performer’s lip, and the exciters of vibrations are the exhaling stream or stream of air, and the “resonator” is the column of air enclosed in the instrument tube, then, based on These essentially important features, all wind instruments naturally fall into three well-founded types. The first includes instruments with “side holes” - the so-called labial or global instruments” - from the Latin labia - “lip”. To the second - instruments with a “tongue” or “pischik” - reed or “lingual” from the Latin “tongue” to the third - instruments with a mouth or “embouchure” - embouchure from the French embouchure - “mouthpiece”, “mouth”.
IN musical notation Not all woodwind instruments use a uniform script, where the notes are written as they actually sound. These deviations in recording arose in the course of the development and improvement of this or that instrument and in their essence have extremely deep roots that can now be forgotten. It is enough just to know that this method of “conditional” recording, when the instrument is written at the same height or in one system, but read in another, is called transposition. Among the “woodwind instruments,” the “transposing” ones include alto flutes, small oboe, damour oboe, cor anglais, and all varieties of clarinets and saxophones. This rather strange at first glance custom of writing notes differently from how they actually sound has very good reasons. At a time when some ancient wind instruments were just being created, their design was extremely imperfect. The entire association of woodwind instruments consisting of the main, completely independent and somewhat isolated families - flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons with their specific and related instruments, and additional families - saxophones and saruzophones, which do not take such a long and constant role in the modern orchestra participation, in an orchestral score is usually located at the very top and in the same order as the instruments mentioned above. Some exceptions are made only by saxophones; they are often transferred to the group of brass instruments and placed somewhere between trumpets and horns or even trombones, which, of course, does not fit in with the nature of the saxophones themselves, which belong not to “embouchure” instruments, but to “ reed” - that is, not with the mouth - the mouthpiece, but with the tongue - the peep.
Of all the currently known musical instruments, the flute undoubtedly belongs to those whose history dates back to ancient times. The word “flute” itself was used by the ancients very extensively, and with this concept they usually defined all wind instruments without distinguishing them. natural features and properties.
The true ancestor of the modern flute is by no means such representatives of this “breed” as the simple flute, the Phrynian flute or the double flute. These instruments were only called “flutes” but actually had no direct relation to flutes. A variety of “flute”, known under the general name of “oblique” or transverse flute, had already received universal recognition by the middle of the century and, despite the tenacity with which the flute with a tip was held in the orchestra, the oblique or transverse flute entered the path of decisive development and improvement.
In the 18th century, the flute enjoyed such love among its contemporaries that at one time it became something completely integral in their Everyday life. Playing the flute until the middle of the 19th century was considered a sign good manners, and the flute, like the lute, harp or piano, soon appeared on the stage as a worthy participant in a dramatic performance. Among the varieties of ordinary flutes, the most common is the small flute and the somewhat smaller alto flute.
The first and most common variety of the “ordinary” flute is known as the small flute or flute - piccolo. It sounds an octave higher than an ordinary flute and in an orchestra is usually intended to strengthen and extend upward the extreme octaves of the generic instrument. The sonority of the small flute, especially in the upper segment of its scale and in forte, is distinguished by extreme sharpness and even roughness, but below, on the contrary, it is colorless and very weak.
The second type of ordinary flute was used by Rimsky-Korsakov, who sought to enrich the orchestra with the low steps of its scale, so charming in the sound of the flute. Finally, the last type of flute is known as the bass flute, or albisiphone. This instrument was built over fifty years ago, but, unfortunately, is still extremely rare in orchestras.
The second family of wind instruments consists of the oboe with all its many relatives. In the history of instruments, the oboe has been known almost since time immemorial. The modern oboe has all the tones of blowing and therefore, like the flute, belongs to the “octave” instruments. In technical terms, the oboe, in essence, has access to all the subtleties of modern writing. Classic symphonists - Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven - widely used the oboe in their works.
What is the oboe now capable of in an opera and symphony orchestra? As is already known, his timbre, slightly nasal by nature, was very reminiscent of a shepherd's horn or a pipe - a pipe. The sincerity of the oboe and its expressiveness does not know a worthy rival, and the clarity in the execution of technical patterns is generally beyond any praise.
“The oboe,” says Gratry, “shines as a ray of hope among the clouds of sorrow!” And this is quite fair.
In conclusion of the story about the oboe, it is interesting to recall Glinka’s review of it.
“The oboe,” he says, “is the best of the wind instruments in terms of fidelity of intonation and richness of means. Transition to bowed ones. Lots of power and expressiveness in natural tones. Soft oboe octave - from la to la. Above is Chris, below is Goose. But in special, rare cases, the low notes of the oboe can be beneficial.”
The third representative of the family of woodwind instruments, the clarinet, is one of the youngest members of this association. It originated in Germany around 1700.
The clarinet in its primitive form existed for a long time as a folk pipe of the lowest order in the shape of a short cylindrical tube, and these simple pipes were known to us with a beating tongue cut out of reeds or tied to the beak separate language. Now the clarinet is a magnificent instrument, with a huge volume of four incomplete octaves - from mi to the small octave in writing. In the low register the clarinet sounds a little dark and stern.
One of the most outstanding discoveries in the field of instrumental construction in the middle of the last century was the creation of a new wind instrument - the saxophone, which extremely successfully combined characteristics brass and woodwind instruments.
The family of saxophones, originally intended for military brass bands, at least in France and Belgium, was introduced at the same time. About seventy-five years have passed since the birth of the saxophone, when Europe was literally stunned, first by rumors about the emergence of gazza, and then - a few years later - delighted and captivated by the first black gazz orchestra that arrived from New York to Paris. The last representative of the association of woodwind instruments remains - the bassoon.
