davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-21
ACC"T-OFFICE MGR

Young man, BIS. degree acting, Is
yrs. diversified exp. desires perm.
position with future. Write Box
1O0-Y. Star. 22e
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Trumpet

FOR centuries the trumpeter,
together with his inSeparable
companion, the drummer, was
considered the elite of all pro-
fessional musicians. Trumpet
ers at times have been limited
to the encourages of the nobil-
ity of church and state. It has
been illegal for non-members
of the trumpeters' guild not
only to play, but even to own
an instrument. The musicians
could demand to be seated on
a raised dais in the orchestra,
and to have their music al
ways printed at the top of the
score.
The principle reason for the
social and professional supe-
riority Of trumpeters was that
the old trumpet was the most
important loud melody instru-
ment of the soprano section
of the orchestra. It was in
credibly difficult to play, and
there were few virtuosi. These
passed their secrets down to
their sons or apprentices and
made every effort to keep the
trumpeters' guild an exclusive
club indeed.
With the general use Of the
clarinet in the orchestra, and
the Improvement of the flute,
composers stopped writing
f1orid vocal parts for the
trumpet, and the art of trum-
pet playing declined. For
about a hundred years from
TITS, the orchestral trumpet
was a ceremonial instrument
used for color and incisive
rhythms.
Late in the 10th century
the trumpet adopted most of
the characteristics of the
cornet, an instrument devel-
oped in German bands and
also by the French opera COM
posers. Since then a whole new
school Of trumpet writing has
grown up, and once again the
trumpet is an important solo
member Of the symphony or
cleStra.
How versatile an instrument
the trumpet now is can be seen
in the Bartok Concerto for
Orchestra" in which trumpets
in pairs or in threes have what
is undoubtedly the most inn
portant role OF their modern
reincarnation.
There are four trumpets In
the National Symphony.
Scores usually call for two or
three trumpets.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Soxophone

That the saxophone has
never found a place in the SYM
phony orchestra is puzzling.
for it is a highly developed in
strument with a smooth and
interesting tone and a reliable
and refined technique. It is
spoken of in terms of praise
by many of the best contempo-
rary composers. most of whom
after thus paying their respects
to the instrument. neglect it
shamefully in their scores.
The reason, perhaps. is that
the characteristic sound Of the
saxophone can be duplicated to
a certain extent by the violins.
This explanation is not too sat-
isfactory. and is offered only
for want Of a better one.
The saxophoniSt Of the Ma
tional Symphony is one of the
orchestra's regular second vio-
linists. His playing Of the sax
ophone part of Walton's BEL
shazzar's Feast" last season
showed how beautiful and in
dividual the saxophone can
be in the orchestra.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
TODAY

