The Evolution of Modern OrchestrationCoerne, Louis Adolphe
History
The Evolution of Modern Orchestration
Coerne, Louis Adolphe
Instrumentation and orchestration
The growth of independent orchestral music was aided by such
composers and directors as Sammartini, Gossec, Grétry, Stamitz, and
Cannabich, being, moreover, fostered by such organizations as the
"Concerts des Amateurs," the "Concerts spirituels," the Electoral
band at Mannheim, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and the Dresden orchestra.
CHAPTER VII.
HAYDN was the third great orchestral innovator in historic
evolution, and from him date the beginnings of modern orchestration,
just as Bach represents organ and Protestant Church music, Händel the
oratorio, and Gluck the drama. Monteverde established the precedent
of a nucleus of strings, Scarlatti adjusted their tonal balance, but
Haydn readjusted the equilibrium of the suppletory segments of the
orchestra as a concrete entity. His symphonies were the outcome of
the earlier _concerto grosso_, and thus, having remained true to the
traditions of his great predecessors, he became in turn the pioneer
for Mozart and Beethoven. In his scoring, the wood-wind acquired
freedom and individuality as solo instruments, and, together with
the brass, were led also to sustain and knit together the harmonic
progressions, rather than merely to support the resonance of the
strings. He emphasized the consistent use of wind instruments in
pairs. Again, by exploring further their caloric capabilities, he
discovered effective means for descriptive music, and his oratorios
bear the seed of programmatic writing.
MOZART explored the resources of the orchestra as opened
up by Gluck and Haydn. He combined and interchanged polyphonic and
monophonic style of writing to a most felicitous degree. He wrote
for the strings in such a manner as to insure absolute independence
and stability. The wood-wind gained in freedom of solo expression,
and acquired that individuality of treatment which was its own by
right. Especially the clarinet owes its absorption into the orchestra
to Mozart, and from him dates the genuine origin of varied and
contrasted tone-coloring.
The universal genius of BEETHOVEN, prompted by the depth of
his nature and the nobility of his purpose, led him to combine the
legacy of his predecessors with a more sensitive regard for inner
details, thematic unity, emotional expression, and greater freedom
and subordination of form, leading to expansion and programmatic
music. Greatest of classic orchestral masters, he brought the
symphonic orchestra to its highest development, discovered the utmost
capabilities of each and every instrument, increased the efficiency
of both strings and wood-wind, and incidentally discerned the genuine
worth of the violoncellos, bassoons, and kettle-drums. The functions
of the horns likewise acquired wider significance, and the trombones
were reserved for the portrayal of noble dignity and ornamentation.
CHAPTER VIII.
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