In the 16th century, long before the invention of the bassoon, all bass voices of wind reed instruments were held various types low instruments. In France and Germany, improved bassoons were adopted in military music orchestras, and already in 1741 they were introduced in the orchestras of the French Guard and the Dian regiments of Marshal of Saxony. Thus, a modern bassoon was created - quite technically perfect. Its enormous volume extends from the sid counteroctave to the second re and its entire scale falls into several registers that are extremely characteristic in their sound.
These are the advantages of the bassoon - this true “hard worker” of the modern symphony orchestra.
To conclude, it is enough to say that in Russian chamber music, which is extremely poor in the participation of wind instruments, the bassoon nevertheless appeared more than once. More often than other instrumental combinations you can hear the “woodwind quartet”, where the bassoon participates on an equal footing with the flute, oboe and clarinet.
The combination of wind instruments will sound better the more the “decorating” sonorities of some percussion instruments harp and strings, used mainly in pizzicaro or flashts. A lot of excellent music has been written for such a composition of instruments, either reminiscent of the play of “musical toys”, boxes and snuff boxes.
In the early stages of their development, these instruments were made exclusively from wood, which is where their name historically came from. Modern woodwind instruments are rarely made of wood; various metal alloys (nickel, silver, gold, platinum) or plastic are more often used. The group of woodwind instruments includes instruments from four families with all their varieties.
flute family
oboe family
family of clarinets
bassoon family
Woodwind instruments are tubes of cylindrical or conical cross-section. Expanded part of the tube – trumpet. This is the most important timbre-forming part of the instrument. Tube parts with valves and levers – knee All woodwind instruments are collapsible for ease of storage and transportation.
According to the method of blowing a stream of air, woodwind instruments are divided into two types:
1. labial(lat. labium - lips), in which air is blown through a special transverse hole in the head of the instrument. The blown-in air stream is cut by the sharp edge of the hole, causing the air column inside the tube to vibrate. This type of instrument includes the flute and its folk version, the pipe.
2. reed(lingual; lat. lingua - tongue), in which air is blown through a tongue (cane), fixed in the upper part of the instrument and causing the vibration of the air column inside the instrument. There are two types of canes.
Single cane is a thin reed plate that covers the hole in the mouthpiece of the instrument, leaving it narrow gap. When air is blown in, the reed, vibrating at high frequency, takes on different positions, either opening or closing the channel in the mouthpiece of the instrument. The vibration of the reed is transmitted to the column of air inside the instrument, which also begins to vibrate, thus producing sound. Instruments that use a single reed include the traditional clarinet and saxophone.
Double cane consists of two thin reed plates, tightly connected to each other, which, vibrating under the influence of blown air, close and open the gap formed by themselves. Instruments with double reeds include modern oboe and bassoon, ancient shawl and krummhorn, most folk wind instruments - duduk and zurna.
A group of woodwind instruments is formed according to the ensemble principle: each performer has his own part. Brass parts are written in pairs on the staff.
The process of forming a woodwind group was longer and more complex than a string group. For a long time its composition was limited to flutes, oboes and bassoons. Only towards the end XVIII century, since the appearance of clarinets in the symphony orchestra, the group of woodwind instruments acquired the status of an independent group of the orchestra.
Bassoon(Italian fagotto, lit. “knot, bundle, bundle of firewood”, German Fagott, French basson, English bassoon) is a woodwind instrument of bass, tenor and partially alto register. Looks like it's bent long tube with a valve system and a double (oboe-like) reed, which fits onto a metal tube (“es”) in the shape of the letter S, connecting the reed to the main body of the instrument. It got its name because when disassembled it resembles a bundle of firewood.
The bassoon was designed in the 16th century in Italy and has been used in orchestras since the late 17th century. early XVIII century, took a permanent place in it by the end of the 18th century. The timbre of the bassoon is very expressive and rich in overtones throughout the entire range. The lower and middle registers of the instrument are most common; the upper notes sound somewhat nasal and compressed. The bassoon is used in symphony orchestras, less often in brass orchestras, and also as a solo and ensemble instrument.
The bassoon is a long, hollow-conical tube. For greater compactness, the air column inside the instrument is folded in half. The main material for making a bassoon is maple wood.
The body of the bassoon consists of four parts: the lower knee (“boot”, which has a U-shape), the small knee (“wing”), the large knee and the bell. From the small knee extends a thin long metal tube, bent in the shape of the letter S (hence its name - es), onto which a cane - the sound-producing element of the bassoon - is attached.
There are numerous holes on the body of the instrument (about 25–30), by opening and closing which the performer changes the pitch of the sound. Only 5-6 holes are controlled by fingers; for the rest, a complex valve mechanism is used.
WITH 
axophone(from Sax - the surname of the inventor and Greek φωνή - “sound”, French saxophone, Italian sassofono, German Saxophon) - a wind musical instrument, according to the principle of sound production, belonging to the wooden family, despite the fact that it was never made of wood . The family of saxophones was designed in 1842 by the Belgian music master Adolphe Sax and patented by him four years later. Since the mid-19th century, the saxophone has been used in a brass band, less often in a symphony band, and also as a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra (ensemble). It is one of the main instruments of jazz and related genres, as well as pop music. The instrument has a full and powerful sound, a melodious timbre and great technical flexibility.
The saxophone fingering is close to the oboe fingering, but the lips do not curl up so much, and the principle of sound production is similar to sound production on the clarinet, but it is a little easier to make an embouchure. Moreover, the registers of the saxophone are more uniform than the registers of the clarinet.