HERTA oLAz, msszo- sopranos; Thor
II Sc morta. Monteverdi: Rusiadose.
land; Fair, sweet cruel. Ford; st"yi Mhithsr
ehess FIVE sehuse s%ssshsi5 ssnss fs5slss Gnend
lichen, schafers Klagelied; Gretchen
am Spinnrade. Fischerweise, Musen-
seven Popuaa seanIsh s. ns sonss q
JULIA Ea wISgrUs Ng Unf ivsY Gens osnS NSs p5n Ss5sn
GsllerZ, Gal ,,v5. pm Shromatie Fantasy
Ccaristions anor in g: Handel; Sonata in
Opus 60 No. No. 3 sSs schubert: imHgTmpsa imprompta
In sharp, Opus 36, Chopin; Moe
turns in G sharp minor, Chopin: Bar
carolle; Opus so, Chopin; Intermezzo,
Opus 118. No. =. BRAHMS; Bailade.
opus llS. No. 3, Brahms; Passacag-
ANNE TEAL, piano. Barker Hall.
kondo a capriccio IN G.. OPUS 1Se.
45. No. l. Leschetizky;- Arabesaue No.
J., Debussy: General Lavine. Eccen-
w TOMORROW
"AapGF Aabayi., cARRN9bER ARB eb;I,;n tenor David
pm Die schone Muiierin, OPUS Is.
bszssS; Rsmis1sss GsA egR s2.s.s,
Eargo q Fsetosum Ressini; One sofafs KISS.
Iso,9ass IRo,m9bers; sersnade. Kern: Also Sc
TUESDAY.
FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBS.
and Corcoran streets NV, S:lh pm,
Recital of compositions by members.
Composers will be: Mildred Royce,
Goldman. Mabel Williams. Dorothy
Radde Emery. Marie seuei. Hoist.
eIa Tasss Ttists 1,.n Rsssniee Wsrs
Colyin, Helen Belt, Mary Goldman,
Mabel Williams, Kathryn Slowie. Helen
Meyer. Thelma Barnett, Or. Richard
LEE MEREDITH, soprano; Robert Nor
throp, tenor; Lois Wommack, piano;
Elizabeth Barham and James f. Bar
ham duo; duo-pianists Pierce Hall. $40
Only, arr. ouilter: Morgen Hymne.
Henschel; All. Moon of Ny Delight,
Liza Lehman; Di Polissena, Handel
Pass PPiss fass sssht G Ind ,1 ,Tragms schgbeEt
day. Woodman; Closing scene from La
Boheme; Act One. Puccini; Variations
er.ha,. on Theme sIa BY HAYDN, Opus SOB,
HAROLD ASH. organ. New York Avenue
certo in d minor. Vivaldi- Bach: o
Mensch, bewein, Bach: Fantasy and
Fugue In q minor, Bach; La Nativite,
Thou Content, zechiel: Fantasy and
Fugue on the name Bach" List.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,
Howard Mitchell. conductor. wash
ington and Lee High School gym
nasium. pm. Program: Egmont
Overture. Opus "a, Beethoven; In
strument demonstration: Finale Of the
Fifth symphony, Dvorak; WaItzes
from Der Rosenkayalier, Strauss: FL
male OF the William Tell Overture.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
Howard Mitchell, conductor. Soloist:
John Martin, cello. George Washing
ton Hall. Fredericksburg, Va, S:3o
pm. Don Quixote. Opus 35, Strauss;
Dance Of the Seven Wells, Strauss;
Rosenkavalier Suite. Strauss.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
Programs of the Week
WEDNESDAY.

WEDNESDAY.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Howard Mitchell, conductor. Soloist:
John Martin, cello. Constitution Hall,
$3.50 pm. Strauss program: Don
Quixote, Dance OF the Seven Wells,
Rosenkavalier Suite.
WIN THURSDAY
BUDAPEST STRING QUARTET. Ii
brary Of congress, $50 pm. Quartet
Two Sketches on American indian
Themes. Critics; Concertino for String
Quartet, Stravinsky; Quartet In A.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,
Howard Mitchell, conductor. Consti-
tuition Hail. 2 pm. For the Common
Leonore No. 8, Opus ~, Beethoven:
Andante from the symphony in D,
No. 80, HAYDN; First Movement OF
the. New World Symphony, Dvorak;
MSaitzes Staaxss from Der Rosenkavalier.
SATURDAY.
NORMAN DELLo JoIo. piano; Leonard
Warren, baritone; Wallace Mann,
flute; Ernest Harrison. oboe; Harold
Wright, clarinet: Norman Lamb, violay
Dorothy Stahl, cello; Emerson Meyers,
piano. Library OF Congress, 500 D.
Trio in B nat, Opus IL, Beethoven;
Trio for flute, viola, and cello, Rous-
sell; Adagio and Rondo, K. 6I7, Mo-
zart; The Lamentation OF Saul, for
baritone, flute, ODE. clarinet. viola,
cello, piano.
Evening star., 1954-10-24

