Orchestral Combinations

Gardner Read has enjoyed a prolific and varied career as composer, conductor, teacher, and author. He was appointed composer-in-residence and professor of composition at the School of Music, Boston University, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1978. He is the recipient of many awards for composition and performance. This is his ninth book.

• Part 1 List of Examples Part 2 Preface Part 3 Introduction Part 4 Instrumental Ranges Part 5 Part I: At the Unison Chapter 6 1. Mono-Chromatic Couplings Chapter 7 2. Dual-Chromatic Couplings Part 8 Part II: At the Octave Chapter 9 1. Mono-Chromatic Couplings Chapter 10 2. Dual-Chromatic Couplings Part 11 Afterword Part 12 Bibliography Part 13 Index of Instrumental References Part 14 Index of Instrumental Techniques Part 15 Index of Composers and Works Part 16 List of Publishers

...the author fulfills the need for a book that is concerned solely with the question of timbre as it relates to the disribution of the orchestral instruments...includes a useful bibliography and an index of instrumental techniques. This book should prove to be a valuable reference to the composer or orchestrator who wants to further investigate the hundreds of instrumental combinations presented in the text. It may also help the musician seeking to understand how a composer creates a certain sound or tone color.