String instruments: types, names. History and types of musical instruments Instruments and their groups

A musical instrument is not just an object for producing sound, it is a virtuoso instrument in the hands of a musician that can conquer, pacify, and excite minds and souls. Story musical instruments has its roots in the distant past.

The Birth of Musical Instruments

Historians have put forward many various hypotheses regarding the appearance of ancient musical instruments. Based on the results of archaeological excavations in the territories inhabited by different ethnic groups, scientists came to the conclusion that the most ancient type of musical instruments were percussion instruments. The essence of percussion instruments is to tap out a rhythm, and simple rhythm was the first form.

Other types of musical instruments have an equally long history. So, the prototype of the first string instruments There was a bow string that, when pulled, made a characteristic sound. And the sound created by blowing air into a hollow stem has become a prototype.

Three ways to classify musical instruments

All musical instruments are divided into groups according to availability common features. The first of them is the method of sound production. Based on the name of the element responsible for producing sound, several different types of instruments are distinguished. So, strings include and, and the saxophone, like the flute, is wind instruments. Accordion and simple harmonica All kinds of drums are webbed instruments. There are also rarer types: for example, plate (xylophone) or rod (triangle, celesta).


Harp

The second classification is based on the method of exciting sound. Moreover, in a group of instruments with the same sound production, several groups with different types sound excitement. Among the wind instruments, there are dulce or whistling flutes; reed or reed (oboe, bassoon), mouthpiece or brass (viola, trombone, trumpet, bugles and even hunting horns). Strings are divided into plucked (harp, balalaika, harpsichord) and bowed (family .


Clarinet

The third principle of typing is the method of sound production. In the percussion group, sound is produced by striking with a hand or a hammer, which provokes the vibration of vibrators of any shape: plates in a xylophone, rods in a triangle, drum membranes...


Xylophone

Based on all of the above, we get a triple classification: the piano is a keyboard-percussion string musical instrument.

Evolution of musical instruments

Each stage of human evolution was reflected in musical culture. Century after century, music becomes more diverse, more complex, and more perfect from a technical point of view. The development of music is manifested in the emergence of new musical instruments, more virtuosic, comfortable, and melodic.

Many pre-existing musical instruments have remained buried in the annals of history. Others improve over time, becoming the founders of entire families of instruments. Instruments such as the organ, harpsichord, piano, flute and many others played an important role in the development of world musical culture.

The most modern type of musical instruments today are considered. They are created using the latest achievements electronics and technology and are capable of producing radically new, unusual sounds. Electromusical instruments are a whole phenomenon in modern musical culture, which has given rise to separate directions of music, and another confirmation of the thesis of the parallel development of culture in general and music in particular.

Music and various sounds accompany a person throughout his life. We are surrounded by the sounds of the forest, birdsong, the sound of the sea and, of course, music. She is always with us, in times of joy and in moments of sadness, in sadness and in joy, night and day. To extract sounds, man invented different kinds musical instruments. Currently, there are musical instruments that are divided into several groups:

  • strings;
  • winds;
  • drums.

The emergence of musical instruments

It is difficult now to find out how and when the first musical instrument appeared. Legend has it that the shepherd's pipe was first invented by the Greek gods. Music accompanied and primitive people: They danced, clapped and drummed. The conclusion suggests itself that the first musical devices were percussion musical instruments.

Much later, people learned to make wind instruments from animal horns. Extract gentle sounds man learned after the invention of bowed instruments.

Types of musical instruments are divided into different classes and families depending on:

  • sound source;
  • material of manufacture;
  • timbre and type of sound;
  • way of producing sounds.

Each musical instrument has its own device in order to obtain the necessary sound. This is how the classification of musical instruments appeared. The list is constantly growing, electronic musical instruments have appeared. But live music, still out of competition.

In fact, every body, if set in motion or vibration, can produce sound. This kind of sound source is used for classification.

Groups of instruments, depending on the method of producing sound, are divided into subgroups.

Percussion instruments

Percussion musical instruments appeared at a time when people were hunting. Percussion musical instruments were invented, the names of which are known to everyone: drums and tambourines. They were made from dried skins and hollow objects: fruits, wooden blocks, clay pots. To produce sound, they beat percussion instruments with fingers, palms or special sticks. That is, percussion musical instruments are instruments in which sounds are produced using blows, shaking, hammers, sticks or palms.

Today, drums are the largest family of musical instruments. Based on their pitch, they are divided into two groups:

  • indefinite pitch - drums, there - there, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, castanets;
  • a certain pitch - bells, timpani, vibraphone, xylophone.

