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Musical Timbre

TIMBRE (pronounced "tam-bor") is the quality of musical tone. Timbre is a way to describe the sonic and acoustical idiosyncrasies of musical instruments. Each individual instrument has its own unique timbre, or quality of tone. Different types of instruments (i.e. flute, violin, drum and so on) have their own "type timbre" and each instrument of any type also has its own "individual timbre". When you hear a violin, you know what it is even without seeing it because of its timbre. It is because of timbre that you know the difference between a violin and a pipe organ simply by their sound. Timbre in a musical instrument results from a complex interconnection of physical and acoustical properties. A Stradivarius violin, an instrument made in the 18th century, is highly valued as a very special and beautiful musical instrument. The reason is timbre. Musical timbre also applies to groups of instruments when they play together in an ensemble, band, or orchestra. The timbre of a marching band is very different from that of a symphony orchestra, or a rock band. Timbre also applies to performance. A piano will make a musical tone when you press a key. While the instrument itself has a timbre, it is influenced by the way the keys are pressed. Someone banging out a piece on a piano produces a very different timbre than a concert pianist carefully articulating the same piece on the very same instrument! The timbre of a group of instruments and the timbre of their performance helps set a particular mood. When you hear a marching band, your mood is quite different from the mood you have when you hear a solo piano, or a rock band. Timbre has a tremendous influence on the psycho acoustic appreciation of a musical performance. And this quality of tone applies to electronic musical instruments as well. But in this case, there are many timbres that come into play, often resulting in a totally new sound because a synthesizer can combine the sounds of many instruments and even make completely new ones that never existed before! An Application of Timbre As a musicologist and instrument builder, neoclassical composer Tim Thompson is trained to recognize timbre and this accounts in part for the unique sound of the Forestdale music album. He hears music everywhere and, following in the Romantic tradition- which drew its inspiration from natural themes, he has come to believe that "Music is mood." When Tim composes, arranges and performs on his electronic instrument in his studio, he is going for a final mood in his audience. "On the most obvious level, you see people listening to music in order to get themselves into a mood-- sounds influence us as much as visuals do." Intrigued with this idea, Tim began exploring the ambience of music through timbre: how it influences both our inner and outer worlds. He decided to compose some music along these lines, writing in the style of the Symphonic or Tone Poem-- first championed by the 19th century romantic composer, Franz Liszt. "The tone poem is all about interpreting reality through music" says Tim. "Each composition is a complete story in itself and has the quality-- as Liszt put it-- of ‘conveying the impressions and adventures of the soul.’ Tone Poems were extremely popular in the late 19th Century and are a fully developed style, a staple of the concert orchestra. "Some of my Tone Poems are Symphonic -- like those of Liszt, but others use the more classic solo-tutti arrangement of the Classic, Baroque, and Renaissance periods, making them mini-concertos." The result of this is a set of musical selections with unique timbres designed to evoke specific moods in the audience-- The Forestdale music album. Tim even went so far as to test his musical theory and development with a real audience. "I took a recording of my early tone poems to a local restaurant one night and asked them to play it during dinner. This was a place that normally plays pop music. The manager obliged and when my music came on, the place seemed to change completely. This popular neighborhood restaurant suddenly seemed more upscale and sophisticated. People talked more quietly, their body language was more fluid, their expressions more receptive. The clinking of wineglasses complemented the music instead of getting lost in the din. Even the waitresses came over to whisper that something was somehow different." That is the power of musical timbre.

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