The herald., 1898-02-06

In view of the fact that we have at last
arrived at the dignity and Importance of
having a symphony orchestra here, it
may not be amiss to reprint excerpts
from valuable essay by Henry f..
Krehbiel, the well known New York mu-
sic critic, on "The Modern Orchestra" !"
which Mr.. Krehbiel says is "the most
eloquent, potent and capable instrument
Of music in the world"
1T is an instrument whose employ
ment by the classical composers and the
geniuses of the romantic school in the
middle of our century, marks the high
tide of the musical art. 1t Is an instru-
ment, moreover, which is never played
upon without giving a great object les
son in musical analysis; without inviting
the eye to help the ear to discern the
cause of the sounds which stir up our
pleasurable emotions.
"Yet the individual value and mission
of the factors which go to make up its
sum is scarcely greater than the popular
knowledge of the structure of sympho-
ny or a sonata. A rudimentary knoWl-
edge at least of these things, might cas-
lily be gained, and In gaining it the
student and layman would find a
unique intellectual enjoyment and have
his ears opened to a thousand beauties
in the music never perceived before
LET him first recognize the fact that
to the mind of a composer an orchestra
always presents itself as combination
of four groups, or choirs, of instruments.
These are, first, the strings-violins vio-
las violoncellos and bass viols, called
tat cprpnd the wind in
struments of wood-the wood winds
flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons;
third the wind instruments of brass,
trumpets, horns, trombones and bass
tuba; and, fourth, the instruments OF
percussion-the battery-kettle drums,
big drum, cymbals, triangle, bell-chlme,
etc.
"In The hands of the latter day com
posers, and with the help of the instru-
ment makers who have marvelously in
creased the capacity of the wind 1nstru-
ments, the orchestra has developed into
an instrument that never entered the
mind of the widest dreamer OF the last
century It's range of expression Is al
most infinite 1t can strike like thun-
derbolt or murmur like zephyr.
1.-THE string quartet is the chief factor
in the orchestra; its range is the most
extensive; it is more responsive 70
changes in manipulation; it is endowed
more richly than any other instrument
with varieties of timbre; it has an in
comparable facility Of execution; and
answers more quickly and more elo-
quently than any of its companions to
the feelings of the players. The violin
is the smallest member of the viol fam
lily and is the female voice of the orches-
ira; the viola, next in size,< is lacking in
brilliancy but compensates with won
derful richness and filling quality; the
cello may be called the baritone of the
string choir and the bass viol the bass.
OF the wood winds, the flute provides
brilliancy; the oboe is a most lovable
and pre- eminently a melody instrument
and expresses candor, soft joy or gentle
| grief; the bassoon is the humorist OF
the orchestra, from it's abyssmally SOL
emn voice; and the clarinet, which j:
the most eloquent of the wood-winds
has a voice that is rich, mellow, limpid
and has a wide range.
| The office of the braSses ranges from
grave to gay, from solemnly religious
to the cheerly jocund. The French
horn is the sweetest and mellowest, the
trumpet or cornet more penetrating and
assertive; the trombone pompously he
roic and majestic; and the bass tuba can
roar or produce faraway, strangely mys-
terious tones. The percussion instru-
ments are used for making effects and
are generally brought into play for rea-
sons more or less fantastic.
'The modern conductor is a mediator
between the composer and the audience
He is a virtuoso who plays upon men
instead of a keyboard; upon large
number of instruments instead of one;
and the blowers of brass, scrapers OF
strings and tootlers on windy wood, la
Dor beneath him, transmitting the COM