trombones in the first act during the scene between Tristan and Isolde. Astounding skill is displayed in the development of thematic treatment leading to ever alternating climaxes, anticlimaxes, and monumental finales. In the above second group, the orchestra is enlarged chiefly by the introduction of triplets of wood-wind instruments. The English horn and the bass-clarinet are employed as components of their respective families rather than as solo interpreters. They are replaced by a third oboe and a third clarinet in concerted _forte_ numbers of extended length. No further purely practical innovations are to be noted other than a logical augmentation of the string band and progressive treatment of the brass. (If the topics of this review were subject to despotic chronological sequence, it would be necessary, at this point, to touch upon the characteristics of "Die Meistersinger," for that work was first performed at Munich in 1868, three years after "Tristan" and one year before "Das Rheingold." As already suggested, however, the scoring of "Die Meistersinger" is such as to make it advisable to include it in a separate fourth group together with "Parsifal.") GROUP III. DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN. 16 first violins; 16 seconds; 12 violas; 12 violoncellos; 8 double-basses. 6 harps (exceptionally in 6 individual parts). 1 or 2 piccolo flutes; 3 flutes; 3 oboes; 1 English horn; 3 clarinets (at times a small clarinet); 1 bass-clarinet; 3 bassoons; 1 contra-bassoon. 4 horns (often 8); 3 trumpets; 1 bass-trumpet; 3 trombones; 1 contrabass-trombone; 4 tubas (tenor and bass); 1 contrabass-tuba. 2 pair of kettle-drums; instruments of percussion.