Evening star., 1954-10-24
By Doy Thorpe

The symphony orchestra is
an odd animal indeed. Not
the National Symphony Or
chestra-there's nothing odd
about it individually. But the
modern symphony orchestra as
a type, an entity. has its curl
GUS aspects. With our own
National Symphony launched
on q new season, let's consider
some Of these curious aspects.
In many ways the symphony
orchestra is one of the most
perfectly constructed musical
instruments in the world, yet
few Of its parts were originally
designed for it, and much of
the music it plays was written
by composers who had never
heard of a symphony orches-
ira. It must be made up of
players each with a very high
minimum level of competence
on his particular instrument,
each with his own original
ideas about music, and each
with the innate feeling for
self-expression which every
good musician has, yet each
must to a greater or less de-
gree make himself subservient
to a conductor, upon whom the
success of a performance de-
pends. The conductor, for his
part. is faced with maintaining
the respect of his 86 musicians,
the confidence of his directors,
and the enthusiasm of his pub
lie.
The symphony is the pride
Of its community. It can exist
only with the assistance of a
great many people. It must
be considerably more demo-
cratic and eclectic than a
baseball club, for example, and
yet in pleasing the many who
are casually interested in it
from time to time, it cannot
ALLEVIATE the few for whom it
Is an intense source of de-
light all the time. It must
work continuously to maintain
a very high degree of tech
nical proficiency, for, always
in debt. and the mistress of
lover who cannot afford to
keep her. the orchestra must
always appear entirely chic
and soignee.
The orchestra as we know it
today may have its roots in
the early history of music, but
the first recognizable blooms
appeared in the 18th century.
The great families and courts
Of Europe kept orchestras.
They also kept composers who
as a matter of course e.wrote for
exactly the forces at hand.
Also. these orchestras were not
open to the public; they were
strictly for the connoisseur.
Beethoven is the first COM
poser whose symphonies are
more than specifically suit
able for the modern orchestra,
and OF course they are now
among the most popular. But
to Beethoven his symphonies
were mostly window dressing,
loss-leaders to keep his name
before the public. There were
some orchestras in England
and France, but elsewhere very
few indeed, and Beethoven had
to get together, usually at his
own expense, a group of musi-
clans to play his new SYM
phonies. The public could pay
to come to these academies"
as they were called, and the
modern symphony was con-
ceived, although not yet born.
The next step was the opera
orchestra which gave concerts
between shows. During the
first half of the 10Th century
there were very few orches-
tras that were not collected
from opera house pits. The
London Philharmonic, the
Gewandhaus Orchestra in
Leipzig. and the Concerts Spir-
ituels in Paris are the only
exceptions that come to mind.
But opera houses were every
where, and orchestral concerts
became very popular. Today,
in America, opera houses are
few, but the symphony orches-
ira in its final glorification is
lIbiOlIitO1Is not attended like