The capabilities of the saxophone are very wide: in terms of technical flexibility, especially in legato, it competes with the clarinet; a large amplitude of sound vibration, a clear accented staccato, and glissanded transitions from one sound to another are possible. In addition, the saxophone has a much greater sound power than other woodwinds (about the same as a horn). His ability to blend organically with both woodwind and brass groups helps him successfully unify these groups in timbre.
In jazz and when performing modern music, saxophonists use a wide variety of playing techniques - frullato (tremolo on one note using the tongue), resonant sound, playing in an ultra-high register with harmonic sounds, polyphonic sound, etc.
F 
lajolette(French flageolet, shortened from Old French flageol - flute) - an ancient high-register flute, pipe.
The first known harmonic was made in France by master V. Juvigny in 1581.
It is a tube made of boxwood or Ivory with a channel of cylindrical or obverse conical section, with 6 holes for fingers and a whistle device.
From the beginning of the 18th century, it consisted of two joining parts, and the upper one (with a whistle device) was increased (total length 300 mm) and turned into a special chamber with a tampon that sucks up moisture.
There are French harmonics (with four holes on the front side and two on the back), and English (with all six holes on the front side). In addition, there is a double harmonic - with a single whistle device and two tubes, allowing two sounds to be produced simultaneously.
Due to its high melodic sound, the harmonic was used to teach birds to whistle various melodies.
The harmonic became most widespread in the 17th century and was later replaced by the piccolo flute.
The flageolet was used in their works by J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, K. W. Gluck and W. A. Mozart.
AND 
Talian bagpipes It is unusual in that it has two tubes to play the melody - one for each hand. All 4 tubes have two reeds. Air blown into the tubes passes through two reeds and produces a sound reminiscent of an organ. Italian bagpipes accompanied by a giaramella (small pipe) are played in small towns, especially at Christmas.
The Italian bagpipes are always played together with a giaramella - a conical pipe. They can often be heard together during Christmas. The Italian bagpipe belongs to the piffero family of bagpipes.
G 
harmonica(colloquial “(harmonica), harp (from English harp)) is a common reed musical instrument. Inside the harmonica there are copper plates (reeds), which vibrate in the air stream created by the musician. Unlike other reed musical instruments, the harmonica does not have a keyboard. Instead of a keyboard, the tongue and lips are used to select the hole (usually arranged linearly) that corresponds to the desired note.
The harmonica is most often used in such musical styles as blues, folk, bluegrass, blues-rock, country, jazz, and pop.
A musician who plays the harmonica is called a harper.
Chromatic harmonics allow you to play all 12 notes in an octave (including semitones). Learning to play them is more difficult than diatonic ones, but you can play any melody on them without mastering special playing techniques, such as bending. This type of harmonics actually consists of 2 harmonics in one housing. Switching between them and extracting halftones is achieved using a special switch button - a slider, located on one of the sides of the instrument.
Diatonic harmonicas use diatonic tuning (for example: C, D, E, F) without half-tone intervals between notes (C#, D#, and so on). Playing a diatonic harmonica without using special techniques is reminiscent of playing the piano only on white keys, without black ones. Diatonic harmonicas have a range of 1-4 octaves.
The blues harmonica is the most popular today. Usually it has 10 holes, each of which can be played by inhaling (English: draw) and exhaling (English: blow). With certain playing skills, you can play chromatically using special techniques - bends and blows. Sold in different keys and tunings, but the most common is C major.
In a tremolo harmonica, two sound plates sounding simultaneously are slightly out of tune with each other, creating a tremolo effect. Thus, there are 2 reeds for each note, and the sound is more saturated. The presence of the A note in the lower octave allows you to fully play Russian melodies.
Octave harmonic is another type of diatonic. In it, two sound plates sounding simultaneously are tuned exactly an octave relative to each other. This gives greater volume and a different timbre to the sound.
A bass harmonica is actually two separate instruments, one on top of the other, connected by hinges on both sides. Each hole plays only on exhalation, and for each note there are two sound plates tuned to an octave.
The chord harmonica, like the bass harmonica, also consists of two movably fixed plates, the double reeds of which are tuned to the octave. But unlike bass harmonicas, it has both exhale and inhale notes, which allows you to use different chords.
G 
both(from French hautbois, literally “tall tree”, English, German and Italian oboe) is a woodwind musical instrument of the soprano register, which is a conical tube with a valve system and a double reed (reed). The oboe acquired its modern form in the first half of the 18th century. The instrument has a melodious, but somewhat nasal, and sharp timbre in the upper register.
The instruments, considered the direct predecessors of the modern oboe, have been known since antiquity and have been preserved in their original form in different cultures. Folk instruments such as the bombarda, bagpipes, zhaleika, duduk, gaita, khitiriki, zurna, together with instruments of the New Age (musette, oboe proper, oboe d'amore, cor anglais, baritone oboe, baroque oboe) make up an extensive family of this instrument.
The oboe is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music and in symphony orchestras.
The basis of the oboe repertoire consists of works from the Baroque era (works by Bach and his contemporaries) and classicism (Mozart). Works by romantic composers (Schumann) and modern composers are performed less frequently.
The first oboes were made from reed or bamboo, using the natural cavity inside the tube to create the body. Despite the fact that some folk instruments are still made in this way, the need to find a material that is more durable and resistant to changes in environment quickly became obvious. In search of a suitable option, musical masters tried different types of wood, usually hard, with the correct arrangement of fibers: boxwood, beech, wild cherry, rosewood, pear. Some Baroque oboes were made of ivory.