Wind instruments

Wind musical instruments are a type of instrument in which sound arises from the vibration of air in a tube. They are classified according to manufacturer, material and methods of sound production. This category can be divided into:

  • wooden – flute, fanot, oboe;
  • brass - trombone, trumpet, tuba, horn.

Stringed instruments

Stringed musical instruments are a group of instruments in which the source of sound is the vibration of strings. String instruments are divided into:

  • plucked strings – gusli, guitar, dombra, balalaika, dombra, sitar, harp;
  • bowed instruments - violin, viola, cello, double bass;
  • drums - piano, cymbals,

At the beginning of the 20th century, electric musical instruments appeared. The first such tool is theremin, was invented back in 1917. Today, numerous modern sound synthesizers have been created that can imitate not only the sound of many famous musical instruments, but also reproduce all kinds of sounds - thunder, birdsong, the sound of an airplane or a passing train. As a rule, synthesizers are produced with a piano keyboard.

Video: Gordon Hunt, Saint-Saëns Oboe Sonata

Musical instruments

instruments that have the ability to reproduce, with human assistance, rhythmically organized and fixed in pitch sounds or a clearly regulated rhythm. Each M. and. It has a special timbre (color) of sound, as well as its musically expressive dynamic capabilities and a certain range of sounds. Sound quality M. and. depends on the relationship between the materials used to make the instrument and the shape given to them and can be changed with the help of additional devices (for example, a mute (See Mute)), various sound production techniques (for example, Pizzicato, Flajolet).

M. and. It is customary to divide into folk and professional. Folk M. and. can be original, belonging to only one people, and “international”, popular among different nations interconnected ethnic community or long-term historical and cultural contacts. So, for example, bandura exists only in Ukraine, panduri and chonguri only in Georgia, and gusli, sopel, zhaleika, and bagpipes are used simultaneously by Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians; saz, tar, kemancha, duduk, zurna in Azerbaijan and Armenia; In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, almost all instruments are the same.

Folk musical ensembles have existed in Russia for a long time. (guslyars, gudoshnikovs, domrists); in the 2nd half of the 18th century. Horn orchestras were created based on the hunting horn; in the 70s choirs of shepherd horn players gained great fame; The choir organized by N.V. Kondratiev was especially famous. At the end of the 19th century. Thanks to the activities of V.V. Andreev and his closest assistants S.I. Nalimov, F.S. Passerbsky, N.P. Fomin, some Russian M. and. (balalaika, gusli, etc.) were improved or reconstructed (domra) and folk instrument orchestras were created on their basis. The republics of the USSR have a centuries-old and diverse folk instrumental culture in their national forms. Here, in Soviet time orchestras and ensembles of folk instruments have been created, big job to improve folk instruments.

Professional M. and. considered to be the instruments that make up the symphony (opera), brass and pop orchestras. Almost all professional M. and. their origins go to folk prototypes. People's M. and. in the distant past there was a violin, a modern one was created from the simplest folk flute, an oboe was created from a primitive shawl, etc.

Development of M. and. directly related to the development of human society, its culture, music, performing arts and production technology. At the same time, some musical instruments, due to the peculiarities of their design, have been preserved for centuries and have reached our time in their original form (for example, Uzbek stone castanets - kairak), many others have been subject to improvement, and others, which turned out to be unable to meet the growing musical and performing requirements, died off and were replaced by new ones.

The most clear connection between M. and. with creativity and performance, their selection and improvement can be traced in the field of professional music rather than in folk music (where these processes proceed much more slowly and where music has been preserved for centuries in an unchanged or little changed form). So, in the 15-16th centuries. rough and sedentary fidels (vielas) were replaced by gentle, matte timbre “aristocratic” viols. In the 17th-18th centuries. in connection with the advent of the homophonic-harmonic style to replace the polyphonic style and the emergence of music requiring dynamic performance, the viol with its quiet sound and chord technique games were gradually replaced by the violin and its family, which have a bright, expressive sound, rich stroke technique and opportunities for virtuoso playing. At the same time as the viol, the same gentle-sounding but “lifeless” longitudinal flute fell out of use, giving way to a more sonorous and technically agile one. transverse flute. At the same time, in ensemble and orchestral practice, the European lute and its varieties - the theorbo and the chitarron (archlute) - ceased to be used; in home everyday music-making, the lute was replaced by the vihuela, and then by the guitar. By the end of the 18th century. The harpsichord and chamber clavichord were replaced by a new keyboard instrument - the piano.