has so great range. and none
is SO chronically out of tune.
The harp is one Of an inter-
esting class of instruments that
has a long history in music, but
until recently has been ex-
cluded from the symphony.
The classic symphonists used
only instruments in sympho-
nies that by reputation were
associated with that highly
stylized art form. The classic
composer would no more think
Of putting a harp in a SYM
phony than a chess player
would think of winning with
a straight flush. Beethoven,
Mozart and Haydn wrote opera,
balletS, and church music using
harp, English horn, trombone
and basset horn, yet these in
struments never appeared in
their symphonies, except for a
single instance of the use by
Haydn of the English horn.
and the highly restricted use
of tromboneS in some of Bee
thoven's later symphonies.
This sense of symphonic
propriety lasted late into the
nineteenth century. A critic
was shocked at Cesar Franck's
English horn in his symphony,
and though he was a bit prim,
he was not at all captious.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Oboe

1t is generally said that play,
ing the oboe is the road to in
sanity. The intensely controlled
pressure Of the lungs and alb
domen in blowing through two
vibrating reeds into the instru-
ment is supposed to react on
some vital nerve in the head
in such a way that the poor
oboists are never again the
same as their fellow men.
This, I think, is cunning pub
licity for the gentlemen. I have
known several. Your oboist
may, like Bruno Lahate. be i'm
perturbable in the presence of
irritated conductors because he
has $4,000 in the bank; he
may, like Mitch Miller, be the
idol of the Sinatra set. yet
play only long-hair music out
of the Office; or, like Lois
Wann, De not only q musician
but even a mother: but on the
whole, I think, oboists are only
odd, not crazy.
The sound of the oboe is
sometimes plaintive, and some
times gay and bucolic. There
are three oboists in the Ma
tional Symphony, two of whom
double on the English horn. an
instrument which Is not a horn
at all, despite its name. but a
tenor oboe. The oboe Is the
instrument that sounds the A
to which the orchestra tunes.
Why the oboe traditionally per-
forms this courtesy, 4 do not
know. It may be a matter OF
custom. or 1t may be that the
pitch of the oboe is difficult to
vary. since the orchestra of
course tunes to the piano when
one In to be used.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
he French Horn

The French horn is perhaps \
the most versatile instrument
of the entire orchestra. It
blends well with all the others,
and with most of them in
dividually. AS a solo instru-
ment it is romantic, or heroic,
or sinister, depending on how
it is blown and how it is
stopped with the hand in the
bell. It came to the orchestra
from the hunt, while of its
classic colleagues. the from
bone came to the orchestra
from the church and the
trumpet from the army.
Until about a hundred years
ago the horn had no valves
it was as simple and as basic
a musical device as q Boy
Scouts bugle. except that cer-
tain chromatic and diatonic
notes could be made by put
ting the hand in the bell.
Certain players were such
great virtuosos, however, that
the horn had an extreme
range of three and a half
octaves. Mozart and Haydn,
each Of whom devoted his
best talent to writing for the
horn, demand a complete
chromatic scale for the top
two octaves Of the instrument.
There are five horns in the
National Symphony. Scores
usually call for either two or
four horns. The extra player
is available to spell the others
in taxing passages.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Double Bass

