At 11:19 AM +1100 11/13/02, Matthew Hindson wrote:
Appealing to the vast knowledge of this list:I want to orchestrate a very short section in an orchestral piece in the manner of one of those big Shirley-Bassey-type numbers (e.g. Hey Big Spender etc.), but have no idea of the fundamentals of this style of writing. Is there a name for this style of writing? Does anyone know of any orchestration books which might be able to give me some clues - specifically for typical voicings, orchestrations etc.? There was one book by Nelson Riddle I remember seeing some time ago, but don't know if this would be applicable.
Well, it's jazz.
Popular music up to the rock 'n' roll era was mostly based on jazz rhythms, harmonies, and orchestration, so recreating that sound will need some understanding of jazz arranging.
Nelson Riddle, Henry Mancini, Don Sebesky, Sammy Nestico, Russell Garcia, Gordon Delamont, William Russo, Jerry Coker, and Les Sabina have all written books on the subject in English; Richard Ferland has written the only one I know of in French; Bill Dobbins and David Baker have written on the subject of small-group jazz writing; Fred Sturm wrote one on the history of jazz writing that deals in theoretical details; and various universities have class notes on the subject, including Ted Pease at Berklee, I-don't-know-who at North Texas State, and myself at McGill University and Vanier College. There is also a book called "Arrangers Dreambook" which has examples (but no analysis) of various writer's styles from swing era up to about the 60's or 70's, but I don't remember who wrote it.
If you don't already have a basic grounding in jazz theory, you will need to know how to spell jazz chords and what extensions are available. And of course, a feel for the rhythm.
You might want to run a sketch by a jazz arranger to see if it fits, though sometimes I find it more interesting when it is just an impression of the style, sort of in parody, rather than being strictly stylistically correct.
Good luck
Christopher
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