Scan 105
The American History and Encyclopedia of Music, 1924
6 lines. Read by computer on 10 September 2026. Printed page 83. See the scan on archive.org.
1whisper to a fierce roar, and can be used in melodic passages of any quality. The violas and violoncellos possess many similar qualities. The voice of the viola in certain passages has a refined, veiled beauty, exclusively its own. The violoncellos may be taken from their duty of supplying the bass of the orchestra, supported as they usually are (an octave lower) by the double basses, and made to figure in melodic passages, giving a tone of romantic richness impossible for the violins or violas. Only since the beginning of the Nineteenth Century has the double bass been allowed any function but that of doubling of the violoncellos. Beethoven discovered many new possibilities for it, and it now may carry an individual part. Although its voice is the lowest in the orchestra, the tones of the violoncello are much firmer, giving the effect of being louder.
3In the stringed instruments, the fourth and second strings cannot be played together without the third sounding, making many chords impossible. When writing music for these instruments, the convenience of the fingers of the player's left hand must be considered, their proper order being, as a rule, the first finger to the fourth string, the second to the third, and so on. The fewer notes required of each instrument, the better will they be played, and often a chord is divided between two instruments when the whole could not be played easily by one.
5The judicious use of the double bass is one of the niceties of orchestration, for there are times when it can be left out most effectively, and yet is indispensable in other connections. However, with the best of treatment for the violins or for the basses, there will be no solidity to a composition if the middle voices are not treated skilfully. If the viola cannot undertake the middle part alone, temporary assistance must be demanded of the other members of the stringed quintette. Although capable of great force and beauty when used alone, the strings can accompany equally as well; they can be subdued until their sound is no
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