In the 19th century, with the addition of new valves, an even stronger material was required. Ebony turned out to be a suitable option. Ebony wood remains the main material for oboe production to this day, although wood from exotic trees such as cocobolo and "purple wood" is sometimes used. Experiments were carried out to create oboes from metal and plexiglass. One of the latest technological innovations is used by Buffet Crampon: tools using Green Line technology made of a material consisting of 95% ebony powder and 5% carbon fiber. Featuring the same acoustic properties as ebony instruments, Green Line clarinets are much less sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, reducing the risk of damage to the instrument, while also being lighter and less expensive.
A 
English horn(Italian corno inglese, French cor anglais, German Englisch Horn) or alto oboe is a woodwind musical instrument, a type of oboe.
The structure of the English horn is similar to the oboe, but it is larger in size, has a pear-shaped bell and a special curved metal tube with which the reed is connected to the main body.
The fingering of the cor anglais is completely identical to that of the oboe, but due to the greater length of the body it sounds a perfect fifth lower.
The playing technique and strokes when playing the cor anglais are the same as on the oboe, but the cor anglais is slightly less technically agile. In his performance, the most typical are cantilena, drawn-out episodes in legato. The timbre of the English horn is thicker, fuller and softer than the oboe.
The actual sound range of the English horn is from e (E of the small octave) to b2 (B-flat of the second octave). The highest sounds in the range are rarely used. With the same fingering as the oboe, the cor anglais sounds a fifth lower than it, that is, it belongs to the number of transposing instruments in F.
Italian composers of the late XVIII - first half of the 19th century centuries, they notated the cor anglais part in the bass clef, an octave lower than the actual sound. In the French tradition, it was customary to write notes for it in a rare mezzo-soprano key. The most common notation was in the alto key (it was later used by some composers of the 20th century, in particular S.S. Prokofiev). In modern scores, the cor anglais part is written in the treble clef a perfect fifth higher than the actual sound.
An orchestra usually uses one English horn (rarely two), and its part can be a temporary replacement for one of the oboes (usually the last one in number).
TO 
ena(Quechua qina, Spanish quena) - a longitudinal flute used in the music of the Andean region of Latin America. Usually made from reed. Has six upper and one lower finger holes. Usually made in tuning G. The kenacho flute (Quechua qinachu, Spanish quenacho) is a variant of the kena with a lower sound, in tuning D. It is similar in design and sound production to the Japanese shakuhachi flute: it does not have a whistle, only an oval wedge-shaped notch at the top end. To produce sound, the musician places the upper end of the flute to his lips and directs the air flow towards the wedge. Thanks to this design, compared to a recorder, the range of possibilities for controlling air flow increases, which gives the instrument a lively, expressive sound.
F 
leita-piccolo ( often called simply piccolo or small flute; Italian flauto piccolo or ottavino, fr. petite flûte, German. kleine Flöte) is a woodwind musical instrument, a type of transverse flute, the highest sounding instrument among wind instruments. It has a brilliant, fort - shrill and whistling timbre. The small flute is half as long as an ordinary flute and sounds an octave higher, and a number of low sounds are impossible to produce on it. The range of the piccolo is from d² to c5 (D of the second octave to the fifth octave), there are also instruments that can play c² and cis². For ease of reading, notes are written an octave lower.
The design of a piccolo flute is generally the same as that of a large flute, but the embouchure (head) hole is smaller in diameter, there is no elbow, and the holes in the body of the instrument are located closer together. The piccolo is about 32 centimeters long, which is almost half the length of a large flute, and the drilling diameter is 1 centimeter. Piccolo flutes can be made of wood, metal, or less commonly of other types. composite materials. The technique of playing the piccolo flute is the same as the large flute, but full mastery of the instrument requires a long, focused period of mastery on the part of the performer (unlike, for example, the alto flute).
The main area of application of the small flute is in symphony and brass orchestras; its use as a solo instrument refers to isolated cases (Vivaldi - Concerto in C major).
The forerunner of the piccolo flute is the harmonic, which was widely used in military music in the Middle Ages. The piccolo flute itself was designed in the 18th century and at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries it became part of the symphony orchestra, where it became one of the highest register instruments. Military and brass bands of the 19th century often used piccolo flutes in D-flat or E-flat tuning; today such instruments are extremely rare.
Typically, a symphony orchestra uses one small flute (less often two), the part of which in the score is placed on a separate line above the parts of large flutes (that is, above all other instruments of the orchestra). Often the small flute part is a temporary replacement for the part of one of the large flutes. The most common function of the piccolo flute in an orchestra is to support the upper voices in the overall sound, but sometimes composers trust this instrument in solo episodes (Ravel - Piano Concerto No. 1, Shchedrin - Piano Concerto No. 4), Shostakovich - symphonies No. 9 and No. 10) .
Clarinet(Italian clarinetto, French clarinette, German Klarinette, English clarinet or clarionet) - a woodwind musical instrument with a single reed. It was invented around 1700 in Nuremberg and has been actively used in music since the second half of the 18th century. It is used in a wide variety of musical genres and compositions: as a solo instrument, in chamber ensembles, symphony and brass orchestras, folk music, on stage and in jazz. The clarinet has a wide range, warm, soft timbre and provides the performer with wide expressive possibilities.
Such parts of the clarinet as the mouthpiece with a single reed and the ring valve system are borrowed almost unchanged from the saxophone.
Bassethorn(German: Bassethorn; French: cor de basset; Italian: corno di bassetto) - a woodwind musical instrument, a type of clarinet.
