《青少年管弦乐指南》是英国当代著名作曲家本杰明·布里顿（B•Britten，1913—1976）于1945年为英国音乐教育片《管弦乐队中的乐器》所作的管弦乐曲,乐曲的意图在于将优雅的普赛尔主题同十三个变奏成熟得衔合起来,向青少年介绍管弦乐队的乐器及其组合.
—普塞尔主题变奏曲与赋格
这首变奏与赋格曲原是布里顿受英国教育部委托为科教纪录影片《管弦乐队的乐器》而谱写的音乐。该影片放映后，受到普遍欢迎，它不仅使广大青少年得益匪浅，甚至对具有较多音乐知识的听众来说也不啻为一种美好的享受。变奏主题是一段活泼、轻快的舞曲曲调，选自十七世纪著名音乐家普塞尔的戏剧音乐《摩尔人的复仇》。
音乐开始前先是由指挥讲解的一段解说词。 然后，乐队按照（A）整个乐队、（B）木管乐器、（C）铜管乐器、（D）弦乐器、（E）打击乐器、（F）整个乐队的次序呈示主题。
在主题由各组乐器反复陈述之后，接着就是主题的十三段变奏，每段变奏前各配有一段解说词，逐一介绍演奏各段变奏的乐器：
第一变奏 解说词：“现在让我们听一听每一种乐器演奏各自的一段变奏。 木管乐器组音区的最高声部是声音明亮而甜美的长笛，还有它那尖声尖气的小兄弟——短笛。”
第二变奏 解说词：“双簧管的音质温和而忧郁，但在作曲家需要时，它也能表现得足够有力。”
第三变奏 解说词：“单簧管非常灵活。它的声音美丽、平顺而圆润。”
第四变奏 解说词：“大管在木管乐器组中体积最大，声音也最低沉。”
第五变奏 解说词：“弦乐器家族中的最高声部是小提琴。它们分成第一第二两组演奏。”
第六变奏 解说词：“中提琴比小提琴稍大，音响也较低。”
第七变奏 解说词：“大提琴以丰满而热情的音色歌唱，请听这优美的歌声! ”
第八变奏 解说词：“倍低音提琴是弦乐器家族中的老祖父，它声音沉重，嘟嘟嚷嚷的。”
第九变奏 解说词：“竖琴有四十七根弦,还有七个踏瓣,用以变换弦的音高。”
第十变奏 解说词：“铜管乐器家族从法国号（即圆号）开始。 这些乐器是用铜管盘成圆形制成的。”
第十一变奏 解说词：“我希望你们都熟悉小号的声音。”
第十二变奏 解说词：“长号的声音沉重、洪亮。大号更加沉重。”
第十三变奏 解说词：“打击乐器种类繁多， 我们不可能一一介绍，这里只介绍一些最常用的打击乐器。首先是定音鼓，大鼓和钹，铃鼓和三角铁，小鼓和木鱼，木琴，响板和锣，在这些乐器一一演奏之前，先听一听响鞭。”
令人意想不到的是，作者为打击乐器写了一段富于想象力的华彩乐段，( “鞭子”——噼啦！用得非常生动) 由三个定音鼓提供旋律基础，其他各打击乐器则按解说词中的次序，以各自的变化形式加入这一舞曲的行列。在作为全曲结束的音乐中，布里顿魔术般地将前面介绍过的各种乐器构筑成一首绚丽多彩的赋格曲。随着各种乐器的加入，气氛也愈发热烈。最后，全曲以铜管乐器雄壮辉煌地重现放宽了节奏的变奏主题——“普塞尔主题”作为结束。----------------------------------
BRITTEN
THE YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA, Op. 34
(Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell)
Britten uses a unique style of Theme and Variation in "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra." The full orchestra begins by playing the theme at the unison. Britten then gives each section a chance to be in the spotlight by allowing them to play the theme by themselves. The following list provides the order that the different sections of the orchestra play the themes, and what the narrated says before they are to come in.
A-Theme (Full Orchestra)
B-Woodwinds "The Woodwind are superior varieties of the penny-wistl. They are made of wood."
C-Brass "The first BRASS instruments were trumpets and hunting-horns. These are their modern descendants."
D-Strings "The STRINGS, large and small, are scraped with a bow or plucked with the fingers. Their cousin the Harp is always plucked."
E-Percussion "The PERCUSSION group includes drums, gongs, tambourines and anything else you hit. When you have heard them, the whole orchestra will play the melody again."
F-Theme-The full orchestra plays the unison theme once more before the piece goes into the variation section.
After each section gets to play the theme the piece then moves into the variations. The following list contains the narration which is read before each section is to come in.
A-"Now let us hear each instrument play a variation of its own. The highest of the Woodwind team is the clear, sweet voice of the FLUTE, with its shrill little brother, the PICCOLO."
B-"Oboes have a gentle plaitive quality, but they can be forcful enough when the composer wants them to.
C-"CLARINETS are very agile. They make a beautifully smooth, mellow sound.
D-"BASSOONS are the largest of the Woodwind team, so they have the deepest voices."
E-"The highest voices in the String family are the VIOLINS. They play in two groups-Firsts and Seconds."
F-"VIOLAS are a bit larger than Violins, and so are deeper in tone."
G-"CELLOS sing with splendid richness and warmth. Listen to this fine sound!"
H-"The DOUBLEBASSES are the grandfathers of the String Family, with heavy, grumbling voices."
I-"The HARP has forty-seven strings, and seven foot-pedals to alter the pitch of its strings."
J-"The BRASS family begins ith the HORNS. These are made from brass tubing coiled into a circle."
K-"I expect you all know the sound of TRUMPETS."
L-"The TROMBONES have heavy brassy voices. The BASS TUBA is heavier still."
M-"there is an enormous number of PERCUSSION instruments. We can't play them all, but here are the most familiar ones. First the KETTLE DRUMS-often called TIMPANI."
FUGUE-"We have taken the whole Orchestra to pieces. Now let us put it together in a Fugue. The instruments come in one after another, in the same order as before-beginning with the Piccolo. At the end, the Brass will play Henry Purcell's fine melody, while the others go on playing Benjamin Britten's Fugue."
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试听 (no listening instruction in it)
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推荐以下作品作为了解西洋乐器音色的起步：
普罗科菲耶夫 － 彼德与狼
圣桑 － 动物狂欢节
穆索尔斯基 － 图画展览会
格里格 － 培尔。金特 第一，第二组曲
