Orchestral Forces
This page gives an overview of the instruments used by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji in his orchestral works, including those for piano and orchestra. A tabular presentation would have been useful, but cannot be easily accommodated without horizontal scrolling in a web page.
A bullet (•) at the end of a title indicates the presence of a list of instruments in the score. Given the oversights that may have occurred at the time of the composition, it is only after careful editing of the scores that one can be absolutely sure that the instrumentation corresponds exactly to that listed below. The data for Symphony [no. 2], “Jāmī”, for Large Orchestra, Wordless Chorus, and Baritone Solo (1942-51; 826 pp.) take into account information provided by David Carter, but definitive information will have to await the final version of his edition.
The instruments are listed on separate lines in the following order:
- flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon for woodwinds
- horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba for brass instruments
- violins 1, violins 2, viola, cellos, and double basses for strings (numbers are given when specified)
The heading Small score is used unless Sorabji has given it a specific name.
For the larger works, Rapoport, in SCC, 93-192, writes “Woodwinds include piccolo, alto flute, English horn, bass oboe, E♭ clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, contrabass sarrusophone”, which is not accurate.
Concerto [no. 1] pour piano et grand orchestre (1915-16; 177 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 2 + 3, 3 + 1 (with mutes for the oboes), 3 + 1, 3 + 1 + contrabass sarrusophone (with mutes for the bassoons).
Brass: 8, 5, 3, 1.
Soloist and percussion: piano; timpani, tambourine, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam, bass drum, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, 2 harps.
Strings: 16, 16, 12, 10, 10-12.
Small score: none.
Chaleur—Poème (1916-17; 32 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 2 + alto flute, 3 (with mutes), 3, 0.
Brass: 4 (muted), 0, 0, 0.
Percussion: 2 harps, celesta.
Strings: 16 div. in 4, 16 div. in 4, 12 div. in 4, 12 div. in 2 (10-12), 8, 10, or 12 div. in 2 or 4 (some double basses with five strings, as noted in the copyist’s copy).
Small score: none.
Concerto II pour piano et grand orchestre (1916-17; 49 pp.)
Orchestral score untraced (only a two-piano reduction survives).
Concerto pour piano et orchestra da camera [no. 3] (1918; 100 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 2, 2 (with mutes), 2, 1.
Brass: 0, 3, 0, 0.
Soloist and percussion: piano (with sostenuto pedal); [no timpani], tambourine, triangle, cymbals, tenor drum, glockenspiel, celesta, harp.
Strings: 8, 8, 6, 6, 4.
Small score: none.
Concerto pour piano et grand orchestre [no. 4] (1918; 100 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 2 + 3, 3 + 1 + bass oboe, piccolo clarinet + 3 + 1, 3 + 1 + contrabass sarrusophone.
Brass: 8, 5, 4, 1.
Soloist and percussion: piano; timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, castanets, tambourine, snare drum, tam-tam, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, 2 harps.
Strings: numbers not specified.
Small score: none.
Music to “The Rider by Night” (1919; 54 pp.)
Woodwinds: 1 (with B foot), 1, 1, 1.
Brass: 1, 2 cornets, 1, 0.
Percussion: cymbals, gong, snare drum, bass drum, rattle.
Strings: all solo (with three violin parts).
Small score: none.
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra [no. 5] (1920; 144 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 1 + 2 + alto flute, 2 + 1, 2 + 1, 2 + 1.
Brass: 4, 4 (in C), 3, 1.
Soloist and percussion: piano (with sostenuto pedal); timpani (chromatic), tambourine, castanets, triangle, cymbals, tam-tam, bass drum, snare drum, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, harp.
Strings: number not specified; double basses with C string.
Small score: none.
Symphony [no. 1] for Piano, Large Orchestra, Chorus, and Organ (1921-22; 300 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 2 + 3 + alto flute, 3 + 1 + bass oboe, piccolo clarinet + 3 + 1, 3 + 1 + [contrabassoon in score] + contrabass sarrusophone.
Brass: 8, 5 + piccolo trumpet, 4, 1.
Percussion: piano, organ, timpani, triangle, cymbals, tambourine, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, tam-tam, tenor drum, castanets, snare drum, bass drum, bells.
Strings: 16-24, 16-24, 12-16, 12-16, 12-16.
Small score: contrabassoon, choir (SATB, 50-100), organ, bass oboe, bells.
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra [no.] III [no. 6] (1922; 144 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 1 + alto flute, 1 + 1 (with mutes), 1 + 1, 1 + 1 (with mutes).
Brass: 1 (in C), 1, 1, 0.
Soloist and percussion: piano; xylophone, celesta, glockenspiel, harp; [with an indication of the sticks needed beyond the standard ones] tenor drum (with timpani and sponge sticks), snare drum triangle (with snare drum stick), cymbals (with triangle, snare drum, and sponge sticks plus bass drum stick), tambourine, tam-tam (with small steel hammer and triangle and snare drum sticks).
