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Clefs and Orchestral Score Reading

In addition to the treble and bass clefs, orchestral scores employ the use oftwo other clefs: alto and tenor clef.

Alto clef is a C-clef that places middle C on the third line of the musicalstaff. In orchestral scores, alto clef is used to notate viola parts andoccasionally some high trombone parts. Alto clef is also used occasionally

to notate the music for choral and solo contralto vocal lines inchoral/orchestral and operatic works, most notably in the works of JohannSebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Tenor clef is a C-clef that places middle C on the fourth line of the musicalstaff. Tenor clef is used in many orchestral scores for cello, bassoon andtrombone parts that have a high tessitura. Except when the music for theseparts is in the upper range, these three instruments are ordinarily written inbass clef. Tenor clef is also used to notate the music for the choral and solo

tenor vocal lines in some choral/orchestral and operatic works.

In addition to alto and tenor clef, there are three other clefs that havelimited degrees of application in orchestral score reading: soprano clef,mezzo soprano clef and baritone clef.

Soprano clef is a C-clef that places middle C on the first line of the musicalstaff. In orchestral scores, soprano clef is most notably used for the choral

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and solo soprano vocal lines in some early European editions of thechoral/orchestral works of J. S. Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Mezzo soprano clef is a C-clef that places middle C on the second line ofthe musical staff. The baritone clef is an F-clef that places the F belowmiddle C on the third line of the musical staff.

The mezzo soprano and baritone clefs are not used to notate music for anymodern instrument or voice. Instead, they are primarily used as part of thesystem of transposition with clefs that is taught in many musicconservatories and employed by many orchestral musicians, includingconductors. For more information about transposing by clef, select the linkbelow.

Transposition By Clef

Conclusion:

Fluency in reading music in alto and tenor clefs is absolutely necessary inorchestral score reading. Fluency in reading music in mezzo soprano andbaritone clefs is optional for orchestral score reading, as part of an overallsystem of transposing music at sight.

Additional Resources:

Practical Manual for the Study of the G, F and C clefsBy Georges DANDELOThttp://home.comcast.net/~flute0001/Reading_Music/preface.html

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=2GoQAAAAYAAJ&dq=clef+reading+transposition&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=gbVp-29Eqk&sig=uFuuU7GGDgCrXsvEZLifC14VPeA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=resulthttp://home.comcast.net/~flute0001/Reading_Music/preface.htmlhttp://home.comcast.net/~flute0001/Reading_Music/preface.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=2GoQAAAAYAAJ&dq=clef+reading+transposition&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=gbVp-29Eqk&sig=uFuuU7GGDgCrXsvEZLifC14VPeA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result