Wiener Klangstil

Viennese Sound Style is a relatively new umbrella term for properties that make the special sound of the Vienna orchestra. The term refers to the specific type of interpretation of works of orchestral and chamber music literature by Wiener ( and to some extent Austria ) Orchestra, the respect is very different stylistic execution and sonic preferences of international practice.

Formation

The Viennese musicians did not all instrument technical innovations in the second half of the 19th century, aimed at the larger volume and a tone lighter playability. The term " Viennese Sound Style " is being used for the first time in 1966 in a letter from the then-President of the Academy of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Hans Sittner, to the Ministry, where he applied for the re-establishment of a scientific institute for Viennese Sound Style. In 1973 the publication of a three-volume handwritten, drawn work The Vienna Wind style by Hadamovsky the first time in the specifics of the Viennese musical tradition were determined and defined in writing at the time of predominantly subjective point of view.

1980 was followed by studies on a scientific basis to the structural, acoustic and play technical features of the Viennese oboe, horn of the Vienna and the Viennese timpani. Numerous national and especially international publications enshrined the term Viennese sound style at home and abroad. Finally, in 2006, the term ' Viennese Sound Style ' is defined for the description of the characteristics of the Vienna Musizierstils by Gregor Widholm in the Austrian music encyclopedia vol 5.

Viennese orchestra instruments

Overall it can be said that the Viennese Sound Style a wide range of timbres prefers a basically homogeneous sound and it takes a less comfortable way of playing in purchasing. That today's style of play yet exactly corresponds to the authentic sound of the Viennese classical, but can not be said because of the numerous changes in the meantime, absolutely.

Characteristics in brass

Economical and targeted use of vibrato as a means of expression and not generally as a stylistic device. Preference for instruments that enable a strong tone change, depending on the dynamics played. For oboe, French horn, trombone and tuba because of the narrower scale or at the woodwinds due to a lighter reed generally a lighter ( teiltonreichere ) timbre. For clarinet and trumpet however, compared to the usual international instruments significantly darker ( teiltonärmere ) coloration is characteristic.

Features in the percussion

With cymbals and drums are exclusively (and only in Vienna) used goat skins. By these skins more pronounced radial oscillation modes of the proportion of the tonal components in the sound of the Vienna timpani is much higher. In addition, adapted to the properties of the coat selection of the material of the mallet head and the Beaters attitude detectable.

Characteristics in strings

There are no differences for instruments of other international orchestras, the characteristics of the " Viennese strings sound " based exclusively on the human component. Most string instruments are of the Classical era to the present day throughout Strings detectable schools where the teachers themselves were concertmaster of the great Viennese orchestras and passed continuously by the master-pupil principle, the musical tradition. Irrespective of the application of principles of chamber music in orchestral playing and the influence of Czech, Slovak and Russian strings schools is an essential characteristic of the Vienna String sound.

General features

Stylistically, the roots of the Vienna sound style in the interpretation rules of the Vienna classical, interspersed with influences of German Romanticism. As for the tone, then the preference is clearly for instruments that allow the musicians a targeted design of timbre depending on the musical context. Just as the man himself but the stylistic and tonal characteristics of an orchestra is also subject to continuous change. The example of the use of vibrato in the strings of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during the 20th century, this permanent process of evolution can be traced. The Vienna Sound style is therefore something to quite -altering. However, remains unchanged is the adherence to the tonal and stylistic principles. This adherence to sound principles is the reason for the special, used only in Vienna instruments with the instruments.

During the second half of the 19th century, all orchestral instruments to a modification in the direction of greater volume ( sound power ) were subjected to. In the wood and brass instruments in addition was due to the increased technical requirements at all a redesign. With trumpets sat the final valve version, the horn, the double horn (invented by Eduard Kruspe before 1900) by.

It is striking that the Viennese orchestra all the instruments in which the more comfortable playability in the course of new construction at the expense of sonic differentiability, refused and refuse even today. This is clearly evident in the woodwinds. While the world by Theobald Boehm in the second half of the 19th century, newly designed instruments that are in use, is the modern " Viennese oboe " nothing more than a modified instrument of the Dresden instrument maker Carl Golde (deceased 1873). For clarinet and bassoon slightly modified German instruments are used only in the case of the flute it was decided after much hesitation until the 1930's gradually to switch over to the Bohm model used throughout the world. Reason for this could be that - as recent studies have shown - that produced with the flute timbre, quite similar to the situation at the stringed instruments, not so much from the instrument, but also largely depends on the player or the player.

In the French horn, the Vienna orchestra waive the easier playability and higher security of the double horn to the advantage of the tonal variety not too loose. The Vienna horn essentially corresponds to the natural horn of the Viennese Classic with added pump valves of the instrument maker Leopold Uhlmann ( 1806-1878 ). When the trumpets in contrast to the valve piston valve instruments used worldwide, the old German model is used with rotary valves, the Vienna tuba in F is an independent type of instrument. Only in the trombones, the Vienna orchestra follow the mainstream, although here a sonic preference is recognizable by the choice of closer duels.

In the stringed instruments had made ​​in the 19th century changes (larger bass bar, steeper angle of the fingerboard and higher bridge) so no major impact on the sonic behavior of instruments like the wind instruments. This was probably also the reason for the acceptance of the new instruments by the Viennese orchestra. In addition, in the end from that produced with string instruments timbre depends less on the instrument, but rather on the technique used, and thus from the people themselves.

The first scientific and statistically sufficiently secured by the participation of over a thousand people worldwide test evidence for the existence of a hitherto only alleged Viennese sound style was launched in 2002 by M. Bertsch. Using commercially available CD recordings of the Vienna, Berlin and New York Philharmonic was with the help of about 1,200 people, including lay people, amateur musicians, professional orchestral musician, soloist, sound engineers and students from universities of music, as well as top international conductors, some of the used recordings themselves initiated, such as Zubin Mehta and Seiji Ozawa, the visibility of the Vienna Philharmonic examined in a blind test. The results showed that the audibility mainly on the individual listening experience and familiarity of the listener with the tonal particular, and the rhythmic interpretation.