# Musical works with the largest variety of different sounds?



## MJongo (Aug 6, 2011)

I'm looking for works of music that use as many different kinds of sounds as possible (or in other words, the biggest variety of timbres). The best example I have right now is Messiaen's Turangalila-symphonie, with a full orchestra, piano, and ondes Martenot(!). Other good ones are Ives' Symphony No. 4, Varese's Ameriques, and Mahler's 8th. They don't have to be modern, though I suspect most of the ones that fit the criteria I'm looking for will be. Does anyone know of any others?


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

How about this (do listen to it all the way through to get all the timbres)


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Try Berlioz's Damnation of Faust! That's an oldy that really runs the gamut of sounds and colors...


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## MJongo (Aug 6, 2011)

So far, it's just what I'm looking for! I'd only head Gerhard's Concerto for Orchestra before, I'll have to listen to more of him.


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## powerbooks (Jun 30, 2012)

How about Olivier Messiaen "Bird song"?


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