In the first half of the last
century the big double bass
or bull fiddle was usually used
in the proportion of five to
every three cellos. The thick
tone that was the result is no
longer in favor and the eight
basseS and eight cellos of the
National Symphony are now
customary in a large orchestra.
In the early days of the or
chestra, the big BASES were
used solely to double the cellos
at the octave below. Mozart
and Beethoven began to write
separate parts for the instru-
ment, and later composers
have almost invariably used
the powerful deep tones as an
individual line.
Lacking the color and agil-
ity Of the cello, the double
bass has seldom been used as
a solo instrument. There are
a few solos, however, of such
originality and impressiveness
that once heard they are never
forgotten. Mozart's duet for
bass voice, double bass and
orchestra is one of these;
Schubert's "Forellen" quintet
is another, and the entrance
of Othello into the bedcham-
ber Of Desdemona in Verdi's
opera is certainly the apoth-
costs of the double bass.
One of the most famous
double bass players of modern
times was Serge Koussevit-
zky, conductor of the Boston
Symphony. This great virtu-
oso was able to play the ia
miliar minuet in G of Bee
thoven on the double bass in
four-four time.
Each Of the five sections of
the string choir is often di-
vided into two or more parts
for music Of great complex
ity or for special effects. Thus
there may be any number of
voices in the string section
alone. Also, in 18th century
music. as for example a Bach
concerto or a Mozart SYM
phony, a conductor may want
a thinner and more brilliant
sound and will reduce each of
: the five sections by several
instruments.
Evening star., 1954-10-24

The low notes are round and
slightly hollow: the middle
ones soft and erotic. and the
top register is shrill and eerie
or mocking. The clarinet has
a single reed which beats
against a hard plastic or wood
mouth piece to produce its
tone.
The three clarinetists of the
National Symphony play %
high E fiat instruments and
bass clarinets as well as the
standard A and B fiat clarinets.
A rather late addition to the
orchestra, the clarinet was
added to the flute. oboe and
horn in the late 18th century
and soon displaced the trum-
pet as a strong soprano wind
instrument to be used in
carrying a tune. It's versatility
is great. Richard Strauss, one
sof the masters of instrumental
ton of the Goth century tells
of hearing performance of
the late G minor symphony
OF Mozart played in Belgium
on nothing but clarinets of all
sizes. He said that all parts
were accounted for (can he
have meant even the double
bass? and that the total ef-
feet was excellent.
Berlioz says somewhere that
clarinets playing in thirds in
evitably suggest love-music,
and many passages in the
scores of Mozart operas clearly
indicate that their composer
believed the same. The most
idiomatic music for clarinet
for example. that by Weber
and Mozart-makes great use
of brilliant or luxurious ex-
tended arpeggios through all
the registers of the instrument.
To my ear, there is no other
sound in the orchestra quite so
captiYating.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Flute

The designation "woodwind"
is confusing. Not all wood
winds are made of wood. just
as the brass section has not
always been made UP of in
struments of that metal.
In the orchestra the flute is
unique in the manner in which
its tone is produced. (Thes
piccolo is, of course, a small
flute, playing an octave higher
than the larger instrument.)
The f1autist blows across a
sharp-edged hole; part of his
breath enters the instrument,
part merely stirs up the at
mosphere. The turbulences
within and without the little
instrument unite in some mir
aculous way to create an ex-
tremely pure and varied tone.
The recorders with which
Hamlet taunts Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern were really
wooden flutes. held straight
out from the player, rather
than transversely like the
modern flute.
The flute is one of the oldest
instruments used in SYM
phonies. There must be hun
dreds by Mozart, Haydn, Boo
cherini and their forerunners
scored for two flutes, two
oboes, two horns, and strings.
The modern flute is made
entirely of metal. Whether the
mouthpiece joint of the instru-
ment of Wallace Mann, first
flute Of the National Sym
phony, is unusual in being of
platinum, I do not know.
There are three f1autiSts IN
the orchestra, two of whom
double on the piccolo.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Bossoon

The bassoon is a bass instru-
ment that produces its tone by
. two reeds vibrating together.
In this respect it is like the
oboe, and it stands in some
what the same relation to that
instrument that the trombone
does to the trumpet.
It's incisive sardonic chuckle
is one Of the most easily iden-
tifiable voices of the orchestra.
A bassoon playing a solo al
ways seems to be enjoying it
self as much as H. L. Menken
would at a diet of Methodist
clergymen. When not conSpic-
uous as soloists the three bas-
soons of the National Sym
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Trombone

