Toy Symphony - Haydn: toy instruments
Frank Speight
Our brass quintet is doing the Toy Symphony and need to procure or make
some bird sound and other noise makers. Does anyone know how to make
these instruments or a source of supply at a low (cheap) price? The
instruments in question are: toy trumpet and toy drum; cookoo (slide
whistle); triangle and goose call; bird call; and rachet and duck call.
our group (the Celebration Brass) does a lot of free performing in the
local elementary and middle schools and we like to amuse the kids as
well as expose them to some good music. Would appreciate any help.
Thanks, Frank Speight, Sebring Florida fr...@ct.net
Shannon Schumann
Frank Speight (fr...@ct.net) wrote:
: Our brass quintet is doing the Toy Symphony and need to procure or make
I've played this with two orchestras. One time, we bought the set of
toys from a music store somewhere, as a set, but I'm afraid I don't
know any details about this. The bird calls were real hunting bird
calls, made by a company called Acme (The same company in the
roadrunner cartoons?)
The second time, we used a variety of sources. The Cuckoo's line is a
typical "cuckoo" sound, in minor thirds,
so we used an alto recorder. For the quail, we used an oboe reed,
We got a toy drum and trumpet from a toy store. The triangle was a regular
orchestra triangle, and I believe that the ratchet came from the
percussion department, too, but you could use one of those things that
people use for New Year's parties, that they spin around a handle. I do
not remember a part for a goose; perhaps you are thinking of the quail?
For the bird, we used a real birdcall (nightingale), again made by the
Acme company.
You might try a sporting goods store for the birdcalls. If this doesn't
work, there is a store in Kingston, NY called "Anyone can Whistle"
which does mailorders (and has a great catalog--wonderful place to
get Christmas gifts!), and I have seen Acme bird calls there. You
will have to get the phone number from directory assistance, but I
believe that they have an 800 number. They are on Wall Street in
Kingston.
This is a simple and fun piece, and even though we made a big
deal of putting the
"soloists" in a prominent place in the front of the stage, so the
audience was expecting funny sounds, they still laughed *loudly,*
especially at the quail and the nightingale. I think that you
will enjoy performing this piece.
Regards,
Shannon Schumann
schu...@ms.uky.edu
minhquan@labyrinth.net.au Q.
schu...@t5.ms.uky.edu (Shannon Schumann) wrote:
>
> Frank Speight (fr...@ct.net) wrote:
> : Our brass quintet is doing the Toy Symphony and need to procure or make
> : some bird sound and other noise makers. Does anyone know how to make
> : these instruments or a source of supply at a low (cheap) price? The
> : instruments in question are: toy trumpet and toy drum; cookoo (slide
> : whistle); triangle and goose call; bird call; and rachet and duck call.
> : our group (the Celebration Brass) does a lot of free performing in the
> : local elementary and middle schools and we like to amuse the kids as
> : well as expose them to some good music. Would appreciate any help.
> : Thanks, Frank Speight, Sebring Florida fr...@ct.net
Acme makes the cuckoo, which technically is not a slide whistle, but a small,
stubby, black thing with one finger hole. The ratchet and nightingale should be
available at most toy shops or novelty music shops. The drum and triangle should
be reasonably easy to try - with those, and with the ratchet, you could probably
borrow them from any primary school music department. With the trumpet, I wouldn't
worry too much about what it looks like - instead look for one that plays
a good G. I think Acme also makes a quail - which looks like a silver whistle placed
in the opening of a bike horn (black, round, rubber squishy thing).
By the way, I'm an ex-cuckoo myself (in more senses than one, probably!), and the
cuckoo is always greeted with riotous laughter, especially in the second movement,
the others also get a great response, so have fun!
- Q
Paul Brunner
Frank Speight <fr...@ct.net> wrote:
>Our brass quintet is doing the Toy Symphony and need to procure or make
>some bird sound and other noise makers. Does anyone know how to make
>these instruments or a source of supply at a low (cheap) price? The
>instruments in question are: toy trumpet and toy drum; cookoo (slide
>whistle); triangle and goose call; bird call; and rachet and duck call.
>our group (the Celebration Brass) does a lot of free performing in the
>local elementary and middle schools and we like to amuse the kids as
>well as expose them to some good music. Would appreciate any help.
>Thanks, Frank Speight, Sebring Florida fr...@ct.net
You call it the Haydn Toy Symphony, which is old information. It was
discovered, some years ago, that it wasn't Haydn who wrote it, but
Leopold Mozart. I know, I know, I also grew up thinking it was Haydn,
but it was wrong.
minhquan@labyrinth.net.au Q.
lo...@ix.netcom.com (Paul Brunner) wrote:
> You call it the Haydn Toy Symphony, which is old information. It was
> discovered, some years ago, that it wasn't Haydn who wrote it, but
> Leopold Mozart. I know, I know, I also grew up thinking it was Haydn,
> but it was wrong.
That's funny. I always thought that the evidence was inconclusive, and that
whether it was written by L. Mozart or Haydn is pure conjecture.
- Q