FOR OUR BOYS & GIRLS

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 464, 19 April 1890, Page 6

FOR OUR BOYS & GIRLS

The Choice of an Instrument.

EDITED BY MRS FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT. [COPYRIGHT.]; [All Rights Reserved.]

By Professor C. V. Stanford. Oor youth, at all events the masculine section of it, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two, have to study and solve problem of their future life. ‘ What are you going to be,?’ is a question which has to be weighed with care and answered with' decision. If the choice is made haphazard, so much the worse for the chooser. But many of the youth of both sexes, at a much earlier stage of their career, are obliged in the course of their education to make a choice, smaller, apparently, in importance, but still likely to influence their future life, and in some cases, to absorb ic—that of a musical instrument. ’* What are gou going to play on ?’ is a question which is seldom or ever put to the young patient. The choice is usually in the hands of the parent or teacher; it is but seldom considered with sufficient care or forethought, and if it is made haphazard, so much the worse, not only for the player, but also for his or her neighbours. Music, partly from the inherent taste of the people, partly from its well-proven power as a purifier and refiner of human nature, is daily becoming an increasingly important factor in general Education. In many public schools, where, twenty years ago, the divine art whs considered a girlish amusement, and despised accordingly, it has become one of. the most popular accomplishments. From being in the dubious position of an * extra,’ it has taken its place among the other branches of the ordinary curriculum. As a natural consequence, the number of men and women who make music their business in after life is largely on the increase,’the improved means of teaching having developed talents which in more barbarous times lav unsuspected and undiscovered. Nor is this improvement confined to the upper classes. The wave of artistic advance is influencing with equal' force the undergraduates of our Universities and the working population of such districts as the West Riding of Yorkshire, the mining country of South Wales and the Black Country. The admirable institutions which have lately placed good performances of classical chamber-music within the reach of the artisans of East and North London can bear \vitness to the growth of taste amongst the roughest of them. This improvement in musical culture may be said to pervade with equal influence the classes and the masses, and to form one of the many healthy common interests., which, despite some of our guiding spirits, keep and will continue to keep them in touch with one another. For the cultivation of music it is necessary, in the first place, to make choice of an

instrument, either that natural and most

perfect one contained in the human throat, •"' or, failing the possession of a good voice (or as tending to assist in its cultivation and development), one of the manyinventions of human genius for the production of musical sounds. Few persons exercise sufficient judgment in that choice, or consider the many advantages not only to the. player himself but also to the community which result from a judicious forethought in the selection. There have been exceptions even in-the amateur life of England which in themselves are enough to prove the rule —where, for instance, the distribution of stringed instruments among the young members of a family has resulted in a mutual improvement and enjoyment, and in a widened cultivation which carries its beneficial effects far outside the range of the home circle. The vast majority, however, without even a semblance of hesitation or consideration, set down the . .young tyro before the instrument which is at once the most selfish and least . acoustically satisfactory, the pianoforte. To give an impartial and judicial summary of its merits and demerits would fil the pages of a goodly quarto volume ; but ah endeavour may be made to epitomise them here. No doubt the piano has the advantage of an easy arrangement of the notes to the finger, of presenting an obvious relationship of the sounds and the notes which produce them, of easily managed gradation of force, and, speaking generally,’ of a wide power of producing, ' unassisted by other instruments, a version of a musical composition which is fairly complete and harmonically satisfactory in itself. On the other hand it has the disadvantage of being, inherently out of tune, incapable of sustaining sounds, metallic and invariable in quality of tone, and one of the most clumsy and intractable pieces of movable furniture. The study of the piano alone leads, by the very semblance of completeness which its capabilities afford, to a selfish satisfaction in the player, which, unless checked and counteracted by the practice of concerted music, Inust result in confined interests and inelastic sensibility. An orchestral masterpiece in its pianoforte dress is but.a poor photographic reproduction of a great picture. It is both incomplete and • misleading as a substitute for the study of the work, of art itself, and is only of use as a colourless reminiscence of ifS effect. With the great works specially written for the instrument the case is different, but not somarkedly so as it would at-; first eight appear to be. Beethoven’s sonatas have often, and with justice, been described as orchestral symphonies in miniature; Schubert’s larger pianoforte compositions, especially those - for four hands, are so orchestral in character, as to suggest beyond a doubt that he would have composed them iu that form, if he had not been deterred by the: difficulty of getting them performed. Chopin’s works may be said to be pure pianoforte music, and in this respect he stands well-nigh alone amongst the masters. The earlier writers, such as Scarlatti, Haydn, and Mozart, com-