The basset horn has approximately the same structure as a regular clarinet, but is longer, which is why it sounds lower. Its tube diameter is generally somewhat wider than that of a regular clarinet, making a regular clarinet mouthpiece unsuitable for it and an alto clarinet mouthpiece being used. For compactness, the tube of a modern basset horn is slightly curved at the mouthpiece and bell. Instruments built in the 18th–19th centuries had a more complex shape with several bends and a special chamber, where the air channel changed direction several times, turning into an expanding metal bell.
The instrument is equipped with several additional valves that extend its range downward compared to the clarinet to notes up to the small octave (as written in treble clef). These valves are thumb operated right hand(typical for German models) or little fingers (on French instruments).
The basset horn is a transposing instrument. It is usually used in F (in F tuning), that is, it sounds a perfect fifth lower than the written notes. Often the notes for such an instrument are written like notes for a horn - in the bass clef a fourth higher than the written notes, in the violin clef a fifth lower. Basset horns in other tunings (G, D, Es, A, B) were used sporadically in the 18th century, but did not come into widespread use. The tone of the basset horn is similar to that of the clarinet, but a little more matte and soft.
The range of the modern basset horn in F is from F of the major octave to B-flat of the second and higher (it is possible to extract sounds up to F of the third, but they are not always stable in intonation)
A 
accordion(from the French accordéon) - a musical instrument, a hand harmonica. In 1829, this name was given by the Viennese organ master K. Damian to the harmonica he improved. In the Russian tradition, it is usually customary to name only instruments with a right-hand piano-type keyboard (usually several timbre registers) - unlike, for example, the button accordion. However, sometimes the name “push-button accordion” is also found. Some of its varieties are called button accordion.
IN late XIX centuries, accordions were made in large quantities in Klingenthal (Saxony). Until now, the most common accordions in Russia are the Weltmeister accordions (various brands, for example, Diana, Stella, Amigo). There are also other manufacturing companies, both foreign (Horch, Hohner) and Russian (Beryozka, Mercury).
There is an opinion that those who know how to play the piano can easily learn to play the accordion. However, despite the external similarity of the accordion and piano keyboards, their keys have different sizes, it is also necessary to take into account completely different principles of sound production, playing techniques and the position of the performing apparatus. But at the same time, it is easier for an accordionist to master the piano than for an accordion player.
Tabla- Indian percussion musical instrument.
T 
There is no definitive information about the origin of the tabla. But according to existing tradition, the creation of this instrument (like many others, whose origin is unknown) is attributed to Amir Khusro (XIII century). The very name “tabla” is foreign, but this has nothing to do with the instrument: Indian ancient reliefs are known depicting such pairs of drums, and even in the “Natyashastra” - a text almost two thousand years ago - mentions river sand of a certain quality included in the membrane coating paste.
There is a legend telling about the birth of the tabla. During Akbar's time, there were two professional pakhawaj players. They were bitter rivals and constantly competed with each other. One day, in a heated battle of a drumming competition, one of the competitors - Sudhar Khan - was defeated and, unable to bear his bitterness, threw his pakhawaj to the ground. The drum broke into two parts, which became tabla and dagga.
The large drum is called bayan, the small one is called daina.
There are several tabla gharanas (schools), the most famous of which are six: Ajrara Gharana, Benares Gharana, Delhi Gharana, Farukhabad Gharana, Lucknow Gharana, Punjab Gharana.
One of the most famous musicians who glorified this instrument throughout the world is the Indian musician Zakir Hussain.
M 
Arakas or maraca (Spanish maraca) is the oldest percussion and noise instrument of the indigenous inhabitants of the Antilles - the Taino Indians, a type of rattle that produces a characteristic rustling sound when shaken. Currently, maracas are popular throughout Latin America and are one of the symbols of Latin American music. Typically, a maraca player uses a pair of rattles, one in each hand.
In Russian, the name of the instrument is often used in the not entirely correct form “maracas” (masculine, singular) or “maracas” (masculine, plural). This is due to the mechanical transfer of the Spanish name of the instrument into Russian speech. plural(Spanish maracas), supplemented in addition by the plural ending characteristic of the Russian language. The more correct form of the name is "maraka" (feminine, singular; plural - "maraki").
T 
ambourine- an ancient musical drum of a cylindrical shape, as well as a dance in bipartite size and music for it.
The tambourine was known in the south of France around the 18th century. Usually the same performer played the flute (similar to a harmonic) and accompanied himself on the tambourine.
Charles-Marie Widor argued that the tambourine “is distinguished from an ordinary drum by its strongly elongated appearance and the absence of a sharp sound.” Joseph Baggars adds that the tambourine is not only longer and narrower than an ordinary drum, but, in contrast, has strings stretched over the skin, which gives the instrument its characteristic “somewhat nasal dullness.” On the contrary, the French military conductor of the 18th century M.-A. Suye be careful. He simply combines these positions and states that the tambourine has "a very long body and is often without strings - sans timbre."
B 
onang- Indonesian percussion musical instrument. It is a set of bronze gongs, secured with cords in a horizontal position on a wooden stand. Each gong has a bulge (penchu) in the center. The sound is produced by striking this convexity with a wooden stick wrapped around the end. cotton fabric or rope. Sometimes spherical resonators made of burnt clay are suspended under the gongs. The sound of the bonang is soft and melodious, slowly fading away.
In gamelan, the bonang usually performs harmonic functions, but sometimes it is also entrusted with leading the main theme.
Bonangs are divided into male (wangun lanang) and female (wangun wedon). The former have high sides and a more convex surface; the latter have lower and flatter gongs. Also distinguished according to size are bonang penerus (small), bonang barung (medium) and bonang penembung (large).
