The orchestra and its instrumentsSingleton, Esther
History
The orchestra and its instruments
Singleton, Esther
Instrumentation and orchestration -- History; Musical instruments; Orchestra
We know that the Soprano sings, or plays, in the Treble Clef, the Bass in
the Bass Clef, and the Altos in the Alto Clef. Those who play the piano
have learned to play in the Soprano and the Bass Clefs simultaneously;
for the right hand plays the one, and the left hand the other. A
violinist only knows the Soprano Clef; those who play the viola, play in
the Alto, or Soprano Clef; and those who play the violoncello, play in
the Bass, Tenor and Soprano Clefs, for they have to play in them all from
time to time. The Conductor has to read _all the parts of the Orchestra
at once_,—and in all the Clefs. Let us look at our illustration. The
flutes on the top line and the oboes next play in the Soprano Clef; the
clarinets play in the Soprano Clef but _in a different key_ (B); then the
bassoons play in the Bass Clef; then the horns in C (still another key);
then the trombones in C; then the _tympani, or kettledrums_, in C and
G; then come the strings: the violins and second violins playing in the
Soprano Clef; the viola in the Alto, or Tenor Clef; the violoncellos in
the Bass Clef; and the double-basses in the Bass Clef. Notice that a long
line divides the bars, a line drawn, or _scored_,[87] through all the
staves from top to bottom.
In our example we have twenty-two bars of continuous music. The
viola[88] and violoncello begin the melody, with the double-bass playing
_pizzicato_ at first and taking up the bow in the ninth bar. All the
other instruments are silent, as the rests show, until the violas and
violoncello have finished their gentle, sweet melody, when the bassoons
and violins add a finish to it. Then the cool woodwind plays a lovely
little part, and the warm violins come in as the liquid flutes, oboes,
clarinets, and bassoons finish their phrase; and then the woodwind and
strings play together, the horns, trumpets, and drums keeping silent;
and—we cannot see what comes now, for we are at the end of this page.
This one page gives an idea of what the Conductor has to do. He has to
bring out the melody, get the right accents, give the right shading
(the _pianos_ and _fortes_), and make the right _crescendos_ and
_diminuendos_, besides adding a poetic conception, so as to render the
melodies flowing and graceful and to bring out the composer’s inner
meaning.
What a quick and trained eye a Conductor must have to read the score,
both perpendicularly and horizontally at the same time!
Of course, an acute ear must be another of his gifts; and his natural ear
is trained and rendered more acute by experience.
An innate sense of rhythm must belong to a Conductor. He must have also
an appreciation of melody and an intuition that divines the subtle
melodies, melodic phrases, and beautiful harmonies that lie hidden in
the score. He must also have some of the qualities of a painter to bring
out light and shade and varieties of color—glowing hues and delicate
tints—from the instruments that are ranged before him ready to obey his
magic wand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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