Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/A/Art of reading from a score
Art of reading from a score. The musician who sits down to write a symphony, a concerto, an opera, or any piece for several voices or instruments, can only form an idea of the effects which may be expected to result from his labors by having under his eyes all the parts which concur to form the whole. The process which he employs for this purpose is extremely simple; it consists in writing, on separate staves in each page, whatever is des-tined to each voice or to each instrument, and then in connecting these different staves by e brace, and by bars drawn perpendicularly across the page. This union of the different parts ii called a score. Scores are necessary to conductors chorus masters, and directors of concerts, and indispensable to accompanists ; for it is only b3 them that they can gather any idea of the composition as a whole, or of its effects, or of what ii assigned to the different voices and instruments All composers do not lay out their scores in the same manner. There are, however, certain rule: of arrangement which have been generally adopted, and which are dictated by reason Thus the voices are ranged in the order which they occupy in the general system of sounds ; the deepest as to pitch being placed lowest in tin page, and the others gradually above them Hence, in a chorus for four voices, the soprani will be placed above the contralto, the latter above the tenor, and this last again above the bass. In a double chorus, the four parts belonging to the first chorus will be arranged a above, and immediately beneath them the four parts belonging to the second chorus. It concerted vocal pieces, as a quintet, sextet, finale, &c., all the voices of the cam species are ranged above each other. Thus al the trebles, all the tenors, all the basses, al assembled in adjacent staves. The order generally adopted, in vocal pieces, accompanied by the orchestra, is that in which all the instruments are placed above the voice parts, except the bass which is placed below them. There is not an positive rule for arranging parts in scores o instrumental compositions. The first arrangement of the following is that of the Italian masters, and of Mozart ; the second that of Cherubini, Beethoven, and the modern French and German school ; some of Haydn's works observe the third arrangement. The insatiate thirst after novel effect has, of late, caused the introduction of many other instruments, newly invented, an all perhaps good; but they are joined to on or other of the following classes. Thus the small flutes are joined to the ordinary or concert flute the ophicleides and trumpets with slides. valves or keys, fall within the class of brass instruments ; the triangles, cymbals, and great drum are ranged by the side of the kettle drums.
1st Arrangement. 2d Arrangement. 3d Arrangement.
First Violin. Flutes. Kettle Drums.
Second Violin. Hautboys. Trumpets.
Alto. Clarinets. Horns.
Flutes. Horns. Trombones.
Hautboys. Trumpets. Flutes.
Clarinets. Bassoons. Hautboys.
Horns. Trombones. Clarinets.
Trumpets. Kettle Drums. Bassoons.
Bassoons. First Violin. First Violin.
Trombones. Second Violin. Second Violin.
Kettle Drums. Tenor. Alto.
Violoncello. Violoncello. Violoncello.
Double Bass. Double Bass. Double Bass.