H 
elesta(Italian celesta - “heavenly”) is a small keyboard-percussion musical instrument, outwardly similar to a piano, sounding like bells.
The sound is produced by hammers driven by the keys (the mechanism of the hammers resembles that of a piano, but is more simplified). Hammers strike steel plates mounted on wooden resonators. The range of the celesta is from c1 (up to the first octave) to c5 (up to the fifth octave).
Ernest Chausson was the first to use the celesta in an orchestra in the music for Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” (1888).
During his visit to Paris, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky heard the celesta and was so fascinated by its sound that he introduced the part of this instrument into his works: the ballad “The Voevoda” (1891) and the ballet “The Nutcracker” (“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”; 1892).
The celesta is used almost exclusively as an orchestral instrument to create a special flavor by Gustav Holst in the Planets suite, Dmitri Shostakovich in the thirteenth symphony and other academic composers. The celesta also plays the part of the glass harmonica, an instrument that has fallen into disuse but was featured in the works of some 19th-century composers. As a rule, the celesta is played by a full-time pianist of the orchestra (in the absence of a celesta, her part can be performed on the piano).
Also among the composers of the 20th century who used the celeste in their works were Bartok (Music for strings, percussion and celesta, 1936), Britten (opera A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1960), Glass (opera Akhnaten, 1984), Feldman (Philip Guston", 1984).
Notes for the celesta are written on two staves an octave lower than the actual sound. In the score of a symphony orchestra, her part is located under the harp part, above the string parts.
The sound of this instrument was used by Depeche Mode in some of their works.
G 
ender(gendir) is an Indonesian percussion instrument. It consists of 10-12 slightly convex metal plates, fixed in a horizontal position on a wooden stand using cords. Bamboo resonator tubes are suspended from the plates. Gender plates are selected according to the 5-step slendro scale or the 7-step pelog scale.
The sound is produced by striking two short wooden sticks with rubber tips. Compared to its related gambang, gender has a softer timbre. This instrument requires a virtuoso technique from the performer, since playing pieces in an improvisational manner requires extremely fast hand movements. Gender is often played by women.
In gamelan, gender carries out a variational development of the main theme set by the gambang.
Depending on the size of the instrument, there are varieties: gender penerus (small), gender barung (medium) and gender penembung (large).
TO 
Astana(Spanish: castañetas) - a percussion musical instrument, which consists of two concave shell plates, connected in the upper parts with a cord. The plates have traditionally been made from hardwood, although fiberglass is increasingly being used in recent years. Castanets are most widespread in Spain, Southern Italy and Latin America.
Similar simple musical instruments, suitable for rhythmic accompaniment of dance and singing, were used in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece.
The name castanets in Russian is borrowed from Spanish, where they are called castañuelas (“chestnuts”) due to their resemblance to chestnut fruits. In Andalusia they are more often called palillos ("sticks").
In world culture, castanets are most strongly associated with the image of Spanish music, especially with the music of Spanish gypsies, flamenco style, etc. Therefore, this instrument is often used in classical music to create a “Spanish flavor” (for example, in J. Bizet’s opera “Carmen” "). In a symphony orchestra, for the convenience of performers, castanets are most often used mounted on a special stand (the so-called “castanet machine”).
TO 
alimba- the oldest and most widespread instrument in Africa (especially in Central and Southern Africa, on some of the Antilles). Its wide popularity is evidenced by the abundance of names used to designate kalimba among various tribes: Tsantsa, Sanza, Mbira, Mbila, Ndimba, Lukembu, Lala, Malimba, Ndandi, Izhari, Mganga, Likembe, Selimba, etc., of which the “official” name is In our country it is “tsantsa”, in the West it is “kalimba”. Kalimba is used in traditional rituals and by professional musicians. It is called the "African hand piano"; This is a rather virtuosic instrument, intended for playing melodic patterns, but it is also quite suitable for playing chords. It is mostly used as an accompanying instrument. Large kalimbas give a unique low rumble to the lively bass rhythms of African music, while small ones produce a completely ghostly, fragile sound, similar to a music box.
On the resonator body (it comes in different shapes) there is a row or several rows of wooden, bamboo or metal reed plates that serve as a sound source. The simplest samples have a flat one, the more complex ones have a cavity resonator made from a tortoise shell, a hollowed-out tree, a hollow pumpkin, etc.; reeds (4-30) are attached to the resonator board. The high saddle limits the sounding portion of the reeds. When playing (standing, walking, sitting), the kalimba is grasped with the palms of the hands, bent at right angles and pressed tightly to the sides, or held on the knees, large and index fingers With both hands, pinch and release the free (upper) ends of the reeds, bringing them into a state of vibration. Kalimbas come in a variety of sizes; body length 100-350 mm, reed length 30-100 mm, width 3-5 mm. The scale of the kalimba depends on the number of reeds.
WITH 
steel drum(eng. steelpan) - a percussion instrument with a certain pitch. Used in Afro-Caribbean music such as calypso and soca. Invented in the 1930s, some sources consider the steel drum to be the only non-electronic musical instrument invented in the 20th century.
The instrument appeared after the passage of a law in Trinidad and Tobago banning membrane drums and bamboo sticks for playing music. The drum began to be forged from steel barrels(in large numbers remaining on the beaches after the end of the Second World War), made of steel sheets with a thickness of 0.8 - 1.5 mm. Tuning the instrument consists of forming petal-shaped areas in this steel sheet and giving them the desired sound using hammers. Tool resetting may be necessary once or twice a year.
