Desk

As Printed on a Score

Printed over string parts with a number (2 desks, 4 desks, first desks) to set how many stands play; it holds until all or tutti. A desk is two players, so 4 desks means eight.

Also spelled: desks

How Composers Use It

Desk counts set the size of a string sound precisely: two desks give a transparent line, half the section a lighter tutti. Use them for colour and balance, not only for quiet passages. Always mark the return of the full section, and remember that section sizes vary between orchestras, so the same count may be a different share of the section.

Example

Holst, The Planets, “Venus, the Bringer of Peace”, violins I and II, m. 93: “4 desks”, with con sord. in the same or the next bar and mp a bar later.

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