Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-10-01
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NkEW dents observe the "rest'2
Many time has the writer thought
that 1t would not be a bad idea to drop
the word Rest and substitute the word
Silence" The Silence is the important
thing many times. And how hard it is
to get students to realize that
Imagine an orchestra playing, with
every instrument busy at every beat and
no rests" or 'siences" for the instru-
ments! You remember the old story OF
the theatrical manager who demandeA
of the leader of the orchestra why the
clarinetist was not playing? The reply,
from the leader, He has sixteen meas
ures rest there" to which the manager
replies commercially Il want you to
understand that l pay these men to play
and not TO rest"
Who, that has heard "Parsifal," can
ever forget the tremendous effect of the
prolonged silence after each announce
ment OF the Eucharist" motif in that
wonderful prelude?
1t seems as IL the music had been only
prelude to the Silence, rather than that
the silence was rest" after the music
In our Elijah" oratorio we remember
NhS bS1dNiAul SAANSl III lHuSlC suggested
by the words, But yet the Lord was not
in the tempest! This after the descrlp-
ton Of mighty winds, broken rocks, riven
mountains: then the sea was upheaved
and the earth was shaken, but yet the
Lord was not in the earthquake! Then
came fire. but yet the Lord was not
in the fire! And after the fire there
came a still small voice: and in that still
voice, Onward came the Lord"
In instrumental playing, many a beauti-
full effect is lost by the anxiety to keep
the music going all the time, as though
everything should De cic6ed off to a.
metronome. We need much more silence
in our instrumental work. (And this is
true in more ways than one, even IL IL
does sound Irish.)
1t is such a simple thing that very few
who read this column Will ever think of
trying TO apply it: very few will sit
down and play some piece Of music and
try 10 introduce more 'silences" than
they have hitherto.
Some one may say. What about the
composer? Must We not be faithful to
nim?" Yes, faithful, but not slavishly
grovelling. We have all seen, for ex-
ample, in vocal music, two whole pages
without rest: now this is utterly inn
possible, and II the composer did not
have sense enough to provide 'silences"
or rests" We must do 1t for him, or
else leave him utterly unsung.
II instrumentalists would simply try 20
secure silence, be It ever so BRIEF, but
positive It must be. after each phrase.
there would be fewer human pianolas
and human violinolas, and human or
ganolas, etc
Likewise with singers. Many a time
has phrase been completely spoiled by
the prOlonging OF it's last note, instead of
prolonging II anything the rest which
follows It, Many a noisy breath has to
be taken, not through any breathing de-
feet, but because the note before the
breath was sustained too long, and too
little time was consequently afforded for
the renewal OF breath supply.
In the days OF our youth many OF us
'unconsciously" noted the mysterious In
fluence OF the silent prayer in the
church. 1t is practically done away with
now, except in one OF the very modern
organiza tons. And what Is more impress
sive than the celestial silence Of a great
Cathedral. Not when the lights are burn
ing. not while the sermon Is being
preached. not even when the most won
dsrful music 10 rolling roof-Ward. for