Textures and Timbres: An Orchestrator’s Handbook

Henry Brant’s new guide to orchestration is, in fact, the result of his lifelong work as a conductor, composer, and teacher; its first page written in the 1940s, and its final page written in 2005. In observation of other orchestration texts throughout his life, Brant realized that many were incomplete, in that they gave instructions based on hoped-for evocations of mystic visions rather than the actual, practical qualities of instruments. Textures and Timbres focuses on the study of acoustic instrumental tone-qualities, offering comprehensive systematic procedures for balancing and mixing them, both in harmonic and linear contexts. The lessons and inspiration shared in this text span Brant’s entire career, from his work in commercial radio to his orchestration classes at the Juilliard School and orchestrations of numerous Hollywood film scores. Textures and Timbres: An Orchestrator’s Handbook is an absolutely vital tool for the conductor.