The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-11
ORCHESTRAL CURIOsITIEs.
How Musicians Initiate Men, Birds
and AnimaIs.

From the Hartford Times.
The orchestra attached to a theater
which is in the habit of playing realistic
drama. thus introducing upon its boards
steam engines. ships, race horses and sim
liar startling novelties, uses some very
queer instruments whereby certain sounds
necessary to the surroundings of the
scene may be successfully produced.
Take for instance the roaring of a lion.
None of the ordinary brass Instruments
will give this effect nor will the low notes
of the double bass. To produce the de-
sired sound Il special instrument must be
used technically known as Zion roarcr."
This is a large trumpet-shaped instrument
usually made Of sneet-iron. Two thin
tongues of tin run down the middle, which
when the instrument is blown, vibrate
and produce an excellent counterfeit of
Mons roar
Instruments which initiate the notes of
birds ara to be found in most orchestras.
A wooden tube, down the middle of which
runs reed joined to tin cup, is used for
initiating the crow of a cock. The note of
a cuckoo is likewise produced by a reed
Instrument while some short time ago
an ingenious piece of mechanism was
brought out wherein the notes of lark,
linnet and all the tinches of the grove
could be initiated to the life.
To produce the effect of a horse gal
Looping along a road, several contrivances
exist, One way, as simple as it is effective,
is to take cocoanut shells cut In half and
strike them upon some hard surface; but
some orchestras can boast of specially
made instruments for this purpose, These
are wooden blocks cut into the Shape of a
horses hoof to which real horse shoes
are attached, and this somewhat queer in
strument is played by striking the shoes
upon a piece of marble or stone.
Very similar to the above are the hollow
wooden mallets used to initiate a clog
dance, American orchestras showing a
great Partially to these together with
sand boards, whereby jig dancing is
likewise counterfeited.
One would have thought that the bag
pipe, with all its horrors of discordance,
might have escaped imitation. Yet such
imitation, we are informed, can be pro-
duced by means of a brass horn, with
gradually narrowing bore, the instrument
being furnished with finger holes, and
played after the manner of a flageolet.
One of the most ingenious and success
full contrivances for initiating the sound
of a putting engine, an effect which in the
provinces invariably brings down the
house, is as follows:
The player holds in each hand an imple-
ment somewhat like brick, composed of
steel wires, and in order 70 produce the
puh-puff of a locomotive, strikes a semi
cylinder of sheet-iron with each alternate
ly. When the train first starts the opera
tor strikes slowly, and gradually increases
the pace until, when the engine is supposed
to have got up steam, he strikes the cy-
Under as quickly as he can.
The noise made by the screw of a steam
boat, as we'll as the putting of a locomotive
has also been successfully produced by the
aid of a special instrument. In appearance
this is something like large drum with
this difference, that its two ends are of
wood, the rest being of parchment, hold
ing several quarts of dried peas. This is
fitted to an axis upon which it revolves.
From the wooden ends project long pegs.
and as the drum revolves, the peas strike
against the parchment, thus giving a fair
imitation of the sound made by the screw
of a steamboat.
As rule 1t is the gentleman in charge
of the drum cymbals and triangle to whose
lot falls to operate upon the above and
similar orchestral curiosities It is true
that it does not require vast knowledge
of music to play the horse gallOper, the
puff-puff, or the lion roarer, yet we are
informed that il is necessary TO practice
even upon these instruments before any
thing approaching efficiency can be OBJ
tanned. Nor is knowledge Of the instru-
ment alone sufficient for as a member Of
an orchestra once said, one hasn't only
got to know how TO play them, but when
Queen Victoria is a great stickler for
detail. At Osborne, Balmoral and Wind
sor everything moves like elockwork, and
although frequent difficulties arise so
well aware Is every one THAI her majestv
brooks no eAcusFi ihat me greatest efforts