This thorough treatise on the elements, character, and function of orchestral sound defines how each section of the orchestra functions both alone and in concert with others. His commentary is supported throughout by generous examples from the standard concert literature: a Berlioz example of the string section imitating a guitar; the division of wind passages between different instruments in a Brahms symphony; examples by Wagner and Rossini of one group pitted against the other; the effect of contrasting color in music by Haydn and Tchaikovsky; examples from Beethoven's Violin Concerto, showing how the orchestra serves as an accompaniment to the solo instrument, and much more.