Usually, the ensemble plays several types of instruments: the ping-pong leads the melody, the tune boom forms the harmonic basis, and the bass boom keeps the rhythm. The instrument is even represented in the armed forces of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - since 1995 there has been a “steel band” with the defense forces, which is the only military band in the world using a steel drum.
B 
ongo(Spanish: bongó) - Cuban percussion instrument: a small double drum of African origin, usually played while sitting, holding the bongo sandwiched between the calves of the legs. In Cuba, the bongo first appeared in the province of Oriente around 1900. The drums that make up the bongos vary in size; The smaller one is considered the “male” (Spanish macho, literally “male”), and the larger one is considered the “female” (Spanish hembra, “female”), the main drum. Traditionally, the lower tuned “female” drum is located to the right hand of the bongocero musician. Bongos are widely used both in traditional Cuban music and in Latin American music in general.
In the 1920s, bongos were tuned lower than they are today, and were played using a technique similar to the conga, including changing the tension of the head during playing. Originally, the skin was attached to the body of the drum with nails, and to tune it, the Bongosero used a small brazier filled with coals, which was placed between the legs while playing.
Modern bongos are tuned higher than in the past, more in keeping with their role as a solo instrument. Nowadays, the technique of playing the bongo is based primarily on the rhythmic pattern of “martillo” (Spanish martillo, “hammer”). The bongo part can also be doubled by other percussion instruments, such as the cencerro, especially as the volume and intensity of the ensemble's rhythm increases.
T 
areles- a percussion musical instrument with an indefinite pitch. Plates have been known since ancient times, found in China, India, and later in Greece and Turkey.
They are a convex disk made of special alloys by casting and subsequent forging. There is a hole in the center of the plate intended for securing the instrument to a special stand or for attaching a belt.
Among the main playing techniques: hitting suspended cymbals with various sticks and mallets, hitting paired cymbals against each other, playing with a bow. The sound stops when the musician places the cymbals on his chest.
Typically, cymbal hits occur on the downbeat, at the same time as the bass drum. Their parts are written side by side. The sound of the cymbals in forte is sharp, brilliant, wild, in piano it is rattling, but much softer. In an orchestra, cymbals primarily dynamically emphasize the climax, but often their role is reduced to colorful rhythm or special visual effects.
In jargon, musicians sometimes refer to a set of cymbals as “hardware.”
T 
grate- a folk musical instrument, idiophone, replacing clapping.
Ratchets consist of a set of 18 - 20 thin planks (usually oak) 16 - 18 cm long. They are connected to each other with a thick rope threaded through the holes in the upper part of the planks. To separate the planks, small wooden plates approximately 2 cm wide are inserted between them at the top.
There is another ratchet design - a rectangular box with a wooden gear placed inside, attached to a small handle. A slot is made in one of the walls of this box, in the hole of which a thin elastic wooden or metal plate is fixedly fixed.
The ratchet is held by the rope with both hands, sharp or smooth movements allow you to make different sounds. In this case, the hands are at the level of the chest, head, and sometimes raised to attract attention with their appearance.
P 
During archaeological excavations in Novgorod in 1992, two tablets were found, which, according to V.I. Povetkin, were part of a set of ancient Novgorod rattles in the 12th century.
Rattles were used in wedding ceremonies when singing songs of praise with dancing. The choral performance of a great song is often accompanied by the playing of an entire ensemble, sometimes numbering more than ten people. During a wedding, the rattles are decorated with ribbons, flowers, and sometimes bells.
R 
school bells usually made as a set, tuned to the notes of the scale. Whole choirs (teams) of bell ringers play bells. Musicians are required to have exceptional precision, regularity and dexterity of their fingers. The sound is produced by rapid movements of the performer's hand, which causes the tongue of the bell to beat against the body of the bell. Handbell playing is very popular in the UK and USA, where choirs of 10 OR 12 players play large sets of handbells.
In England, during the 19th century, groups of bell ringers gathered, with a total of up to 200 bells, on which they performed melodies that were popular at that time.
U 
gift installation(drum kit, drums from the English drums) - a set of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments, adapted for convenient play by a drummer. Commonly used in jazz, rock and pop music.
By individual instruments settings play drumsticks, various brushes and beaters. Pedals are used to play the hi-hat and bass drum, so the drummer plays while sitting on a special chair or stool.
Different genres of music dictate the stylistically appropriate composition of instruments in a drum kit.
1. Plates | 2. Floor tom-tom | 3. Tom-tom
4. Bass Drum | 5. Snare drum | 6. Hi-hat
A standard drum kit includes the following elements:
Crash - a cymbal with a powerful but short sound for accents.
Ride - a cymbal with a ringing, hissing sound.
Hi-hat (hi-hat) - two cymbals mounted on one rod and controlled by a pedal.
Drums:
The snare drum is the main instrument of the kit.
3 tom-toms: high tom-tom, low tom-tom (middle tom-tom) - both are colloquially called violas, floor tom-tom (or simply tom, floor tom-tom).
Bass drum (“barrel”, bass drum).
The number of instruments in the kit varies for each performer and his style. The most minimal setups are used in rockabilly and Dixieland jazz, and the setups of progressive rock, fusion, and metal performers usually include a wide range of instruments: drummers use additional cymbals (collectively called effect cymbals: splash, china, etc.) and tom toms or snare drums, and two hi-hats are also used.
Some manufacturers offer another option drum kit with 1 mounted and 2 floor toms. Artists using this setup include Phil Rudd (AC/DC), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Hena Habegger (Gotthard) and John Bonham (Led Zeppelin).
In heavy music (metal, hard rock, etc.) two bass drums or a double pedal (the so-called “cardan”) are often used - two pedals connected by a cardan shaft so that both beaters beat the same bass. drum alternately.