TromboneS are one Of the
oldest instruments. but one of
the most recent additions to
the symphony orchestra.
Closely associated with the
church, they were used by
composers for religious music
or for solemn moments in OPP
era until Beethoven put them
In the finale Of his Fifth Sym
phony. Exciting to us as the
first chords Of this movement
always are, We can never re-
capture the overwhelming ef-
feet they must have had on
their first auditors.
Trombones never became an
Evening star., 1954-10-24

fering in this respect from the
bass and snare drum.
The tympani are only SEEM
ingly restricted in their emo
tional gamut. Actually, they
are often the orchestral in
strument that creates the at
mosphere and indicates the
temper of a great variety Of
musical passages. In the
scherzo of the Beethoven Ninth,
the tympani's F natural estab-
fishes the key Of the piece,
and throughout the movement.
in an indefinable but very real
way, the tympani seems to be
the soul of the music. In the
Berlioz Fantastic Symphony,
complete chord progressions
are given to the tympani alone.
Magical and unforgettable
passages for tympani from the
earliest days of the orchestra
to the present are so numer-
GUS, that to mention only a
few may give the wrong i'm
preston that they are rare.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
City Again Turns Ear to an Intricate Musical Instrument
NtsB Bph hHspmdod for hod Orchestra
!, for National Symphony Orchestra Listene

phony are often adding weight
and color to the basses.
The contra-bassoon is a
monster that plays an octave
below its fellows. You can prob
ably remember it most readily
by recalling the curious walrus
barks it makes in the vamp to
the tenor solo In Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Vioins

The violins are the most
numerous, the most versatile,
and in a way, the most i'm
portant instruments of the
orchestra. There are 80 in the
National Symphony-16. first
and IA second. They are the
principal narrators, the story
tellers of the orchestra. There
is no physical difference be-
tween the first and second vi
olins; the distinction (when
there is one) being that the
first violins have the higher
part.
In the National Symphony,
and ordinarily elsewhere. the
first violins are seated to the
left of the conductor, the Sec
onds to his right. This divi-
sion helps to clarity the mu-
sical parts and lets the eye
Of the auditor be an aid to his
ear.
1t is remarkable that in vio-
lin concertos the solo instru-
ment is able to differentiate
itself from the 80 others play
ing on the same platform.
This is not phenomenon
that happens by itself, but is
the result of the most skillful
efforts of the composer. Up to
the time of Beethoven the diff
f1culty was not so acute, since
the accompanying orchestra
was not symphony orchestra
in the modern sense. but
rather a chamber orchestra.
There have been only a hand
full of successful violin con-
certos written in the last hun
dred and fifty years, and it
is noteworthy that composers
almost never give the solo
violin the principal melody of
slow lyrical movements, but
rather an embroidery of the
theme. In this way the solo
instrument is not made to
compete with two or three
dozen of its equals.
Normally the first violin
section will play main theme
while the second violins have
the alto part of the harmony.
Occasionally the rules are re-
versed, for no apparent rea-
son other than to give the
second fiddles a treat. The
slow movement of Beethoven's
ninth symphony is a prime ex-
ample of this Difference to the
second violins.
"Violin" and fiddle" are
synonyms, and it is an error
to associate fiddle" solely
with Virginia reels and hill
billy music. Many of the great
est longhair musicians call
their violins "fiddles."
Evening star., 1954-10-24

with another, is a very sensi-
tive and emotional fellow. This
story about the William Tell
Overture the Lone Ranger may
have told his cowboy pals, but
l doubt it. There is a beau-
tiful passage in the piece for
five solo cellos. It was played
so well at the first performance
that the composer, Rossini,
kissed the five cellists on their
cheeks. One young man was
so moved by this mark of es-
TEEN that he never washed
that side Of his face again as
long as he lived. and he died
at the age of 50. Clearly not
a good story for the Lone
Ranger.
Hans Kinder, founder of
the National Symphony, was
cellist. Two contemporary eel
lists who are established con-
ductors are Howard Mitchell
and Arturo Toscanini.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Cello

