- Elastic scoring
Elastic scoring is a style of
orchestration or musicarrangement that was first used by theAustralian composer Percy Grainger .This unique technique of
orchestration is used to providecomposer s with the option of allowing a diverse group of voices orinstrumentalist s the ability to perform their music. An example of this is when a composer or arranger provides extrasheet music parts so aflute quartet (four flutes) can play the same piece as a group comprised of two flutes, alto flute andbass flute , resulting a choir-like sound. In other words, a subtle re-engineering of the original work.This technique involves making extra and/or interchangeable musical parts which provide substitutions for more or less musicians depending on what is required for an individual performance. This also allows a musical work to be played in smaller communities where the required instruments may not always be available.
One of the main tenets of elastic scoring is that the new arrangement preserve as much as possible the original
interval relationship (to the closestoctave ) between notes while not being overly concerned with tone colour or number of instruments. Timbre is theaspect of music varied most through changing timbre or number of instruments.Techniques
Besides providing alternative instrumentation in the form of sheet music parts, the elastic scoring concept allows three subsets of scoring music. The
Canadian composerDaniel Theaker describes these subsets as lateral, expansion and contraction scoring.Lateral scoring
Lateral scoring can be said to have occurred when a piece of music is set for one or more instruments from the original number of instruments. An example of this is if a piece of music set for flute and piano is re-scored for
clarinet and piano. In this instance, the intervallic relationships remain the same, but the tone colour has changed.Expansion scoring
Expansion scoring is a style of arranging or orchestration that lets composers and arrangers enlarge the original work from a smaller score to a larger one. An example of this is when a
string quartet is expanded to become a piece forstring orchestra .Contraction scoring
Contraction scoring lets composers and arrangers reduce the original work from a larger score to a smaller score, such as when an orchestral work is reduced to
piano part. The resulting piano score is more commonly known as a 'Piano reduction '.Composers/Arrangers who use elastic scoring
* Michael Blake (South Africa)
*Percy Grainger (Australia)
*Daniel Theaker (Canada)
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