Describe Copland’s use of Instrumentation in El Salon Mexico (Info on page 13 of guide)

1. Describe Copland’s use of Instrumentation in El Salon Mexico (Info on page 13 of guide) In El Salon Mexico Copland uses a full 20th century orchestra. Interestingly some parts are optional and therefore doubled in other instruments. Instruments which are popular in the Grand Cuban orchestra are given high profiles in the work such as the trumpet, clarinet and wooden percussion. Copland created clear uncluttered textures in this work reflecting the influence of Classical and Neo Classical works. As a result the orchestra is frequently divided in to groups within which the instruments have the same rhythm as can be seen at figure 37. These fully scored rhythmic sections are contrasted with more melodic passages often featuring either in the first violin, trumpet or clarinet (for example figure 2 and figure 19). Another important feature is the way that Copland likes to use instruments in their orchestral families. For example, If he chooses to harmonise a melody it is likely that he will use an instrument from the same family. This can be seen many time throughout the piece such as the bassoon and bass clarinet at 40 – 59, the two oboes at 225 – 234 and the muted trumpets from 241 – 244. In this way, Copland unifies the tone colour of many passages. Copland also frequently uses the orchestral families to help to emphasise the changes between sections. This structural use of orchestration can be clearly seen at 61 where the woodwind family gives way to the strings, figure 11 where a fully orchestrated passage gives way to piano, oboe and bassoon. Sometimes orchestration is used more subtly and instruments pass material to each other such as bar 89 where violin 2 and the cello swap roles and the oboes and cor anglais take over from the flutes and clarinets. Another example is bar 214 where the clarinet passes the melody to the flute. Copland also uses orchestration to affect the dynamic level. Composers since the Classical period have used orchestral crescendos – building up the texture to create a crescendo as can be seen in bar 98 -102 where Copland gradually adds timpani, clarinets, trombones, trumpets and flutes to the texture. At bar 137 the fortissimo is heightened by the entry of the high upper woodwind.