Professional musical instruments, due to the complexity of their design, more than folk ones, also depend in their development on the state of the exact sciences and production technology - the presence of music factories and factories with their experimental laboratories, design bureaus and qualified specialists in instrument making. The exception is instruments of the violin family, which require purely individual manufacturing. Improved on the basis of folk samples by famous Bresci and Cremona masters of the 16th-18th centuries. Gasparo da Salo, G. Magini, N. Amati, A. Stradivari, G. Guarneri del Gesu and others - they remain unsurpassed in their merits. The most intensive development of professional M. and. occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries. T. Boehm’s creation of a rational valve system (the first model appeared in 1832), its use first in the flute, and then in different options, on the clarinet, oboe and bassoon, significantly expanded performing capabilities and increased the intonation purity and stability of the structure of woodwind instruments, allowed composers to use them more widely and variably in their work, and contributed to the development of solo concert performing arts. A real revolution was made by the appearance at the beginning of the 19th century. valve mechanics (see Valve) in brass instruments, which turned them from the so-called. natural musical instruments, with a limited number of sounds and hence limited performance capabilities, into chromatic ones, capable, like woodwind instruments, of reproducing any music. A fundamental stylistic change in music of all genres for strings keyboard instruments occurred with the advent of the hammer piano. With the invention of radio, it became possible to design electrophonic instruments.

To determine the types of M. and. There are different classification systems. The 3-group system is well known, according to which M. and. divided into winds, strings and percussion; in turn, wind instruments are divided into wood (flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, saruzophone, bassoon and their varieties) and copper (trumpet, cornet, horn, trombone, tuba, instruments brass band), and strings - into plucked (harp, lute, guitar) and bowed (families of violins and viols). To percussion M. and. include timpani, drum, xylophone, celesta, gong, cymbals, etc. In the scientific study, especially of various folk music, more complete and accurate classification systems are used. Among them, the system developed at the beginning of the 20th century is recognized. the Austrian musicologist E. Hornbostel and the German musicologist K. Sachs (the foundation of which was laid in the 2nd half of the 19th century by the Belgian musicologists Fr. Gewart and V. S. Maillon). The Hornbostel-Sachs system is built on two features: the source of the sound of the instrument and the method of its extraction. According to the first sign M. and. They are divided into self-sounding (idiophones or autophones), membrane (membranophones), string (chordophones) and wind (aerophones). The source of sound of the former is the material itself from which the instrument or its sounding part is made; secondly - a stretched elastic membrane; third - stretched string; fourth - a column of air enclosed in the bore of the barrel (tube). According to the method of sound extraction, self-sounding ones are divided into plucked (Jew's harp), friction (kraatspill, nail and glass harmonics), percussion (xylophone, cymbals, castanets); membrane - for friction (bugay), percussion (drum, timpani); strings - plucked (balalaika, harp, guitar), bowed (kemancha, violin), percussion (dulcimer); wind instruments - flute (all types of flutes), reed (zurna, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), mouthpiece (trumpets and horns). Further division is made according to the design features of the instrument. For example, flutes are divided into longitudinal (open and whistle), transverse and multi-barrel; strings to keyboard-plucked (spinet, harpsichord) and keyboard-percussion (piano, clavichord), etc.

Among modern M. and. A special group consists of electric ones, the sound source of which is sound frequency oscillation generators. These instruments are divided mainly into two subgroups: electronic (actually electric instruments) and adapted, i.e. instruments of the usual type, equipped with sound amplifiers (electric guitar, electric balalaika, Turkmen electric dutar).

Lit.: Zaks K., Modern orchestral musical instruments, trans. from German, M., 1932; Belyaev V.M., Musical instruments of Uzbekistan, M., 1933; his, Folk musical instruments of Azerbaijan, in the collection: The Art of the Azerbaijani People, M. - L., 1938; Agazhanov A., Russian folk musical instruments, M. - L., 1949; Yampolsky I.M., Russian violin art. Essays and materials, [part. 1], M. - L., 1951; Vinogradov V. S., Kirgizskaya folk music, Frunze, 1958; Zhinovich I.I., State Belarusian Folk Orchestra.. Minsk, 1958; Struve B. A., The process of formation of viols and violins, M., 1959; Chulaki M., Symphony Orchestra Instruments, 2nd ed., M., 1962; Vertkov K., Blagodatov G., Yazovitskaya E., Atlas of musical instruments of the peoples of the USSR, L., 1964 (lit.); Berov L. S., Moldavian musical folk instruments, Kish., 1964; Gumenyuk A. I., Ukrainian folk musical instruments, Kiev, 1967 (lit.).

