Local Assembly in the Orchestral Thinking

Abstract

The artistically important phenomenon of the temporary separation of ensembles from the orchestral whole, which lasts for a certain structural unit of the composition, is considered. This phenomenon is called "local ensemble". The principles of distinguishing in the existing literature between orchestral solos and soloist ensembles as mainly a group sound effect are defined. The scientific novelty of the study, which stems from a special view of the orchestra as a field of intersection and emergence of instrumental ensembles, is substantiated. A comparative analysis of scores from different eras was carried out in the context of the dynamic opposition "completeness - incompleteness". The additive and subtractive principles of correlation of orchestral integrity with instrument samples are revealed, where the first is formed by adding ensembles that collectively form the orchestra as a result, and the second — by selecting individual ensembles in the orchestra as its temporarily autonomous parts. It was found that despite the presence of orchestral patterns (groups of timbres) and the mention of ensembles of orchestral soloists in previous studies, group ensemble as a structurally separate phenomenon has not yet been sufficiently considered. The effectiveness of using local ensembles to emphasize the architecture of works, to provide an impetus for the active development of drama (introduction to the opera "Parsifal" by R. Wagner) is shown. The simultaneous division of the orchestra into subgroups with different textural and thematic content in the second part of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 is analyzed. The phenomenon of "an ensemble outside the general orchestral development" in Gia Kancheli's Sixth Symphony has been revealed. A peculiar phenomenon of the accompanied sequence of local ensembles in the second part of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra is described. The indirect consequence of local ensemble in scores for a large orchestra is highlighted on the basis of a comparison of orchestral compositions in the works of I. Stravinsky, E. Varese and A. von Webern. It is proven that the local ensemble is a phenomenon of dialectical interaction of the orchestral integrity and its parts, which contributes to the enrichment of orchestral thinking, the demarcation of musical structures, gives impetus to musical-dramatic collisions and the search for new types of orchestra and its functioning.