Musicon / Musical education / The wood-winds choir
-The wood-winds choir
Since the instruments of the wood-wind choir are frequently used in solos, their acquaintance can easily be made by an observing amateur.
To this division of the orchestra belong the gentle accents in the instrumental language. Violent expression is not its province, and generally when the band is discoursing in heroic style or giving voice to brave or angry emotion the wood-winds are either silent or are used to give weight to the body of tone rather than color.
Each of the instruments has a strongly characteristic voice, which adapts itself best to a certain style of music; but by use of different registers and by combinations among them, or with the instruments of the other choirs, a wide range of expression within the limits suggested has been won for the wood-winds.
From: H. Krehbiel’s, How to Listen to Music; excerpts, edited by Musicon