March 8,19 23
24
MUSICAL COURIER
PRACTICAL INSTRUMENTATION
For School, Popular and Symphony Orchestras
By FRANK PATTERSON Author of The Perfect Modernist
[Tenth Installment]
Copyrighted, 1923, by The Musical Courier Company.
Another example from the pen of the same writer is given in order to show what he does with an arpeggio—always easy (and prominent) in piano music, but difficult for the orchestra. (Ex. 22a.)
Such problems are solved in many different ways׳—very frequently the arpeggio is omitted altogether, something ■else being substituted for it. And, similarly, arpeggios are frequently added in piano arrangements from orchestra scores, so as to represent the sustained tone of the orchestra.
In this example there is almost no instrument in the small orchestra which will play all of these notes. The cello might, but the upper notes would be difficult, being almost two octaves above the highest open string. The viola might play all but the first note, the low G, but the high notes would also be difficult for the viola (i. e., for players in small orchestras). The violins have not the lower notes, but might be used, it being not uncommon to join together such a passage, starting on the cello and then rushing up on the violin. The arranger in this case prefers the clarinet, which can very easily play all but the lowest note. The cello gives it a strong start, playing not the first note alone, but the first three notes. (Ex. 22b.)
Ex. 22b.
Ob.
It will be noted that the tympani (kettle drums) support the bass. The wood and horns form a complete picture, except the last note of the melody, omitted in the flute because, perhaps, of the soft quality desired. The brass is omitted. The second bar of this example should be carefully examined. The oboe is placed above the flute—the space between the flute and the sustained second clarinet is more than an octave, being filled in by the second violin—the fifth above the bass is held only by the horn—and the third of the chord, B, is finally doubled on four instruments: Cello, viola, horn and clarinet.
[To he continued1
Arranging from Piano Score
The point to be emphasized is this: That absolutely no attention is paid in the orchestra to the complex counterpoint of the solo voices. What dissonances occur simply occur. They are not avoided. No attempt is made to avoid them, but the basic harmony and leading melody are extremely simple and extremely clear.
This is the principle—and by the modernists it has been grossly exaggerated. They have not, perhaps, gone too far. We know nothing about that. Only the future can speak as to that point. But they have gone too fast. They have written such mazes of harmonies and dissonances that not only has the basic harmony ceased to be clear, but the melodic line as well. It is useless to write for the public something that the public is quite unable to comprehend.
The question of balance, i. e., the relative loudness of the various parts, enters prominently into such a piece of orchestration as is found in Ex. 20. Will the solo voices be strong enough? Will the melody be strong enough? Will the rhythm on the horns be strong enough? Or will all of these essential elements be buried out of sight—or out of hearing?
The answer is that the success or failure of such a passage depends entirely upon the conductor. It is his duty to bring out the essential features and relegate to second place the accompaniment and. support. Even great composers, like, for instance, Wagner, the greatest of all, have made what must be considered mistakes.
Writers of the modem German school easily fall into this sort of error, especially in the matter of the human voice, so that one sees singers with their mouths open and their muscles strained, evidently shouting to the best of their ability, but no sound of their voices emerges from the ruck. This, of course, is bad. Perhaps interpretation has something to do with it. Certainly we know that Wagner was accused of exactly the same thing years ago, but proper interpretation has brought out his intentions since. It may be the same with these modems.
And from this we get an important lesson—not to be over-anxious—afraid of making mistakes. The greatest mistake that talent can make is that of producing too little or not producing at all. It may be taken as sure that if the work is the expression of really worth-while musical thought means will be found to give it a proper production. Many works must be subjected to revision. But—and this is no less important—no work that does not show an evident technical mastery will inspire conductors to give their time to it. For conductors realize perfectly that even the thought itself could not grow out of ignorance.
The question which, in the ordinary course of things, actually confronts the composer is how to reduce his piano score to the best sounding orchestra score. Suppose, for instance, we take the opening bars of a movement from the Oriental Suite by Trinkaus, published by Witmark. (Ex. 21a.)
Ex. 21a.
, Piano Solo
An experienced man like Trinkaus probably conceives the thing directly for orchestra in the first place and has the sound of it in his head, but the student will not find this to be the case, at least at first, and in listening to the orchestra he will often be puzzled as to how the thing is constructed. In both cases he will undoubtedly sooner or later get back to the abstract notes, the outline sketch of the music, irrespective of any instrumental tone. If he plays it at all he will play it on the piano or organ—and then proceed to break his head over two problems, problems that are quite distinct: first, by what instruments shall it be played; second, how much shall the parts be doubled?
There are a dozen or more answers to the first question: strings, brass or wood alone; strings with brass; strings with wood; brass with wood, each playing the full chords, or each playing only one note of the chord. Shall there be mutes or not? Shall the strings play the lower octave and the wood the upper octave, or will some other arrangement be better?
How Trinkaus solves the problem is shown in Ex. 21b.
It is to be remembered that he is writing for small orchestra (very wisely making his music attractive to the publishers and available for theaters, hotels and movie houses). In addition to the instruments here shown he has trombone, drums and bass violins, but they are not needed in this passage. A single player plays both flute and piccolo parts, and here uses the piccolo (the notes here shown are the actual sound—they are written an octave lower). He uses the piccolo presumably because its tone, in this middle register, is softer than that of the flute.
As for the rest, it is seen that the opening bars are played by muted comets (trumpets)—in what follows, the staccato bass is played by the bassoon, two horns and the cellos. The score appears to be complete without the piano.