The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-05-08

Professor Edward W. Spell is esteemed
IN this community as a musician and as
q man. He was born in Austria; his an
ces,ors we're noted as musicians abroad,
set early in life he determined TO 50 TO
America. and. carrying out this plan. he
located in Detroit. where he assisted a
brother, Prof. Rudolph Spell, in the man
agement OF two theatre orchestras, and
soon become prominent as conductor.
His reputation reached this city, and the
cndeayor to bring him was made and
proved successful He arrived here
about eleven years ago. since which time
he has always beer considered the gen
Hest and most modest OF men. free In his
generous appreciation OF new band
playing" aspirants, and frank and large
hearted as TO his peers. sustaining the
true dignity NJ hIl vocation without one
grain OF self-assertlon, He has for the
past eleven years led those associated
with him In the make up OF the Mheeilhs
Opera House orchestra 10 the place they
to-day occupy-ihe best organization OF
It's kind ives; OF Pittsburgh.
OF this organization. which gives It's
last concert OF the season next Monday
night, 1t was the intention Of the writer
TO give to-day historical sketch, as 20
rs evolution, bu. the facts could not be
reliably gotten and only few days ago
its personal make w as Il now stands
being given In these columns. mat part
Is unnecessary. However, the evolution
OF the orchestra az large may be inter-
estlng and from Music Of the Modern
World" Just on the verge Of the coming
concert Is taken the following: 1t sell
dom occurs 20 the listener Of an orches-
ira that II has taken thousands OF years
TO develop X out OF the crude Inventions
Of the savage and ancient civilized ma.
tfons. Among the primatve tribes OF
each continent 4 great variety OF lhstFu-
ments can be found. some Of which are
ornleEnue IN shape. while some resemble
Ours and were probably the germs from
which ours have grown. 4 sort of mill
4ary band Is said not Ia be uncommon at
tho courts OF African chiefs, but these
bands could not be called orchestras
even by courtesy. No such trifes as
melody. harmony Instrumentation and
tone colorinE are considered In their per-
formances. Their chief object Is 10
crafty the sense OF rythm and the love OF
noise and excitement In TINS stage OF
musical culture the drum is the fhVorite
instrument. In one case We read OF
hand Of ,tIxty-four kinds Of drums, from
which we may infer that Berliz was after
an a modest tyro when he startled Eu-
rope with requiem. including in It's In
6;rumental forces. two bass drums and
eight pairs OF kettle drums X we now
cast a glimpse at the ancient civilized
nations we find while their instruments
and their performances were dnubuesH
of more artistic character than those OF
the modern primieyc peoples. yet their
instrumental combinations were proha-
bly, In all cases so crude and simple that
Il would be impossible to call them Or
chestral in the modern sense OF the word
The Greeks accompanied their vocal mu-
slc with Instruments. both singly and In
combination. but the instruments simply
played the vocal melody IN unison or
octave. and that Independent melodir
(contrapuntaD ur harmonic parts, which
characterize the special function OF a
modern orchestra were unknown. The
oldest extlnt pictures OF musicians have
been found on Egyptian monuments. a
harp has been exhumed IN Egypt whose
atrings after three thousand years of sil-
ence, still emitted sounds when touched
Egyptian military bands were common,
but II they had possessed orchestral
harmony or counterpolnt. the Greeks
would surely have learned Of them. An
AssyrIan bas-relef in the British museum
Represents procession OF eleven per-
formers. seven harps. one dulCimcr. one
double pipe. and drum, In which the
predominance OF "EtrinEs" seems 10 ar
que some degree Of refinement. The
Bible contains references to bands. but
none Of the bands referred 10 were gem
ulne orchestras. by which ia meant n
number OF performers on different instru-
ments playing different parts ingeni-
Oualy, interviewer ana harmunlZcd. or
such orChestrns we find no distinct record
before the seventeenth century. 50 with
rattleg. made OF ROurda filled with peb-
bleB or seedB with flutes made Of the
hollow bOnrs Of animals: with ivory
l1orng, and cOnch trumpeg, pan-plprs,
tubes OF bark or bamboo; OF banlOs
EongB. tam-tams. and drums in endless
variety, which constituted the first or
cfsstra makeup, was the bGglnnlngmade
for the great Wugwerian orchestra,
which includes twenty or more kinds Of
instruments. yl0llnH. ylolas, yiOllncellog
double baBscs. harpg flutes, baEgoOns
cinrients. ObOeB. English and French
horns trumpets. trOmbOncs, tubas bass
and anArc drums, kCttle-drums TRAN
giles and cymbalB: and b ouch COM
blnntiOn, To some degree modified Of
course, will the public have u chance 70
listen on next Monday at Wheeling