Symphony No. 15 (Shostakovich) - Instrumentation

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for the following instrumentation.

Percussion aside, the score is remarkably restrained in its use of instrumental forces. Shostakovich's Fourth symphony requires six flutes, six clarinets, eight horns, two tubas, six timpani and as many as fourteen double basses as part of its orchestra; his Seventh six trumpets and six trombones. Yet here, the composer is content with far more economical means: his woodwind and brass sections are of early Romantic proportions (and indeed very similar to the orchestra for his Ninth Symphony), and he does not call for the E-flat clarinet, the Bass Clarinet, the contrabassoon, the harp or the piano, which so many of his large-scale works use.

Though written for a large orchestra, the symphony is sparingly scored, almost like a melée of various chamber music groupings, both typical (such as the use of the brass, woodwind or string sections as units) and atypical (such as the passage for vibraphone, cello harmonics, and solo double bass). The large battery of percussion is used to add flavour to these instrumental colorings.

Shostakovich utilizes several modern techniques for the percussionist, such as striking the rim of the snare drum in addition to the drum head, and triple-malleting for the glockenspiel. He has the snare drummer play several instruments at once: wood block, castanets and snare drum. This technique of scoring for multiple percussion instruments for one performer is now considered a standard method of writing in modern orchestral, solo, and ensemble literature.