New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-13
A Celestial Turkish Patrol
In the Oratorio messiah

pct Its departure. And 80 at the next
performance by the Oratorio Society I'm
1873, we think he began the chorus
softly, worked up a crescendo, from
which he tapered of to pianiss!mo at the
end of the concluding symphony. Three
years later The Tribune's music reviewer
heard the Oratorio Society's performance
for the first time. In this newspaper he
contented himself with an expression OF
| critical disapproval; but learning that
DR.. Damrosch had what he considered
good authority for his procedure and in
tending to discuss so interesting and then
novel question In THE Musical Review,
of which he was editor, he spent some
hours with Dr. Damrosch listening 10
arguments in favor of the innovation ana
presentfnS arguments against II. Dr'
Damrosch appealed to the facsimile with
| which the writer was familiar, but whlch
| the latter contended did not prove that
! Handel demanded a Turkish Patrol
effect-a Turkish Patrol" was popular
piece for the theatrical orchestras at the
time--and that the effect was contrary
to the Biblical story of the angelic proc
lamation, the words OF which, repeated
I
''suddenly'--not gradually, little by little
| in squads, but-"suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude OF the heaV-
emily host praising God and saying
| Glory to God in the Highest! Next
the character of the music was appealed
| 20, the gladstone shout at the close OF
the preceding recitative: 'Praising God
and saying''-with a traditional crescen-
do supported by the jubilant fiddles and
| launching into q veritable explosion OF
| 1oyousness with the first word OF the
chorus, when the trumpets, hitherto 81
lent, take up the melody In unison with
the voices and the violins burst into
coruscation OF sound of unparalleled brill
fancy. Parallels 10 this device were
| pointed out in other places in Handel. al
ways accompanying joyous outories from
the chorus. Also the Tribune man tired
to prove that the words 'Da lontano G I'm
POGO plano" were direction intended for
the trumpets alone, which, had they come
| in in the usual haring manner OF the
modern instrument. would have spoiled
the celestial effect of the chorus, but
whose tone, judiciously moderated, would
give additional brilliancy to the close
harmonies with high voices with which
| Handel begins the chorus All was In
vain: the conscientious, reverendal mu-
Acian believed Handel might have erred
| in the premises. yet he must be obeyed.
And so for four years longer the Tribuna.
man listened to the chorus robbed Of all
it's ebullient glory and was compelled to
] see in fancy picture which was never
presented at the nativity-the gradual
gathering Of the angelic host on the Ju-
daan plain TO proclaim peace on earth
and good will to men. Then there APP
peared Rookstro's Life Of Handel" lin
1889, containing two passages which bore
directly upon the disputed question. In
his analysis Of the oratorio Mr.. Rock
stro wrote:
This wonderful scene tthe shepherds
! abiding In the fields'D finds Its climax
in the chorus GLORY to God in the high
est; in which the silvery tones Of the
loid slide-trumpets are heard for the
| first time da lontano, to represent the
music of the heavenly host as the shep-
| herds heard 1t at Bethlehem on the night
of nights, swelling nearer and nearer, az
| the words Good will towards men," and
finally dying away, with the gradual de-
parture Of the angelic choir.
This. a little vague in respect of the
chorus. yet made 1t plain that In Mr..
Rockstros opinion the from afar and
rather softly" was a direction to the
trumpet players. not TO the singers. In a
chapter devoted TO a comparative study
| Of the autograph score and the scores
used by Handel In conducting the work
1T Dublin and elsewhere Mr.. Rockstro
| had this to say:
Glory to God. Written for stringed In
| struments and trumpets. without drums,
Mozart added horns and drums, and
makes the trumpets begin where Handel
| makes them leave of Handel, In the
autograph. first marked the trumpet