Ann Hayes - Meet the Orchestra

Meet the Orchestra

Written by ANN HAYES Illustrated by KARMEN THOMPSON

Voyager Books Harcourt, Inc.
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Text Copyright 1991 by Ann Hayes

Illustrations copyright 1991 by Karmen Effenberger Thompson

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hayes, Ann.
Meet the orchestra/written by Ann Hayes; illustrated
by Karmen Effenberger Thompson,
p. cm.
Summary: Describes the features, sounds and role of
each musical instrument in the orchestra.
ISBN: 0-15-200526-9
ISBN: 0-15-200222-7 (pbk.)
1. OrchestraJuvenile literature. 2. Musical instruments
Juvenile literature. [1. Orchestra. 2. Musical instruments.]
I. Thompson, Karmen Effenberger, ill. II. Title.
ML1200.H3 1990 784.19dc20 89-32959

R Q P O N

The paintings in this book were done in watercolor
on Arches cold press watercolor board.
The display type was set in ITC Korinna Kursiv
and the text type was set in Futura.
Color separations were made by Bright Arts, Ltd., Singapore.
Printed and bound by Tien Wah Press, Singapore
Production supervision by Warren Wallerstein and Ginger Boyer
Designed by Camilla Filancia

Printed in Singapore

For our parents:
HELEN and PENT EVERETT
and
CLAIRE and LEONARD DAVIDOW
with appreciation for their lifelong
encouragement and support

The Orchestra plays tonight. The audience has arrived. The musicians are coming on stage with their instruments. What a lot of different kinds they playstrings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

Violin

Players with like instruments sit together in "families." The violin belongs to the string family, along with the viola, the cello, and the big string bass. You play all of these with a bow or pluck them with your fingers.

The violin is the smallest of the string instruments. Its song can be bright as laughter, light as air, soft as a whisper, or sad as a tear.

Viola

As instruments get bigger, their voices get lower. The viola looks and sounds like a big brother to the violin. It has a deeper tone, reminding you of evening shadows, cloudy skies, and the color blue.

Cello

You can't tuck a cello under your chin the way you do a violin or viola. It is so big you must rest it on the floor. The cello's rich, mellow voice speaks of deep feelings like joy and sadness. It can remind you of the calm beauty of a drifting swan and of the color purple.

String Bass

The string bass is the grandpapa of the string family. It is so tall that you must stand up or sit on a high stool to play it.

When bowed, its low notes moan and groan. When plucked, its booming sound helps other musicians to keep the beat.

Flute

The flute belongs to the woodwind family, along with the piccolo, oboe, bassoon, and clarinet. You blow into these instruments to play them. At one time, all of them were made of wood; today the flute is often made of silver or even of gold.

To play the flute, you hold it sideways, tighten your lips, and blow across the air hole. With practice, you can trill like a bird or play slow, quivering notes as cool as a mountain stream.

Piccolo

The piccolo, little sister to the flute, loves attention and always gets it. This tiny flute is so shrill you can't help hearing it. Its high notes almost pierce your eardrums. Yet everyone loves the piccolo because it has such a great sense of fun.

Oboe

The oboe has a mouthpiece made of reed. The reed can be fussy and troublesome. Then it honks like a goose with a bad cold.

But usually the oboe can be trusted. The oboe plays that single note to which the whole orchestra tunes just before the concert begins. Its voice may remind you of faraway castles at sunset, autumn leaves, and the sadness of saying good-bye to someone you love.

Bassoon

The bassoon is like a large, folded oboe. It also has a reed mouthpiece. Its voice, like its name, has a kind of loneliness. Yet the bassoon can also be playful. It chats and chuckles with the other instruments. You often hear it chugging along like a tough little engine. Can't you almost see puffs of smoke coming out the top?