K. A. Vertkov, S. Ya. Levin.


Big Soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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Note. The intended answer states for reference large quantity tools than the participant can bring. The answer may contain attempt

more detailed systematization(division brass strings keyboards

drums with fixed and non-fixed pitch).

A suggested answer to item 3 of task 4 is given to show how the answer might be assessed. Participants have the right to give answers in their own logic with their own examples.

Music has special language: bypassing words, she is able to convey feelings, thus erasing the boundaries between people, overcoming time s e and spatial barriers. But music affects people at the moment of its sound and therefore refers to temporary s m types of art. The painter, conveying the impact of music on a person, puts musical instruments into the hands of characters: angels and gods, depicts them against the backdrop of the sky. Position ru It conveys the tenderness of touching instruments and creates a premonition of the finest harmonies. The artist conveys musical harmony combination of colors, expressive, but not flashy. Thus, through gesture, color, composition, the artist strives to convey the impression of piece of music. The artist conveys musical flight and elusiveness, the material etherealness of music translucency angelic wings, light and powerful at the same time.



The power of musical influence and the universality of the language of music contemporary artist conveys through a fantasy composition in which a mythological figure with a special musical gift Orpheus forces the wild animals to obey the musical order, obediently surrounding the musician and listening to the harmonious


Another way of pictorially embodying a musical impression is to convey the musical flow through glare, glow, play of tones and shades, as demonstrated in the work of Alexander Maranov, who recreated a portrait of the brilliant virtuoso violinist Nicolo Paganini, existing on the canvas surrounded by musical flows.


Response analysis and evaluation

1. The participant correctly names 4 musical instruments depicted in these fragments. 2 points for each correct name = 8 points. If instead

the tambourine is indicated, the tambourine is given 1 point. If instead of viola it is called

violin gets 1 point.

2. Participant

a. names 4 groups of musical instruments. 2 points for each correct name = 8 points;

b. names 30 musical instruments, correctly attributing them to the group.

2 points for each correct name = 60 points.

Note. The intended answer lists more tools for reference. If the answer contains an attempt at a more detailed systematization(division brass for brass, wood, folk, symphony orchestras; strings plucked, bowed, folk; keyboards for keyboard-strings, keyboard-pneumatic, drums with a fixed and non-fixed pitch), an answer can be awarded 2 additional points for naming each group of more detailed systematization, but so that the total score for this part of the task does not exceed 60 points.

3. Participant

a. explains his point of view on the question posed coherently and logically.

2 points (if the answer contains logical mistakes, speech and grammatical errors, no points are awarded);

b. names two qualities of music as a temporary art form: special

language, sound in time. 2 points for each correct name = 4 points,

c. names 3 possibilities of painting in conveying a musical impression

(composition, color, position of figures). 2 points for each correct name = 6 points;

d. calls 4 compositional techniques, analyzing the work data. 2 points for each correct name = 8 points;

e. names 5 coloristic features of the analyzed works. 2 points for each correct name = 10 points;

Welcome to short review musical instruments of a symphony orchestra.

If you are just starting to get acquainted with classical music, then perhaps you do not yet know what musical instruments the members of the symphony orchestra play. This article will help you. Descriptions, images and sound samples of the main musical instruments of the orchestra will introduce you to the huge variety of sounds produced by the orchestra.

Preface

The musical symphonic tale "Peter and the Wolf" was written in 1936 for the new Moscow Central children's theater(now Russian Academic youth theater). This is the story of the pioneer Pete, who shows courage and ingenuity, saves his friends and captures the wolf. From the moment of its creation to the present day, the play has enjoyed undiminished worldwide popularity among both younger generation, and experienced amateurs classical music. This play will help us identify different instruments, because... each character in it is represented by a certain instrument and a separate motive: for example, Petya - string instruments (mainly violins), Birdie - flute in a high register, Duck - oboe, Grandfather - bassoon, Cat - clarinet, Wolf - horn. After familiarizing yourself with the presented instruments, listen to this piece again and try to remember how each instrument sounds.

Sergei Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf"

Bowed string instruments.

All bowed string instruments consist of vibrating strings stretched over a resonating wooden body (soundboard). To produce sound, a horsehair bow is used, clamping the strings various positions on the fretboard, get sounds different heights. The family of bowed string instruments is the largest in the lineup, grouped into a huge section with musicians playing the same line of music.

4-string bowed instrument, the highest in sound in its family and the most important in the orchestra. The violin has such a combination of beauty and expressiveness of sound as, perhaps, no other instrument. But violinists often have a reputation as nervous and scandalous people.

