Jacob Hammonds

Instrumentation
December 2014
Woodwind Essay
Schoenberg Quintet mvmt 1

Twelve tone or serial music can create problems for the composer working within the idiom. The
lack of diatonic convention can be jarring for listeners who long for a tonic or center. Most listeners are
conditioned to understand a diatonic architecture although one can reason that the serial architecture is
more coherent. Most musical motives and gestures are based on the diatonic system thus the serial
composer is challenged to create new gestures. Fortunately the timbral and sonic capabilities of the
woodwind quintet can combat these issues. The flexibility of this ensemble allows a composer many
sonic and gestural options while dealing with serialized pitch material.

To create textural clarity, Schoenberg gives specific jobs the instruments. The flute stars with the
melody marked forte. The oboe, clarinet, and english horn are grouped together with their similar piano
dynamic and long note rhythm. This grouping technique works because of the gestalt principle of
similarity. The instruments play together in a similar way, and the mind creates a unit. In measure 2
beat four, Schoenberg creates a cascading gesture that starts in the flute and is passed down the choir to
the entrance of the bassoon in bar 4. This serves two functions. It accounts for the entrance of the
bassoon but also creates a panning effect.

To achieve more visceral clarity Schoenberg will pair two gestural techniques to create an
evolving texture. In measure 29. Schoenberg starts with a sound block created by gradually introducing
the instruments at a pianissimo dynamic. Each of the instruments plays a short 16th note gesture which

accounts for the entrance of the flute in measure. 31. Here Schoenberg uses rhythm in conjunction with
dynamics to accelerate the pulse of the piece. This texture continues to develop and in measure 37. it
dies with a cascading gesture similar to the one mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Schoenberg achieves structural clarity in the piece by creating different sections with consistent
articulations. Measures one to 73. are mostly legato with staccato punctuations. Schoenberg writes an
angular introduction from 73. to 87. to a mainly staccato section. The top four voices play in similar
rhythm creating a texture. At measure 92. the bassoon and the english horn start playing long sustained
notes. The other voices gradually shift to the sustained style of playing and by measure 95 the texture
has shifted. This phasing of articulation creates a gradual sonic shift between two textures. This is
similar to a crossfade.

To achieve more sectional clarity and overall coherence Schoenberg ends this movement with a
similar texture to the beginning of the movement. The woodwind choir is playing sustained legato
notes with the flute with the melody. This section seems like a developed version of the first section.
This creates a kind of trio form, which is very common to any listener of western music.

Schoenberg relies heavily on the principal of similarity group things together. He does this on
multiple levels, grouping the whole woodwind choir into one group to create a large texture or
grouping sub-sets together to create separation in the ensemble. The ranges of the instruments were
well utilized in this piece. The flute played the melodies in its more powerful register, and the bassoon
plays deep in it's range. Overall, Schoenberg cleverly deals with the problems of serial music
masterfully using the ensembles strengths.