Principles of Orchestration (Paperback)

~ Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Great classical orchestrator provides fundamentals of tonal resonance, progression of parts, voice and orchestra, tutti effects, much else in major document. 330pp. of musical excerpts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 489 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; New edition edition (June 1, 1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486212661
• ISBN-13: 978-0486212661
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,153 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Rimsky
  #5 in	Books > Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Late Romantic
  #60 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Theory

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic in Orchestration, February 2, 2003

By	Chui Koon Sang Samuel (Hong Kong, China) - See all my reviews

I own some of the great books of orchestration, say, those by Pistons, Adler and Forsyth, but this book certainly is the best of the best. This is not a book about instrumentation (general information as range, articulations, characteristics, notation), rather it concentrates aspects such as resonance, register, doublings, combination of instrumental colors, as well as information about the chorus. These are the points that need to be considered in the course of orchestration. A well-organized book, with many orchestral excerpts drawn from Korsakov's own works. It is very useful for any orchestrators to understand the principles the author said.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work but not for the dilletante, December 18, 2005

By	A Reviewer (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

I suppose it would be redundant for me to praise the work of Rimsky-Korsakov like so many have before, and besides it seems above me to judge such an authoritative book. I do wish, however, that Rimsky-Korsakov would have used examples that were not only from his own works.

The format of this book is difficult since all of the musical examples are located in the back--rebinding it into two volumes would be advisable.

Anyone who studies this book should be familiar with the works of Rimsky-Korsakov, as all of the examples come from his orchestral works. It is also advisable to have at least rudimentary skills in sight-reading scores and/or to have recordings readily available so you can listen to the examples he cites.

You will benefit most from this book if you are able to devote a significant amount of time to listening to the examples given for each concept and composing practice sketches based on the principles Rimsky-Korsakov outlines.

The writing is rather dense and requires time to understand; therefore I would not recommend it to someone for whom composition or arranging is simply a hobby.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, August 26, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Canada) - See all my reviews

One of the few Orchestration books that not only discusses the technique of the art, but also the emotional and psychological effect of instrumentation. The translation of the original text is well done. I always keep this book close by.