Identification and blend of timbres as a basis for orchestration

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Abstract
We report on a series of experiments directed toward questions concerning the timbres of simultaneous orchestral wind instruments. Following a background exposition on instrumentation and orchestration, we discuss previous experimental research on the properties of multiple timbres. To augment and explicate previous findings, we conducted two experiments: Experiment 1 was directed at subject ratings of the blend of oboe, trumpet, clarinet, alto saxophone, and flute dyads. Experiment 2 required subjects to identify the constituent instruments of a pair. Results demonstrated that increasing blend correlated with decreasing identification, and was related to the distribution of time-variant spectral energy. Oboe dyads, which were rated in other experiments as highly “nasal,” produced the lowest blend values and the highest identification. The findings are discussed in terms of a theoretical model of timbral combination and the possibilities for composition and musicological analysis.

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