Instruments of the Modern Symphony Orchestra/PREFACE
• • • PREFACE • • •
IN view of the rapidly increasing number of Symphony Orchestras throughout the country, and the consequent wide-spread interest in the better class of orchestral music, a demand has arisen among music-lovers and students for information concerning the instruments that constitute the modern symphony orchestra. The purpose of this little book is to supply such information as is really needful to the intelligent concert-goer. It is designed to occupy a middle place between the profound technical treatise on the one hand and the insignificant handbook on the other. Its scope covers briefly the construction, tonal qualities, range, and special uses of each instrument, not in its solo capacity, but rather as part of the orchestral ensemble.
Through the courtesy and co-operation of artist members of the New York Philharmonic Society and the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestras it has been possible to illustrate not only the proper manner of holding the various instruments, but also to give a correct idea of their relative sizes—impossible when instruments alone are depicted.
A few words concerning the orchestra as a musical unit may prove of interest. The orchestra as a whole may be regarded as a single, great instrument possessing almost limitless musical possibilities. When one considers that each individual member of an important orchestral organization is an artist who devotes his life to an instrument which, like the human voice, is capable of producing but one tone at a time (double-stopping on the strings need not here be considered), it is not surprising that the results obtained by the intelligent co-operation of seventy-five to a hundred such artists under masterful leadership easily transcend the efforts of the greatest pianist or organist, who is called upon to render with ten fingers all the harmonies and simultaneous melodies which may occur in a piece of music.
Not only is the orchestra capable of rendering at one time a multiplicity of independent themes, but by virtue of the many different tone colors which characterize the various instruments, the melodic line traced by each individual voice may be easily followed by the attentive ear, while all the voices blend in one harmonious whole. It is this complete independence of each voice in respect to power, tonal quality, and style of phrasing which makes the orchestra unapproachable as a means of musical expression.
Many volumes have been written concerning the varying excellence of instruments of the string family, but it does not seem to have been recognized that both woodwind and brass instruments vary greatly in quality of tone, accuracy of intonation, ease of blowing, and perfection of mechanism—all of which depend upon the skill of the makers. Moreover, each individual instrument, be it flute, oboe, bassoon, horn, trombone, or what not, has its own faults and its merits.
Of the wind instruments it has often been said that the slide trombone excels all others in accuracy of intonation, and in this respect is unique in being the equal of the stringed instruments. This statement must not be taken too literally. An artist possessing a fine instrument—be it woodwind or brass with valves—can play perfectly in tune by delicate regulation of lip tension and manner of blowing. Thus all good instruments are susceptible of being played in tune if the player is skilled and his ear is perfect.
In giving the range of the different instruments, it has not been possible to indicate a precise upper limit. The trend of modern orchestration is to extend the upward range of all instruments. This is no doubt due to constantly increasing efficiency on the part of orchestral players. Nevertheless, the skillful orchestrator refrains from imposing needless difficulties on his performers. Simple, idiomatic scoring is likely to yield more beautiful results because the player is free to concern himself with shading and phrasing and is not distracted by uncomfortably high notes or inconveniently devised passages.
It is worthy of note that no absolute novelties in orchestral instruments have been invented for several hundred years. Combinations of previously existing types have been devised, such as the Saxophone. There have also been many improvements in mechanism, such as the Boehm flute; valves have been added to horns and trumpets—greatly to their advantage, but despite the inventive genius which has been directed toward the subject of orchestral instruments, no essentially new form of tone-producing device has been evolved. Perhaps the reason for this is not far to seek. The instruments of the orchestra of even Mozart's day afford such a variety of colors that may be exploited separately or in infinite combination, that, under the hands of a master of orchestration, the wealth is so great as to leave practically nothing to be desired.