The violoncello tthe name is
the diminutive of "violone,"
the bass Of the "chest of viols'D
the baritone Of the string band,
is an at times suave, at times
impassioned, instrument whose
tone gives weight and color to
the lower middle register Of the
orchestra. There are eight in
the National Symphony. and
their position Is in front of
and to the left Of the conduc-
tor. Your cellist. taken one
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Viola

quintet, the viola is in size
midway between the violin and
cello. It's strings are tuned an
octave above those of the lat
ter instrument.
With neither the brilliance
Of the violin nor the dramatic
personality of the cello, the
viola has never been a pop
ular solo instrument. It's in
timacy and the life it imparts
to the harmony of the strings
have made it a great favorite
a m on G musicians generally
and composers in particular.
Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, and
Haydn all chose the viola when
performing in their own cham
ber music.
The eight violas of the Ma
tional Symphony sit behind
the second violins to the right
of the conductor. At times for
a special dark-hued effect, a
composer will omit violins en-
tirely and use violas on top of
the string band. Tile most re-
markable example of this is
the prelude to the Benedictus
of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.
Brahms uses the same effect
in his German Requiem.
The most famous viola solos
are in Mozart's concerto for
violin and viola, and in Berlioz'
Harold in Italy. where a solo
viola takes the part of the
Byronic hero.
Well-known conductors who
are violists are Milton Katims,
Of the Seattle Symphony, and
Leon Barzin, Of the National
Orchestral Association.
Evening star., 1954-10-24

JOHN MARTIN, first cellist
of the National Symphony,
will be soloist in the Don
QuixOte Variations Of Strauss
twice this week. He viii play
the work with the orchestra
Tuesday In Fredericksburg,
Virginia, and Wednesday
here In Constitution Hall.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Percussion

This is a junk shop of odd
utensils and noise makers.
Numbered among the percus-
sion (although some are not
actually struck instruments)
are the triangle. the cymbals.
the bass drum, the snare
drum, the bells. the glocken-
spiel, the celesta, the casta-
nets. the gong. the tamburine,
the wind machine. the tabor.
the phonograph record of q
nightingale. the rattle, the
cuckoo, the anvil. the cannon,
and many others. Triangle,
cymbals, and bass drum used
together have the official name
Of Turkish music"
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Tymponi

Tympani are kettle-drums.
Primarily rhythmic instru-
ments, they nevertheless play
specific notes of the scale, diff
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Tuba

The tuba is the bass of the
brass choir. It has entirely
displaced the serpent and the
ophicleide, the original bot
tom brass, blown like a trum-
pet and fingered like a flute.
In principle, the tuba OPP
crates like a mammoth valve
trumpet. It is not often a solo
instrument, although it has a
few moments in Wagner
scores, and in the ophicleide
parts it is now called upon
to play. Vaughan Williams has
written a tuba concerto.
The National Symphony has
a single tuba player.
Evening star., 1954-10-24
The Clarinet

ALI instruments have different
timbres In their different reg
listers. but few IL any are so
varied In sound 90 the clarinet.
Evening star., 1954-10-24

the movies. not paid for like
a ball game. but a necessity.
The symphony orchestra is
the symbol of musical culture,
and a focal point of civic
y,ystr1o
Evening star., 1954-10-24

integral part Of Beethoven.s
orchestra. but from Schubert's
last symphonies on, they have
had an unquestioned place in
the brass choir. They are or
dinarily written for in three
part harmony. The most IA
nous and often cited passage
for tromboneS Is in the Ber-
lioz Requiem. Eight trombones
play their lowest notes in uni
son while three and a half
octaves above three unison
flutes seem to suggest a ghost
ly harmony. The passage is Of
the utmost simplicity, yet of
the greatest musical imagina-
ton. 1t is almost orchestra
ton without music.
There are three trombones
in the National Symphony.