The Timbre and Orchestration Resource (TOR) is an open-access web platform featuring articles, essays, videos, teaching and learning materials, and other resources dedicated to research and pedagogy in timbre and orchestration.
In this section of the site, you can find written and video publications created by members of the ACTOR (Analysis, Creation, and Teaching of Orchestration) Project as well as bibliographies on various topics related to timbre and orchestration. Click on the menu items below to learn more.
Timbre is often described as a sound’s “colour.” More specifically, it is defined as a set of auditory attributes that both carry musical qualities and collectively contribute to sound source recognition and identification. Click on the menu items below to learn more.
Orchestration involves the skillful selection, combination, and juxtaposition of instruments at different pitches and dynamics to achieve a particular sonic goal. Click on the menu items below to learn more.
Current timbre research has focused overwhelmingly on what George Lewis (1996) describes as Eurological traditions; musical traditions that are based in European-derived beliefs, behaviors, and logics.
