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Scan 65
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians, 1904
22 lines. Read by computer on 6 September 2026. Printed page 46. See the scan on archive.org.
1so prominent a feature of the work. As one example out of several that might be quoted, we give the opening symphony of the chorus 'To thee, Cherubin.' Handel writes:
32 Trombe.
5These trumpet parts are assuredly not easy; still they are practicable. Mendelssohn however alters the whole passage thus:—
7Flauti.
8Oboi. f
9Clarinetti in C.
10Corni in D.
113 Trombe in D.
13and, still worse, when the symphony is repeated in the original by oboes and bassoons, the arranger gives it to the full wind band with trumpets and drums, entirely disregarding the ideas of the composer. The chief objection to be urged against such a method of procedure as the above—so unlike Mendelssohn's usual reverence and modesty 1—is not that the instrumentation is changed or added to, but that the form and character of the passage itself are altered. Every arrangement must stand or fall upon its own merits; but it will be generally admitted that however allowable it may be, nay more, however necessary it frequently is, to change the dress in which ideas are presented to us, the ideas themselves should be left without modification.
157. Besides the cases already referred to, passages are frequently to be found, especially in the works of Bach, in which, though no obsolete instruments are employed, and though everything is perfectly practicable, the effect, if played as written, will in our modern orchestras altogether differ from that designed by the composer. From a letter written by Bach in 1730 2 we know exactly the strength of the band for which he wrote. Besides the wind instruments, it contained only two or at most three first and as many second violins, two first and two second violas, two violoncellos and one double-bass, thirteen strings in all. Against so small a force the solo passages for the wind instruments would stand out with a prominence which in our modern orchestras, often containing from fifty to sixty strings, would no longer exist; and as all the parts in Bach's music are almost invariably of equal importance, it follows that the wind parts must be strengthened if the balance of tone is to be preserved. This is especially the case in the choruses. It would be impossible, without quoting an entire page of one of Bach's scores, to give an extract clearly showing this point. Those who are familiar with his works will recall many passages of the kind. One of the best known, as well as one of the most striking examples, is in the short chorus 'Lass ihn kreuzigen' in the 'Passion according to Matthew.' Here an important counterpoint is given to the flutes above the voices and stringed instruments. With a very small band and chorus this counterpoint would doubtless be heard, but with our large vocal and instrumental forces it must inevitably be lost altogether. Franz, in his edition of the 'Passion,' has reinforced the flutes by the upper notes of the clarinets, which possess a great similarity of tone, and at the same time by their more incisive quality make themselves distinctly heard above the other instruments.
178. In Handel's orchestra the organ was almost invariably used in the choruses to support the voices, and give fulness and richness to the general body of tone. Hence in Mozart's arrangements, which were written for performance without an organ, he has supplied the place of that instrument by additional wind parts. In many of the choruses of the 'Messiah' (e.g. 'And the glory of the Lord,' 'Behold the Lamb of God,' 'But thanks be to God,' etc.) the wind instruments simply fill in the harmony as it may fairly be conjectured the organ would do. Moreover, our ears are so accustomed to a rich and sonorous instrumentation, that this
191 The Te Deum and Acis were instrumented by Mendelssohn as an exercise for Zelter. The date on the MS. of Acis is January 1829. He mentions them in a letter to Devrient in 1833, speaking of his additions to the Te Deum as 'interpolations of a very arbitrary kind, mistakes as I now consider them, which I am anxious to correct.' It is a thousand pities that the work should have been published.
212 See Bitter, Johann Sebastian Bach, ii. 15-22.
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