The age-herald., 1899-05-03

Notwithstanding the fact that Birming- ham is a musical city only once in recent years has a complete orchestra been heard here. First-class concert bands of brass and reed, such as Sousa's, Herberts and the United States Marine, have visited this city, but, with the exception of the Boston Festival orchestra, which gave two delightful concerts at the opera house last spring, no symphonic organization has in- eluded Birmingham in it's itineracy. From this time on, however, the full orchestra will be a familiar thing here; for musical taste is developing so rapidly, and the fes- tival this week will give such an impetus to musical aspiration and enterprise that the splendid Thomas orchestra, the Boston Festival orchestra and other well known symphony bands will have to consider Bir- minghamand put us in their schedules The really great orchestras in the world do not exceed fifteen. The really great orchestras in the United States can be counted on three fingers. But in this country, as in Europe, there are quite a number of fairly good orchestras. In every city of several hundred thousand population it should be possible to assemble local orchestra of fifty to sixty players. In the smaller cities like Richmond, Atlanta, Nashville and Birmingham first-class string players are exceedingly scarce. As for horns, common ly called French hons, oboes, bassoons and tympani, they are found not at all.
 One reason why the Boston Symphony orchestra, of which Mir. Gericke is the di- rector the New York orchestra, of which Mir. Paur is director and the Chicago or ehestra, of which MT. Thomas Is the direc- tor, are superior to other bands even of high reputation lies in the fact that those organizations pay salaries suffciant to command the entire time of all their men during the concert season. Not only are the Boston symphony artists, the New York philharmonic artists and the Chicago ar- lists selected for their skill, but they re- hearse together almost daily. The sym phony orchestras in Buffalo, Philadelphia Pittsburg, Cincinnati and Kansas City are very good, but they can never get into the frs trank so long as any considerable number of their string players are com- pelled to play in theatres and ball rooms in order to eke out their living. The best of viol1nists and violoncelloists deteriorate rapidly when they have to play frivolous music. But even If small theatre orches- tras, where onl yone first violin is used played no trash but only artistic music the violinist could not keep a round tone, be- cause he has to saw in order to be heard above the louder instruments. Hence the difficulty of maintaining many orchestras in America of the Boston, New York and Chicago class
 No classic overture or orchestral suite or oratorio or other big choral work can be satisfactorily given unless the orchestra is full and properly balanced.
 The Boston Festival orchestra, which has so prominent part in the approaching fcs- tival, is constituted as follows: Six first violins, four second violins. four violas {ten- or violins), three violoncellos three contra passes (viols), one harp, two flutes, two clarinets, one bass clainet two oboes, two bassoons Gin German fagottel, four horns, three comets playing trumpet parts, three trombones, one tuba (bass horn), one set of three tympani 0kettle drums), one large bass drum, one snare drum, cymbals, bells, triangle tambourine, and chinese gong, or tom-tom. The flutes, clarinets, oboes and bassoons collectively are styled the wood wind choir, just as all the brass instru- ments collectively are styled the brass choir. For the proper rendering of the fes- tival music all of the instruments named are indispensable, although some of the per- cussions, as well as the harp and the bass clarinet, are called into requsition only in works by the late composers.
 It Is surprising to find. even in cities where the symphony orchestra is a perma- nent institution, so many concert goers who cannot distinguish the different wind instru- ments. or rather who cannot locate them. especially the reeds. They get a general idea of the color effect of the wind instru- ments but they are not able to call the name - - - E - m - W - u a - u - u ~ u uz n - -