The Functions of Wind Instruments in the Orchestra

If you are listening to an orchestra, than you will also notice that there are a wide variety of instruments that are used. Each of these instruments carries a different function in the orchestra to make a complete sound. One of the orchestra instruments that holds a specific function for the orchestra is the woodwind section, causing a complete difference in the sound that is played.

History

The first orchestra was actually in Egypt, as far back as the 600s. During this time, several instruments would play together, allowing for a stronger sound to be heard in different performances.
The expansion of the orchestra began in the 1500 and 1600s. During this time, the concept of orchestration began to move throughout Europe, with it's height being in France, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. With this concept was a small set of instruments that would be played together to create a melody and harmonies.
The idea of the orchestra quickly began to become a popular concept, growing into the courts and into secular areas for performance. By the 1800s, the concept of the orchestra had grown into a standard size, where a specific amount of instruments would be used to create a complete sound. This is still used today, with specific changes and alterations with some instruments to create a different variation.

Types

With the overall orchestration, are different sections that are used to create different effects. The sections are typically divided by the range of instrument that is available. There are four basic ranges that are used for the instruments. This is low, mid-low, mid-high and high. This makes for a full and complete sound.
The woodwind section of an orchestra, or wind instruments, covers mostly the high and mid-high range, even though there are a few lower instruments that are used. This allows for a certain range to be covered, as well as coloring with the instruments to be made. The ranges of woodwind instruments are as follows:
Picollo - high
Flute - high
Clarinet - high
Bass clarinet - mid- low
Oboe - high
English horn - mid-low / mid - high
bassoons - mid-low

Function

The function of the woodwind instruments is to create certain coloring with the orchestra. Typically, you will find three types of functions for different pieces of music with the woodwind instruments.
1. Melody - The melody is like the singer of the orchestra. This carries the main theme of music, allowing the piece of music to "sing."
2. Harmony - The harmony is usually a set of notes that are underneath the melody to "color" the melody. This allows the melody to stand out more and to have a certain mood that is linked to it. The harmony of the music will not only be heard by the woodwinds with specific sounds, but also with movement. For instance, you may hear flutes moving quickly between several notes. This helps to create a harmony, and also creates a coloring or effect for the rest of the orchestra.
3. Rhythm - The rhythm is the beat that the music is getting to keep everything steady. Most likely, you will hear this in the lower wind instruments, such as the bassoon, or English horn. However, there may be times when the higher ranges will create specific sounds to create a rhythmic feel to the music.

Effects

The effects that the wind instruments have is used to balance with the rest of the orchestration for a full sound. Other orchestration instruments include string instruments (violins, violas, cellos) and brass instruments (trumpets, trombones, tubas). There will be more of these instruments, all which contain different types of resonance. For instance, a violin section will have a deeper resonance from the strings that are played, while the horns will have a bright sound that is more forward. The wind instruments will be softer. These all balance with each other, when arranged in different ways, allowing for different effects to take effect with different pieces of music.

Considerations

Even though there are several instruments that balance out with resonance and sound, not all of them are created equally. There are typically less wind instruments in an orchestra than with the brass and string instruments. However, they still keep the same importance, as the coloring is used differently. For instance, a solo without harmony, soft sections in a piece of music and other types of arrangements allow the winds to take a front stage in the orchestra and allow the sound to be effective when used.