There is also a version of the drum set designed for playing while standing (the so-called cocktail drum).
Woodwinds
Flute
Flute(from German - Flote), a woodwind musical instrument, in its method of sound production - the most primitive of wind instruments. Numerous varieties of flutes, starting with the simplest whistles, have been known since ancient times. That is, on the other hand, a modern flute is one of the varieties of whistles, only very complicated, equipped with valves, levers and made of metal.
Spread to Europe in the 17th century longitudinal flute(now they would call her recorder, although it was a slightly different instrument) was supplanted by the transverse, which in the 18th century became not only a solo and ensemble instrument, but also a permanent member of the orchestra. Modern type The transverse flute was invented by the German master Boehm in the twenties of the 19th century, the flute gained greater fluency, the sound became more piercing, brighter and very effective. This was necessary for the orchestra - just at that time its composition was growing, its sonority was increasing.
Of course, it was impossible to do without losses - this instrument lost the charm of its chamber sound, baroque softness and intimacy. Currently, there are the following types of flutes: small(or piccolo), alto(flauto alto) and bass flute(flauto basso) - the latter is very rare, is found in only a few orchestras and, as a result, is rarely used in works (for lovers of large flutes - http://www.contrabass.com/pages/flutes.html). More distant relatives of the flute are extremely numerous - ranging from pan flute(I immediately remember the theme from the film “Once Upon a Time in America”) and ending with a kind of mutant - jazz flute with a slide (like a trombone, i.e. with the possibility of glissando).
The flute, by the nature of its sound, is a cheerful and cheerful instrument, but it can also portray light sadness (“ Prelude to a Faun's Afternoon"Debussy) and endless melancholy (finale of Brahms' 4th symphony) and fantastic moments (there are many examples in " Magic Arrow"Weber)
In a modern orchestra there are usually 2 flutes + piccolo, however in large works their composition can be significantly increased (up to 4 flutes, 2 piccolo and an alto flute - Kancheli's 6th symphony)
Large collection of links on the topic
Would you like sheet music for the flute?
Oboe
Uh... that's a separate conversation
Would you like oboe sheet music?
Clarinet
Clarinet(from French clarinette, in turn derived from lat. clarus- clear sound), a wooden wind reed musical instrument. Constructed at the beginning of the 18th century.
He was introduced into the orchestra by Haydn and the composers of the Mainham school, and as soon as he appeared among the wind players, all composers recognized his undeniable value. As you know, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart re-instrumented his late symphonies (including the most famous - No. 40) adding clarinets to the wind group (and gave them almost all the solos, by the way).
The clarinet has perhaps the largest range expressive means. In Scriabin's early symphonies, for example, this is a soulful cantilena, covered in bliss and purity of expression. In Shostakovich's symphonies (as, for example, in the development of the 8th) these are sarcastic antics, angry squeals. In Richard Strauss (in " Till Eulenspiegele") - colorful laughter. It is perfect for all sorts of figurations and unobtrusive accompaniments (so beloved by Gustav Mahler). An excellent example of meditative lyrics can be found in Silvestrov's 5th symphony.
IN modern practice the most common are soprano clarinets, piccolo clarinet (Italian piccolo) - in A or in Es, alto (so-called basset horn), bass - a colorful member of the clarinet family, the lower notes of which are an excellent bass for any ensemble (for me personally, the middle is immediately remembered 1st part " Symphonic dances"Rachmaninov (listen to Real Audio), where he creates a velvety background, descending to the lowest notes).
Clarinet Resources:
http://www.selmer.com/clarinet/discus/index.html
http://cctr.umkc.edu/user/etishkoff/clarinet.html
Clarinet - Yahoo links
Saxophone
Bassoon
Bassoon(from Italian fagotto, literally - knot, bundle) woodwind musical instrument. It arose in the 1st half of the 16th century. It has the largest range of all woodwinds (more than 3 octaves). It must be said that in general, as a rule, low instruments have a large range due to the fact that their overtones are not so high, and therefore they are not so difficult to extract. The bassoonists sit in the second row of the wind group, next to the clarinets; usually the orchestra uses 2 bassoons.
For large essays it is common and contrabassoon- the only widespread type of bassoon. This is the lowest instrument of the orchestra (not counting the exotic double bass clarinets and saxophones or the organ - a fickle member of the orchestra). He can play notes a fourth below the double bass and a second below the harp. Only a concert grand piano can be "proud" - its lowest note, la subcontractaves is a record. True, as in the hundred-meter dash - for a split second, and musically - on half tone .
However, perhaps I was too carried away by orchestral records. In terms of sound capabilities, the bassoon is in last place among wind instruments - fluency is average, dynamic capabilities are average, the range of images used is also small. Basically these are either angry or insistent phrases with a typically slow attack of sound (the most typical example is the image of the grandfather from " Petya and the wolf" Prokofiev), or mournful intonations, most often in a high register (as for example in the side part of the reprise of the 1st movement of the 7th symphony of Shostakovich - it is better known as " Leningradskaya"). A common thing for a bassoon group is doubling string basses (i.e. cellos and double basses), this gives the melodic line greater density and coherence.
Of the combinations of instruments, the most characteristic are - bassoon + clarinet(Start " Romeo and Juliet"Tchaikovsky - chorale of 4 instruments), bassoon + horn(this was especially popular in those days when there were only 2 horns in the orchestra - classical harmony requires four voices, and this combination is perceived as a completely homogeneous sound). Naturally, other combinations are not excluded - each " mix"useful and can be used in a certain place.