Felix Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

Alto - By appearance a copy of a violin, only slightly larger, which is why it sounds in a lower register and is a little more difficult to play than a violin. According to established tradition, the viola is assigned an auxiliary role in the orchestra. Violists are often the target of jokes and anecdotes in musical environment. There were three sons in the family - two smart, and the third was a violist... P.S. Some people believe that the viola is an improved version of the violin.

Robert Schumann" Fairy tale(Fairy Tales) for viola and piano"

Cello- a large violin that is played while sitting, holding the instrument between the knees and resting its spire on the floor. The cello has a rich low sound, wide expressive abilities and a detailed performance technique. The performing qualities of the cello won the hearts of a huge number of fans.

Dmitri Shostakovich Sonata for cello and piano

Double bass- the lowest in sound and the largest in size (up to 2 meters) among the family of bowed string instruments. Double bassists must stand or sit on a high stool to reach the top of the instrument. The double bass has a thick, hoarse and somewhat dull timbre and is the bass foundation of the entire orchestra.

Dmitri Shostakovich Sonata for cello and piano (see cello)

Woodwind instruments.

A large family of various instruments, not necessarily made of wood. Sound is generated by the vibration of air passing through the instrument. Pressing the keys shortens/lengthens the air column and changes the pitch of the sound. Each instrument usually has its own solo line, although it can be performed by several musicians.

The main instruments of the woodwind family.

- modern flutes very rarely they are made of wood, often made of metal (including precious metals), sometimes made of plastic and glass. The flute is held horizontally. The flute is one of the highest sounding instruments in the orchestra. The most virtuosic and technically agile instrument in the wind family, thanks to these advantages she is often assigned orchestral solos.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Flute Concerto No. 1

Oboe- a melodic instrument with a range lower than that of a flute. Slightly conical in shape, the oboe has a melodious, but somewhat nasal timbre, and even sharp in the upper register. It is primarily used as an orchestral solo instrument. Because oboists must contort their faces while playing, they are sometimes perceived as abnormal people.

Vincenzo Bellini Concerto for oboe and orchestra

Clarinet- Comes in several sizes, depending on the required pitch. The clarinet uses only one reed (reed), and not double like a flute or bassoon. The clarinet has a wide range, warm, soft timbre and provides the performer with wide expressive possibilities.
Check yourself: Karl stole corals from Clara, and Clara stole a clarinet from Karl.

Carl Maria von Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 1

The lowest sounding woodwind instrument, used both for the bass line and as an alternative melody instrument. There are usually three or four bassoons in an orchestra. Due to its size, the bassoon is more difficult to play than other instruments of this family.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Bassoon Concerto

Brass instruments.

The loudest group of instruments in a symphony orchestra, the principle of producing sounds is the same as that of woodwind instruments - “press and blow”. Each instrument plays its own solo line - there is a lot of material. IN different eras its history Symphony Orchestra changed groups of instruments in its composition, some decline in interest in wind instruments occurred in the era of romanticism, in the 20th century new performing possibilities for brass instruments opened up and their repertoire expanded significantly.

Horn (horn)- originally derived from the hunting horn, the horn can be soft and expressive or harsh and raspy. Typically, an orchestra uses from 2 to 8 horns, depending on the piece.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

An instrument with a high clear sound, very suitable for fanfares. Like the clarinet, the trumpet can come in different sizes, each with its own tone. Distinguished by its great technical agility, the trumpet brilliantly fulfills its role in the orchestra; it can perform wide, bright timbres and long melodic phrases.

Joseph Haydn Concerto for trumpet

Performs more of a bass line than a melodic line. It differs from other brass instruments by the presence of a special movable U-shaped tube - the backstage, by moving which back and forth the musician changes the sound of the instrument.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Trombone Concerto

Percussion musical instruments.

The oldest and most numerous among groups of musical instruments. Often the drums are affectionately called the “kitchen” of the orchestra, and the performers are called “jack of all trades.” The musicians treat percussion instruments quite harshly: they hit them with sticks, hit each other, shake them - and all this in order to set the rhythm of the orchestra, as well as to give color and originality to the music. Sometimes a car horn or a device that imitates wind noise (aeoliphone) is added to the drums. Let's consider only two percussion instrument:

- a hemispherical metal body covered with a leather membrane, timpani can sound very loud or, conversely, softly, like a distant rumble of thunder; sticks with heads made of different materials: wood, felt, leather. An orchestra usually has two to five timpani players, and it is very interesting to watch the timpani players play.

Johann Sabastian Bach Toccata and Fugue

Plates (pairs)- convex round metal discs different sizes and with an indefinite pitch. As noted, a symphony can last ninety minutes, and you only have to hit the cymbals once; imagine the responsibility for the exact result.

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