My Favorite Instrument

Find and submit ten (10) Web sites related to ONE instrument you’d like to research. You may choose from any of the instruments featured in the course. Examples of valid instruments include (but are not limited to): the oboe, the mezzo-soprano voice, and the guitar.

Your submission must include:

• Two sites for each one of the categories listed below

• A short paragraph presenting your research in each category

The categories are:

• History and/or Manufacturers: Information about well-known makers and the instrument’s history. If you choose the voice as your instrument, concentrate on its history.

• Two Famous Performers for your Instrument: Do not restrict yourself to any particular period or style. For example, if your favorite instrument is guitar, you may choose Eric Clapton and John Williams.

• Two Famous composers for your Instrument: Again, do not restrict yourself to any particular period or style. An example of a relevant web site is the Leonard Bernstein site at the Library of Congress. Did Bernstein write any pieces for your favorite instrument?

• Six Repertoire Pieces for your Instrument and their Composers’ Names: What are the most famous pieces written for your chosen instrument? Submit a list of six famous pieces written for the instrument, and two (2) sites that were sources for the information. Here’s a site that might help: www.naxos.com.

• Two Famous Symphony Orchestras: Your favorite instrument will likely be part of a traditional symphony orchestra, such as the one you studied in the Orchestral Timbres class.

This should not be confused with a piece of music called a symphony, or a concerto, which is a piece of music for a solo instrument and orchestra. I am looking for the performing group.

Please submit and comment on two (2) symphony orchestra websites.

Even if the instrument you choose is not a regular member of the symphony orchestra, search two symphony orchestra websites and include what you find in your report.

To recap:

For your selected instrument, research two (2) sites in each of the above five categories.  Submit the 10 sites you have come up with, along with a paragraph for each category. In each paragraph, analyze the content of the corresponding web sites along with why you chose those particular sites.