February 8, 19 2 3
MUSICAL COURIER
24
PRACTICAL INSTRUMENTATION
For School, Popular and Symphony Orchestras
By FRANK PATTERSON
Author of The Perfect Modernist
[Sixth Installment]
Copyrighted, 1923, by The Musical Courier Company.
The effect of the sforzando would be spoiled by a continuation of the harmony through the second bar. The very basis of sforzando is sudden cessation. It must, however, be said that it is possible to have soft chords continued through the silent bar. The sforzando takes place chiefly in the brass and, if vigorous enough, will have its effect in spite of the fact that there is not a complete cessation of sound. This does not apply here, however, where the counterpoint must be played without support. The four quarter notes on the bass and drum add an additional humorous effect to this passage. (Compare the opening of Finlandia by Sibelius.)
An illustration of “stop time” is quoted (Ex. 15) from Stealing, published by Feist, arranged by Frank E. Barry.
Ex. 15
Like nearly all of this popular orchestration, this is an American invention, and is amazingly effective. The general character of it (again like nearly all of this orchestration) is humorous. It may be played, and often is played, without the counterpoint. The writer has heard it so used to accompany a comic act on the vaudeville stage, its humorous character being thus clearly demonstrated.
The melody is played by the trumpet, strings and piano in full staccato chords. This is the basis of the “stop time” effect. The counterpoint, here shown in thirds doubled at the octave, may be written in single notes, or may, as has already been stated, be omitted altogether. The drum here plays the rhythm of the melody, but might, as in the next example, play the rhythm of the counterpoint.
Another effect, somewhat similar to this, is introduced frequently into American popular music with the sole object of bringing out some orchestral device that the arranger or conductor wants particularly to be heard. This consists of a complete cessation of both melody and accompaniment so that the orchestral device may stand forth clearly uncovered.
In order that this may be properly understood the student is advised to listen to the Victor record (No. 18962-B) of Cow Bells, played by Zez Confrey and his orchestra, Mr. Confrey at the piano.
There are several passages in this arrangement where the entire orchestra is silent while the piano plays a counterpoint. It is to be noted particularly by the student that this countrapuntal embellishment does not interfere in any way with the rhythm of the music and does not add to the number of bars in the phrase.
This record also illustrates the slide on the trombone and, in many places, the clear entrance of the brass, which is very effective and shows how an effect must “come through.” Also, towards the end, there is a counterpoint on the strings (ascending chords) while the rest of the orchestra is silent, and several similar effects with brass alone and cow bells alone.
It will prove useful to the student to study numerous talking machine records with the one idea constantly in mind to hear what effects “come through” and what effects do not “come through” and why.
{To be continued)
In both cases the chords are full. They should be to get proper sonority, except when some special effect is desired. It would require too much space to reduce all of our examples to chords as in Ex. 12, but the student is earnestly urged to do so. Orchestration cannot be learned by merely reading what is written about it, and still less by playing scores or by listening to orchestras. It must be really studied, and the best study consists, first of all, in knowing exactly what the arrangement would look like if reduced to its simplest possible shape, i. e., to two lines of music. Only in this shape can the eye take in instantly the actual position of the notes irrespective of the instruments׳ by which they are played. Only in this way can one ever know what is being said apart from the instrument that is saying it.׳
The student is urged to get into his mind and memory once for all that the thing that makes orchestration is the absolute arrangement of the music itself, not the instruments by which it is played. No perfection of orchestral color can ever make up for deficiencies of basic arrangement. A chord that is empty—thin—will be empty and thin, no matter what instruments play it, no matter how many instruments play it, no matter how much noise there is. The first thing to learn about orchestration is arrangement—and it is the very last thing that is generally learned. The books are silent upon the one thing that the student wants first of all to know, and ought first of all to know—how the music is to be arranged, whether or not his piano sketch is to be elaborated or merely transcribed for the orchestra, when and where octaves are to be used, parts׳ doubled, to what extent harmonies should be sustained, in which octave the bass should stand, etc., etc.
A short example from Georgia, published by Leo Feist, arranged by Frank E. Barry, will shed further light upon the matter of solidity of arrangement and will lead up to an examination of the “stop time” chorus. Ex. 13 shows, first of all, a sustained chord for the full orchestra, an evident sforzando effect, followed by a contrapuntal embellishment unaccompanied.
The chords here are written as they would be for the piano or organ—-the bass not repeated in the upper voices. There is tremolo on the piano, strings and drum. The chords are full on the piano, on the strings, and in the wind group, where the melody note is doubled at the octave. Ex. 14 shows the chords reduced. The expression mark, placed in the cut under the trombone, pp-ff, refers to all of the instruments, the whole orchestra.
(The upper drum part should be marked with cross dashes for tremolo, like the strings. These marks were omitted from the cut by mistake.)