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• instrumental combinations: for classical searches try solo, instrumental, duo (with keyboard instrument), duet, trio, quartet, etc; to search for specific instruments click instrumentation help for the abbreviations we use. So eg for piano trios search for pf vn vc trio or wind quintets quintet hn fl ob cl bsn

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Instrumentation Help

Individual Instruments

The standard orchestral instruments are represented thus (with standard doubling instruments included in the same line):

• Fl flute Picc piccolo A-Fl alto flute B-Fl bass flute
• Ob oboe C-A cor anglais Ob-d'am oboe d'amore
• Cl clarinet B-Cl bass clarinet
• Bsn bassoon C-Bsn contra bassoon
• Hn french horn
• Tpt trumpet
• Trb trombone B-Trb bass trombone
• Tu tuba
• Hp (concert) harp
• Pf piano
• Hpd harpsichord
• Org organ
• Tp timpani
• Perc unspecified percussion (normally only used in the scoring of orchestral works)
• Str strings
• Vn violin
• Va viola
• Vc cello
• Db double bass

Other instruments include

• Gu guitar E-Gu electric guitar B-Gu bass guitar
• Lu lute
• Mand mandolin
• Acc accordion
• Sax saxophone  S-Sax soprano sax, A-Sax alto sax etc
• Rc recorder  D-Rc descant recorder, Tr-Rc treble recorder etc
• Euph euphonium
• Bgp bagpipes L-Bgp lowland pipes 
• Cel celeste
• Glock glockenspiel
• Xyl xylophone
• Mar marimba
• Vib vibraphone
• Cim cimbalon
• BD bass drum
• D/k drum kit
• Keyb unspecified keyboard E-Keyb electronic keyboard
• Synth synthesiser
• Tape (used for any pre-recorded element whether on tape or other media)
• Clars clarsach
• Cont continuo
• Conc concertino

In other cases the name of the instrument is written out in full.

When using these abbreviations it is to be assumed that only one of each instrument is required.  If more than one, precede with the number required, thus a string quartet would be 2 Vn Va Vc, a piece for 20 violas (and we have one) would be 20 Va.

Alternative instruments are indicated thus:

• Fl (or Vn): to be played on the flute or violin

Works that require more than one pianist will distinguish between

• 2 Pf (two pianos)
• Pf (4 hands) two players at a single piano

Vocal and Choral Works

The main voices are represented thus:

• S soprano
• A alto / contralto
• T tenor
• B bass
• M-s mezzo soprano
• Bar baritone
• C-t counter tenor
• Tr treble
• Desc descant voice
• U unison voices  (sometimes written out as Children's Choir)
• Spkr speaking voice

Unspecified voices are rendered either simply as Voice, Female Voice, Male Voice, High Voice, Low Voice etc as indicated in the score. 

Solo voices are separated by a space; choral voices are not.  Thus:

• SATB is a choir of soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices
• S A is for a work that requires two solo voices: a soprano and an alto.
• S SATB is for a work that requires a solo soprano and an SATB choir

A few examples:

• S / Fl Vn Vc Hpd (or Cel) is a work that requires a solo soprano, flute, violin, cello and a  harpsichord (or celeste). 

Orchestral Combinations

The scoring of orchestral works is indicated by a commonly-used numerical system based on the two sets of four instrumental groups of wind instruments.

Thus, for example:

• 2222 2200 Tp Str means the work requires 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns and 2 trumpets, plus timpani and strings.
• 3333 4331 Tp Perc Hp Str means the work requires 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones and 1 tuba, pluus timpani, percussion, harp and strings

Doublings etc are indicated by a + sign if an extra player is involved, thus 2+1222 in the woodwind sequence indicates 2 flutes and a third player on piccolo (or other doubline instrument). And brackets if the player is expected to switch during the piece, thus 2(1)222 in the woodwind sequence indicates that one flautist will be required to switch to piccolo (or other doubling instrument) during the piece.

Soloists front the instrumentation followed by a slash

Thus, for example:

• Bgp / 3+22+12+12+1 4331 Tp 2 Perc Pf Hp Str means a work that requires a solo bagpiper, 5 flautists (2 on piccolo etc), 3 oboists (with one on cor anglais), 3 clarinettists (with one on bass-clarinet), 3 bassoonists (with one on contra-bassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, a timpanist, two percussionists (the specific percussion instruments required may be entered in the notes field if known), piano, harp and strings.
• Vn Vc / Str means a work for solo violin, solo cello and strings.

Other combinations

Certain kinds of work afford a certain flexibility of forces, in which case the instrumentation can be indicated simply as Wind Band or Brass Band or Folk Group.

In music written before 1800 representing instrumentation becomes tricky because the score offers several possibilities and it is not easy to represent this economically. Our catalogue becomes pretty inconsistent in these cases.