MU SIC.
THE CULT OF THE ORCHESTRA.
THOUGH the cult of the orchestra has undoubtedly attained startling dimensions within the last ten years, many of the special features of modern instrumental co-operation were forestalled in the last, or at the beginning of the present, century. For example, when the second Earl of Mount- Edgcumbe—tke "Old Amateur" whose Reminiscences, long out of print, are not only excellent reading, but full of illuminative information on the musical history of the period covered—went on the grand tour in 1783, he heard in Venice performances of oratorios in the chapel of the Conservatorio dei Mendicanti in which " not only all the vocal, but the in- strumental parts were executed by women concealed from view in a grated gallery," while at a morning concert he en- joyed " the almost incredible sight of an entire orchestra of female performers." Nearly a hundred years were yet to elapse before Madame Norman-N6ruda—now Lady Halle— was destined to oust the pianoforte from its monopoly of feminine fingers; but Tartini, the greatest violinist of the last century, had many female pupils, to one of whom, by the way, he addressed that most interesting letter on the style and practice of that instrument which may be found in the appendix to Ole Bull's Memoir. Even more curious, to revert to Lord Mount-Edgcumbe, is it to find him assailing Rossini, then—circ. ann. 1824—in the zenith of his fame, on precisely the same grounds adopted by the opponents of Wagner thirty, forty, and fifty years later. Thus he talks of the whole vocal part being "almost overpowered by so loud and busy an accompani- ment that the voices themselves are nearly lost. It is really distressing to hear the leading voice strained almost to cracking in order to be audible over a full chorus and full orchestra, strengthened often by trumpets, trombones, kettle• drums, and the noisiest instruments." Again he writes : "I have often heard it 'seriously remarked that his operas sound best when performed without the voices. Strange praise for vocal music, which I have considered as the finest
vehicle for feeling and for passion. At the same time, I must allow there is truth in the remark, for Rossini gives so much importance to the orchestra, and so labours his accompaniments, that the vocal part is really often the least prominent, and overwhelmed, not supported." Similarly we find Thibaut, the German critic, in 1825 accusing Chem-
. bini of "allowing an extravagant and meddlesome predomi- nance to the instrumental accompaniment." In 1824 Lord Mount-Edgcumbe went to hear Rossini's Zel tiara, containing "some of his noisiest pieces, of which I subsequently heard one at a concert; it was stunning,"—the epithet is applied in its literal sense. In a word, the " dominion of din," as a modern writer has termed it, is no new thing, and across the ages primeval savages and concert-goers of to-day clasp hands in their worship of extravagant sonority and instruments of percussion. The guitar was once the fashionable instrument par excellence; in a few years, to judge from present tenden- cies, we should not be surprised if it were the kettle-drum or the tam-tam.
If, however, history has only been repeating itself in the matter of female violinists, female orchestras, and, in general, the development of instrumental at the expense of vocal music, it must be admitted that it has repeated itself with a vengeance. What was formerly the exception has now almost become the rule. If a practical test be required we have only to refer to the figures of the entries at the Royal Academy of Music in the years 1884, 1898, and 1899, which we have been allowed to consult by the courtesy of the Principal. There we find that in the first year mentioned, out of a total of 173 entries (131 female and 42 male), 83 :those pianoforte as their "first study," 72 singing, and 10 the violin. That was about the time when leading musicians were beginning to express the wish that students would take up some other instrument besides the everlasting piano, and their wish has been amply gratified. In 1898 the entries were 210 (173 female and 37 male students), and the 4` first studies" stood as follows : Singing 81, pianoforte 79, and violin 35. This year the figures up to October are still more significant, for out of 220 entries (182 female, and male 38) 94 chose singing, 73 the pianoforte, and 45 the violin. We should explain that in each year the balance of the aggregate is made up by students who take up the 'cello, organ, harp, flute, or composition, but that in no single instance do the numbers reach double figures. An analysis of the figures given above shows that whereas fifteen years ago the piano was the "first study" of nearly half the students at the Royal Academy, it now stands first in the affections of only one-third, while simultaneously the number of those study- ing the violin has increased more than fourfold. The proportion of the sexes, again, shows a significant change. Fifteen years ago the male students numbered nearly a quarter of the total ; to-day they have sunk to little more than a sixth. A couple of years ago there was not a single male student of the 'cello at the Royal College of Music. Truly a lamentable state of affairs in the opinion of those pessimists who share Rubin- stein's curious view that the deterioration of modern music is due in great measure to the ever-increasing number of female executants. Rubinstein, were he alive, would doubtless take eome consolation from the fact that women players, no matter how accomplished, are still excluded from the ranks of our leading professional orchestras,—always excepting harpists. But Rubinstein went so far as to hazard the surmise that the musical GOtterdammerung was even now at our gates, a view perhaps not altogether unconnected with his failure as a composer.
