I'm writing an orchestral piece for--hold your breath--a fully modern orchestra.
Here's my question--can modern trumpets, flutes, and oboes play in all keys?
I'm going to have to fit horns in at some point as well but can't think of any independent material to give them. Any ideas which part they could double?
Hi, Mark.
Yes. Any key is fine. A good instrumentation/orchestration manual will help too. There are some limitations besides the ranges, such as hard/impossible trills or tremolos and such. As always, some keys are better than others (like sharps for strings and flats for brass...).
For the F. horns: it mostly depends on the style you are writing for (classical/romantic/late romantic/impressionist....). F. horns are the "bridge" between brass and woodwind, and mix well with both. They usually double singable lines in the tenor register with cellos or violas; in combination with woodwind, they take mid-low notes (usually the bass goes to the bassoons); have solo passages with step-like melodies; are doubled in f or ff passages (dovetailed: horns I+III in unison, horns II+IV in unison); doubling in 8ves or unison with oboe or E. horn are used; when doubling trumpets or trombones, they soften the overall sound adding roundness to it; the classic Romantic use of them is chordal. scoring chords for brass/woodwind/strings and all the combinations thereof is a good exercise (and looking at scores, of course). Just don't over use them... An imaginatively orchestrated score is what you should be going for, but playing it safe is sometimes better while you are learning... Love to hear the final product.
