2022 Reprint of the 1925 Edition. Includes illustrations. Exact facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This well-known study by an eminent musicologist constitutes one of the best mid-level explorations of the nature and function of the orchestra. Tracing the beginnings of modern music from the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries, the survey presents forty-four musical excerpts and thirteen sketches of instruments, plus appendices and quotations related to conducting methods. Featured composers include Purcell, Scarlatti, Bach, Handel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Wagner, Debussy, Elgar, and many others. The author examines the evolution of individual musical instruments along with varying performance techniques and concepts of instrumental color. He further explores the recognition of major instrumental groups and their musical distinctions, decisions regarding volume and balance of tone, the influence of musical subject matter upon orchestration, and many similar topics. This volume represents a splendid resource for music students, enthusiasts of musical history and classical music, and music lovers of all ages.
Contents: Orchestral instruments in the seventeenth century -- Sixteenth century. Early works -- Seventeenth century. The initial period -- Seventeenth century. The initial period (continued) -- Purcell-Scarlatti : the four-part string orchestra -- -- Bach and Handel -- Transition : Gluck -- The period of Haydn and Mozart -- Orchestral instruments in the nineteenth century -- Nineteenth century, first quarter. Beethoven , Schubert , Weber , Rossini -- Nineteenth century, second quarter. Meyerbeer , Berlioz , Mendelssohn , Glinka -- The period of Wagner -- The period of Brahms-Tschaikovsky -- Strauss , Debussy , Elgar - Conclusion.