Strings: 8, 8, 6, 4, 4.
Small score: none.
Opusculum for Orchestra (1923; 36 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 1 + 3, 2 + 1, 2 + 1, 2 + 1.
Brass: 4, 3, 3, 1.
Percussion: timpani, glockenspiel, xylophone, organ pedal, triangle, cymbals, tam-tam, tenor drum.
Strings: number not specified.
Small score: none.
Concerto per pianoforte e piccola orchestra, “Simorg-Anka” [no. 7] (1924; 100 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 1, 1, 1, 1.
Brass: 1, 1, 0, 0.
Soloist and percussion: piano; harp; triangle, tam-tam (with standard snare drum and felt-covered sticks), tam-tam (with standard triangle and sponge sticks), cymbals (with snare drum, triangle, and timpani sticks), snare drum, tenor drum, side drum.
Strings: 4, 4, 4, 2, 2.
Small score: none.
Concerto V for Piano and Large Orchestra [no. 8] (1927-28; 344 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 5, 4 + bass oboe, 4 + 1, 2 + 2 + 2 contrabass sarrusophones.
Brass: 7, 4, 4, 4.
Soloist and percussion: piano; harp; glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, 2 harps.
Strings: number not specified.
Small percussion score: 4 timpani, side drum, tenor drum, big drum, 3 gongs, 3 triangles, 3 cymbals, castanets.
Symphony [no. 2], “Jāmī”, for Large Orchestra, Wordless Chorus, and Baritone Solo (1942-51; 826 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 2 piccolos + 4 + alto flute, 4 + 1 + bass oboe, 2 E♭ + 4 [2 piccolo clarinets and pedal clarinet, i.e., contrabass clarinet, do not appear in the score], 4 + 1 [contrabass sarrusophone does not appear in the score].
Brass: 8, 6, 4 [including bass and contrabass trombones], 4 [not 2 tubas as indicated in the list; 4 are required in the fourth movement; bass and contrabass needed in movements 1-3 and tenor, 2 bass, and 1 contrabass in the fifth movement].
Soloist and percussion: baritone; wordless choir (SSAATTBB); 2 harps [not 4 as listed]; set of gongs, xylophone, bass xylophone, keyed glockenspiel, celesta.
Strings: 24, 24, 16, 16, 12.
Percussion score: timpani (one chromatic octave; 4 players), bass drum, side drum, castanets, tambourine, 2 triangles (large and small; 2 players), 2 cymbals (large and small 2 players), piano, organ [plus tenor drum and tam-tam, not mentioned in the list, needed in movement 3].
Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra (1935-37, 1953-56; 540 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 6, 6, 6, 6.
Brass: 8, 5, 4, 2.
Soloist and percussion: piano; 2 harps, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, gongs.
Strings: number not specified.
Percussion score: 4 timpani [in fact probably more; there are two staves with up to four very virtuoso chromatic parts], tambourine, snare drum, grosse caisse, 2 cymbals [violin and viola bows needed; p. 286], 2 triangles, castanets, tenor drum, wood block, metal castanets, tonitruone (i.e., thunder sheet, from p. 395 onwards).
Opus clavisymphonicum—Concerto for Piano and Large Orchestra for Piano and Large Orchestra (1957-59; 333 pp.)
Woodwinds: 6, 4 + 2 bass oboes, 4 + 1, 4 + 1 contrabass sarrusophone [not clear, could be a bassoon].
Brass: 8, 6, 4, 2.
Soloist and percussion: piano; timpani, 2 xylophones, glockenspiel, 2 harps.
Strings: number not specified {referred to as 4/4/4/2/2 in letter from Sorabji to Donald Garvelmann, 2 April 1975}.
Percussion score: timpani (different part from the main score), cymbals, triangle, tenor drum, side drum, tambourine, castanets, wood block, bass drum, tam-tam, gongs.
Messa grande sinfonica (1955-61; 1,001 pp.)
Woodwinds: 6 [p. 990], 8 [p. 986], 4 + 1 bass oboe, 4 + 2, 4 + 2 contrabass sarrusophones.
Brass: 8, 6, 4, 2.
Soloists and percussion: SATB (2 each), SSATB (2 choirs), [no timpani], bells, 2 harps, organ.
Strings: number not specified.
Small score: none.
Opusculum clavisymphonicum vel claviorchestrale (1973-75; 334 pp.)•
Woodwinds: 1, 1, 1, 1.
Brass: none.
Soloist and percussion: piano; [no timpani], glockenspiel, celesta, harp, gong.
Strings: 4, 4, 4, 2, 2 (five-string) {the number of string instruments is not specified in the score but appears in a letter to Donald Garvelmann, 2 April 1975}.
Small score: none.
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© Marc-André Roberge 2024
Faculté de musique, Université Laval, Québec
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