We have just arrived in the Concert Hall, have taken off our wraps and are comfortably seated in our chairs waiting eagerly for the concert to begin.
The Orchestra is entering from the doors at the sides of the stage.
Here come the Violins. They all sit in a group together. These in front of us and on the left of the Conductor’s stand are the First Violins; these on the right of the Conductor’s stand are the Second Violins. These ten men who seem to carry very large violins are the Violas and they are taking their seats by the side of the Second Violins. Opposite them ten Violoncellos are taking their seats by the side of the First Violins. Behind the Violoncellos stand the Double-Basses.
In the meanwhile, the players of the Woodwind have entered and have seated themselves in a row facing the Conductor,—the Clarinets by the Violas; then the Oboe and Cor Anglais (English Horn); and then the Flutes. Behind the Flutes are the Bassoons; and behind the Oboes and Clarinets are the French Horns. In the back row are Trombones, Trumpets, Drums, Triangle, Cymbals and other Percussion instruments. On the right, behind the First Violins, is the Harp.
They are all here now, each instrument in its own group, or family.
We cannot understand what any great city is like if we do not know something about the people who compose that city. Take New York, for instance; or London, or Paris, or Boston, or Washington, or Chicago, or San Francisco. Each city has a personality of its own; and so we speak of New York, or London, or Paris, or Boston, or Washington, just as if we were talking of an individual.
It is exactly the same with an Orchestra. Though composed of a collection of individual instruments, the Orchestra has an individual character of its own. It is a personality that speaks to us in the beautiful and inspiring language of music; and, therefore, after we learn about the instruments and what part each instrument has to play in forming this little orchestral city, as it were, we shall then turn our thoughts to the Orchestra itself.
The Orchestra is composed of three groups, or families, and one accessory group. Each of these three groups forms a choir of its own, of four parts,—soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
The most important group is that of the stringed instruments, or “Strings,” as this family is called. The Violins sing the soprano; the Violas, the alto, or tenor; the Violoncellos, the bass; and the Double-Basses, the deeper bass. All of the “Strings” are played with the bow.
The family next in importance is the “Woodwind,”—instruments consisting of a long tube made of wood through which the performer blows. Some of these are held horizontally, others longitudinally. These also play in four-part harmony, as it is called,—soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
The Brasswind family comprises the Horns, the Trumpets and Trombones. It forms another set of four voices—soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The performers blow through the tubes of these instruments. These instruments are usually spoken of as the “Brass.”
Last of all come the instruments of Percussion,—that is to say instruments that are beaten, or knocked, or struck, or thumped, or shaken, such as the Drums, Triangle, Cymbals and Tambourine. This group is also called the “Battery.”
With these three separate choirs grouped into three separate families, each with its special characteristics and accomplishments, the composer is able to do many wonderful things. For example, he can let any choir, or any instrument in that choir, sing a melody while the other choirs accompany it with lovely harmonies, or dispute with it, or start up another melody in opposition to it, or even make comments, pleasant or ill-natured, on it, as it were. Then, in addition, the composer has the “Battery” of beaten instruments to accent the rhythms, or to add sharp, bright, penetrating notes; dull, soft, deep thuds; mutterings and crashes.
The Harp does not belong to any family, or group.
The other instruments are very indifferent about him. Perhaps they regard him as an interloper. The Harp is not a regular member of the Orchestra: he is only an occasional guest. Although a stringed instrument, the Harp does not belong to the “Strings.” He comes from another line, another race,—from the minstrels and bards. The Harp has a poetic and a passionate utterance all his own, which is of an entirely different kind of poetry and passion from that of the Violin tribe.
Applause! Here comes the Conductor! He bows, walks to the stand, bows again and steps upon the platform. Now he turns and looks at the audience. His quick glance sweeps the whole house—from top gallery to parquet—and takes in everything, everywhere. He has now commanded the attention he desires. Everybody is getting quiet. We did not notice—perhaps because we were contributing to it ourselves—that there was a general rustle and chatter and movement. Now that there is a hush over everything we notice the contrast. But the Conductor is not quite satisfied. Some persons are still talking in the box above us. He looks at them and waits for them to finish. He does not have to wait long. They notice the reproof and their chatter ceases suddenly. Now all is quiet.
The Conductor turns and faces his men. He lifts the little, white stick that was lying beside the score on his desk, raps on the desk to command attention from his men and raises his right hand.
What is the first number? Let me see the programme. Thank you. Mendelssohn’s Overture to Midsummer Night’s Dream. Such lovely opening chords! How silvery, delicate, faint and far-away are those soft, gentle harmonies that melt into one another like the tender hues of sunset clouds! They are, indeed, “the horns of Elfland faintly blowing.”
As we hear them we are transported into another world,—a world of fancy and delight. We enter Fairyland ourselves!
Listen to the Violins! Can we not see the tiny flower-fairies, myriads and myriads of them? Here they come,—tripping, dancing, twirling, winding, flying, floating, laughing, singing and running lightly in rhythmic steps to the gay melody on the Strings. The horns call again; and again the fairies come, myriads and myriads more of them,—tripping, dancing, twirling, winding, flying, floating, laughing, singing and running lightly in rhythmic steps to the gay melody as did the first merry troupe.
Again the Elfin horns! Could anything be more enchanting than those lovely, melting harmonies of the fairy sentinels and little body-guard of Queen Titania?
We seem to have left the Concert Hall now. We are in a beautiful English forest glade where the grass is very green and where the beech trees throw out upon the sward great, long, gnarled and snaky roots covered with emerald moss. And here, on a bank canopied o’er with luscious honeysuckle and sweet musk roses and eglantines, and where the nodding violets and sweet-smelling thyme make us drowsy with their delightful perfume, we see Titania and her tiny Elfin train gather. They charm away the spotted snakes with double tongue, thorny hedgehogs, weaving spiders and beetles black, so that their Queen may sleep in peace. Off they go on various errands, leaving near the softly-breathing Titania a little fairy sentinel standing on an eglantine and holding a sharp spear of grass. Again we hear the delicate, silvery horns of Elfland; and, with the last lingering chord, the Enchanted Forest vanishes.
These subtle harmonies touched our imaginations and evoked that lovely picture!
The Conductor lays down his bâton. All is over!
We have often read in Fairy Tales how only those who had tasted dragon’s blood could understand the language of birds and animals.
It is precisely the same with regard to Orchestral music. Only those whose ears are educated can appreciate all its meaning and its beauty. When we taste dragon’s blood, so to speak, we understand the language of music and enter into a new world of delight that is closed to the uninitiated.
The Orchestra throws open for us magic casements that look upon a realm beyond that of everyday reality; and the more we know of the Orchestra, the greater will be our power to enter that sphere of enchantment. Therefore, our first step will be to inquire into the history and capacities of the instruments that give the Orchestra its very existence.