One main feature of the present musical situation, then, is the immensely increased number of those who cultivate or are in- terested in orchestral instruments or orchestral music. We say orchestral instruments advisedly, for it is by no means uncom- mon nowadays to find enthusiastic amateurs, and even ladies, devoting their attention not only to the violin and 'cello, but to the double bass, clarinet, horn, and other wind in- struments. Not long ago it came to the knowledge of the present writer that a gentleman in large practice as a solicitor, who lived at some distance from London, and was besides often obliged to undertake long railway journeys, contrived, by securing an emptycompartment whenever possible, to utilise the hours spent in the train in practising the trombone, upon which, being a keen and enthusiastic musician, he soon attained sufficient proficiency to make himself exceed- ingly useful in an amateur orchestra. Truly it is the busiest people who can always find time for more work. As regards professional players on the orchestral, and especially wind, instruments, they are probably on the increase too, but here it is difficult to secure trust- worthy statistics. Wind-instrument players often study at home—there are musical as well as theatrical families —or, from economical motives, they prefer to go to acade- mies where an all-round course of study is not insisted upon. At the Royal College of Music the system of endow- ment provides for a certain number of scholarships for wind instruments, which places the Kensington Gore institution at an advantage as compared with its elder sister at Tenterden Street.
This exaltation of the orchestra, of which obvious evidence is forthcoming in the enormous increase of orchestral concerts and the enhanced importance attaching to the status of conductor, is attended by so many delightful features that we are apt to overlook some of the drawbacks attendant upon our partial emancipation from the tyranny of the piano. That the orchestra should be the dominant factor in the present phase of the evolution of the art of music is inevitable, since progress on the old melodic lines must lead to a constant indulgence on the part of composers in the historic imprecation pereant qui nostra dixerunt ante ?UM But while we recognise the gain involved in this inevitable development of the harmonic side of music, the splendour of its colouring, the gorgeousness of its effects, and the kaleidoscopic variety of its combinations, it is permissible to reckon up the losses as well. There is something vulgar in what an American critic has happily called " Jumbomania," in the worship of mammoth dimensions, the idea that no band is worth listening to which does not contain a hundred performers, while the costliness of such entertainments effectually precludes their exerting an educational influence on the taste of the masses. Again, a big band is not always a. good band, and, as it has been excellently said, a bad band is the worst of all accom- paniments. The elevation of the conductor, again, though infinitely lest detrimental than the apotheosis of the prima donna—of whom Berlioz once wrote : " Such women are regular monsters, and all the more formidable to composers that they are often charming monsters "—is not always con- ducive to the best interests of the art, since the fashionable chef d'orchestre is often more concerned to impress his own individuality on the work he produces than to interpret the intentions of the composer, while in the choice of works be is more often influenced by the opportunities which they pre- sent for the display of his band than by their intrinsic merit. Many people nowadays go to concerts not so much to hear Beethoven or Wagner as so-and-so's " readings " of those masters, In other words, virtuosity, or the exhibition of transcendental technical excellence, has been transferred from individuals to masses. Again, the power of the weapon—the modern orchestra—placed at his disposal often tempts the composer to a merciless display of his strength. Our young lions are always roaring, or, to borrow Rubinstein's simile, they paint with all the colours in their palette. Thibaut, writing in 1825, declared that "it seems to have become a favourite idea to keep all the instruments constantly em- ployed." We wonder what the author of "Parity in Musical Art " would have said of the orgiastic sonority of the modern Russian school ! It is certainly a strange thing that music, once credited with charms to soothe the savage breast, should now be so largely used as a means to excite and inflame the emotions of highly civilised audiences. Already, however, signs of a reaction against the oppressive domination of the romantic Nihilists are discernible, and in a few years amateurs will perhaps have ceased to frequent concerts from a motive not altogether unlike that which impels the British tourist to
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