Music A-Level
Orchestration
What Orchestration means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Orchestration
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Reference: AQA
The selection of specific instrumental timbres to represent characters, moods or settings, and the way theatrical scores are arranged to support the stage action.
The use of the orchestra, which Mozart employs to reflect dramatic situations and support characterisation and dramatic action.
The combination of different instruments and how their blended sonority contributes to the overall mood.
Topics that use Orchestration
- Area of study 1: Western classical tradition 1650–1910 (compulsory) - Strand B: The operas of Mozart (AQA A-Level)
- Area of study 3: Music for media - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
- Area of study 4: Music for theatre - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Chord extensions
- Dramatic function
- half-diminished 7th
- Harmonic language
- Musical structure and form
- Narrative cohesion
- Orchestration and timbre
- Sonority
Using Orchestration in the exam
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