Orchestration

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: An excellent and authoritative text. There have been some changes in the capabilities of the instruments that are not reflected in the text, and of course it is missing all of the more modern and electronic instruments (this has the same unabridged text as the 1935 edition), but it's still very useful and well-written.

One (small) lack: after reading the section on the harp, I still greatly prefer the standard on that subject, "Harp Scoring" by Stanley Chaloupka, for discussion of composing or orchestrating for the harp.

I feel this book should be in the library of anyone serious about orchestration or composing for an orchestra.

Rating:
Summary: eminently usable
Review: Despite the vast amount of knowledge displayed by the author, Forsyth's work has fallen to the thought process of the now approatching 21st century student of music. This work, however creditable in it's day, simply is far too outdated for the post modern academia.(First publication:1914!) I would recommend this book for the general research of musical practice in the early part of the 20th century. However it would be of no use for the progress of the comming music of future composers.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Read
Review: I am an amateur orchestrationist and I loved this book. The history of the instruments gave me a greater understanding of each group and their strengths and weaknesses. I hope everyone who has an interest in instrumentation would read and study this book.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I've got a small shelf of orchestration books and this is easily the best of the lot. While it doesn't talk as much about combinations of instruments as Rimsky-Korsakoff's book, it provides detailed and practical information on each of the instruments it covers. Yes, it's old and the state of the art has advanced on some instruments, but that has little impact on just how wonderful this book is.

I'd suggest also picking up Essential Dictionary of Orchestration (The Essential Dictionary Series) by Dave Black and Tom Gerou to fill in some of the gaps on contemporary orchestration.

Rating:
Summary: Orchestration by Forsythe
Review: In Los Angeles, among the top composers (Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith to list 2) on the A list, this is THE book. Forsythe covers the subject with characteristic dry British wit, but his referencing is impeccable, including covering specialty instruments (like the Serpent, Wagnerian tubas, and many more) that are simply not covered in the other titles. His explanations are indepth, accurate, and still very usable. If you can only afford one book, get this one.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful as it is useful
Review: Like most Dover books, this British text is a reprint of a highly esteemed publication that went out of print for reasons having more to do with capitalism than science. Published between the world wars, it is obviously has no information on the way cool toys of the last few decades, but it is as thorough and practical a treatment as can be found in any language for most of the instruments (other than percussion oddities) in the European musical tradition, and certainly compares favorably with most of the standard textbooks peddled by needy American college professors. In addition, Forsyth can be droll, as for example when he reports that Berlioz observes "ominously" that the best notes on the little known Russian bassoon are said to be D and E-flat.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent text, although from old perspective.
Review: This is an excellent comprehensive text on orchestration. It's age (circa 1935) gives it obvious limitations for contempary application. However, that same limitation makes it an important tool for historical instrumental information that most other books simply do not have. I got lots of information from the perspective of a turn of the century arranger that I found very interesting. Of course, if all you are interested in is modern instruments and their applications, you may not find this book as interesting as I did.