Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1885-04-15
A NOTABLE ORCHESTRA.
The Remarkable Organization Which Hans
Won Bulow Effected mt Meiningen.

Hans Won BulOW is reported 10 nave
resigned his appointment at kappel-
meister to that eminent patron of the
arts, the duke of Sake .Meiningen, in
order to resume his piano concerts.
He does not leave Meiningen, however,
without having accomplished an ex-
traordinary work. Says Edouard
Hanslick, the famous Vienna critic;
Through Bulow the Meiningen or.
chestra has become a prominent fact,
analogous to the Meiningen theater
which, without any great stars, has
created such an extraordinary sensa-
tion everywhere by its wonderful en-
semble. In its precision down to the
smallest detail, the Meiningen orches-
ira is unsurpassed, we might say une-
qualed, by any orchestra in the world.
The Meiningers will not find many
imitatOrs of the way in which they
play the accomplishments to Brahms
ID minor concerto-more like a great
symphony than an accompaniment
without conductor, while Bulow
plays the piano part. A still more as
founding performance is that of the
terrible fugue from Beethoven's quar-
tet, Op. 1873, faultlessly played by all
which puts the best quartet players on
their mettle. This is virtuoso piece,
no doubt, and very enjoyable one,
too, but band that can play it fault
lessiy may challenge the most power
ful opponents.
Where the Meiningers are not able
to compete with our Philharmonic
band is in beauty and fullness of tone,
in the glowing warmth and tempera-
ment of execution, and in the brilliant
effect which numbers give. But we
must not forget that Bulow's orches-
ira counts only forty-eight members
whilst our Philharmonic has from
eighty to ninety. Then again
the quality of the instruments may
account for the fact that the Meiningers
are wanting in that intense brilliancy
and warm cOloring which distinguish
our Philharmonic orchestra. Bulow' s
fiddlers are frst-rate musicians, but
they have got the tremendous 60 OF
the Viennese; the double-basses and
trombones are capital, the oboes often
harsh and shrill, the clarionets and
horns good, though not equal to the
Viennese masters of these instruments.
A good Judge will appreciate all the
more the effects which Bulow manages
to make (by reserve and concentra-
,tion) with his comparatively small
orchestra in passages such as the
finale of the G minor symphony and
the "Freischuetz" overture.
Bulow, with his spirit of discovery
and experiment, has also introduced
effective innovations into his orches
ira never thought of by other conduc
tors. For instance, the tive-stringe(
double-basses which give the low G
while the usual four-striDged one
only 90 down to +; then the so-callet
RITTER tenor violas," which, being o
the stronger build than the usual VIC
las, surpass these in fullness of ton
and SO lessen the too great cOntras
between this class of fiddles and vic
loncellos; finally, the chromatic drums
which can be tuned by a pedal Will
PLAYING. Another much-discussed in
novation of Bulow's, which seems t
us of doubtful good, is that his ban
plays standing. This is in fact goin
back to an older custom, which ma
be ascribed to the small space 8
former amateur concerts, or TO the ct
quette of courts. The sitting postur
of the players ut orchestral concert
was probably first introduced in Vier
ma; at least, in 1884, Dittersdol
(bandmaster to the bishop of Gross
wardien) in his autobiography write
81 had long benches and desks mad
and introduced the Viennese metho
of playing sitting, and arranged tn
orchestra in such manner that ever
player faced the audience.-Phttdde
phtd Times.