The Orchestral Instruments and What They Do: A Primer for Concert Goers

The Orchestral Instruments and What They Do: A Primer for Concert Goers by Daniel Gregory Mason is a comprehensive guide to understanding the different instruments in an orchestra and their roles in creating music. This book is designed for music lovers who want to enhance their concert experience by gaining a deeper understanding of the instruments and the sounds they produce. The book is divided into chapters that focus on each instrument family, including strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Each chapter provides a detailed description of the instruments in that family, including their history, construction, and unique characteristics. The author also explains how the instruments are played and how they work together to create the different sections of an orchestral piece. In addition to the technical information, the book also includes musical examples and illustrations to help readers visualize the different instruments and their sounds. The author also provides tips for listening to orchestral music, including how to identify different instruments and how to follow the different sections of a piece. Overall, The Orchestral Instruments and What They Do: A Primer for Concert Goers is an informative and engaging guide that will help readers appreciate and enjoy orchestral music on a deeper level. Whether you are a seasoned concert-goer or a newcomer to the world of classical music, this book is an essential resource for anyone who wants to understand the instruments and sounds of the orchestra.1908. The object of this little book is to assist the concert-goer in recognizing the various orchestral instruments, both by sight and by hearing, and to stimulate his perception of the thousand and one beauties of orchestral coloring. As a help to the eye, the descriptions of the appearance of the instruments are supplemented by pictures; in order to help recognition by ear, the divers registers of instruments are discussed with some particularity; while it is hoped that the many figures showing excerpts from standard works will sharpen the reader's attentiveness to delicate shades of tonal effect.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Daniel Gregory Mason (1873-1953) studied at Harvard and in Paris before joining the Columbia University faculty in 1910, where he remained until his 1942 retirement. He was the grandson of the music publisher and educator Lowell Mason and the son of Henry Mason, a founder of the Mason & Hamlin Co. piano firm; a composer as well as the author of many books on music.