- posed their sonatas for ap instrument of far ■•-'-different quality, .the ..harpsichord! which, although incapable of brute fbree or of nice gradations of tone, was more sympathetic if less penetrating than the pianoforte. It ie,. ofcourse, a member of the harp family, and beyond shape and key system has no resemblance to its percussion cousin.

But the main drawbacks to the pianoforte » - as an instrument of exclusive study are its incapability of sustaining sound and its innate imphrity bf'intbnation.- The former of these grave defects results in a lack of -solidity; and' eauses a tendency to hurry and flashiness without any compensating balance of quietness and rest. With regard

to the latter it may be said that the equalisation of temperament is a necessity, but its adoption.-h'as seriously damaged accuracy of ear in our generation. ' A pianist' who later in . his course of study takes up the violin will.in.most cases be incapable of appreciating the true intervals. An addi-' tional proof may be found in the difficulty which choirs both of amateur and professional musicians find in maintaining the pitch of an unaccompanied piece. This difficulty can invariably be traced to the faultyabtack of theleadingnote,anote which on the equally-tuned pianoforte is of course flat. On the other hand country choirs and choral bodies, which are not composed so extensively of persons who are in daily contact with the piano, are as a rule far purer in their intonation. The pianoforte undoubtedly produces a tendency to inaccuracy of intonation, and if once the ear is permitted to accustom itself to this deteri- * oration it rapidly begins to pardon the I inaccuracy and even to enlarge the limits of its powers of forgiveness. The step ' from equal temperament to an imperfectlytuned piano is a short one, and’ it is at least a tenable theory that much of the faulty intonation amongst singers is the result of allowing the instruments to which they practise to go without sufficient supervision on the part of tbe tuner, a quiet submission to circumstances which is but the natural consequence of the acceptance of equalised temperament. Large crimes generally have their - germs .in small neglected faults. . It is well tfyat these considerations should be carefully weighed before the piano is chosen as the first instrument wherewith to train the juvenile ear.' , If it is- so chosen'it will in mosfcinstances be advisable to add to it the study of some instrument capable of perfect intonation such as the violin or the human voice, in order that the ill-effects may be minimised, and, if possible; destroyed. The question of the advisability of training in music by means of two distinct instruments (the voice included) has been of late settled with the certainty born of experience. When that most excellent of men and most sterling of musicians, Sterndale Bennett, undertook the management of the ; Royal Academy of Music, one of his first pieces of legislation was to insist upon each pupil having an alternate instrument, technically called a ‘ second study.’ Even from a practical standpoint alone this step was of the wisest, for each student had in case of necessity a ‘ second string to his bow.’ If the singer lost his voice his musical training did not go for nothing ;,.a pianist whose hand was injured had another instrument by which he could earn his living. Moreover, the cultivation, as second studies, of various orchestral instruments gave facilities for ensemble practice, which helped forward the performance of orchestral music, while it acted favourably on the studies of the individual executants. This excellent system has also been adoptedfrom the first by the Royal College of Music, and has already produced excellent results, gingers who would find difficulties in obtaining a livelihood at the start of their career, have been able ,to take organistships to assist them. Young composers have learned the-technicalities and treatment of the instruments for which they have to write. The study of the results of this method of training throws some light upon the relative value of the instruments to their, players as a means of livelihood. Excluding examples of such, exceptional ability as will always command a high value in any market, and taking an average of ordinary talent, it. may. be said that the pecuniary prospects of a pianist are least, of a wind instrument player greatest, and of an organist or violinist vefy considerable. From a teacher’s point of view, a competent piano professor has prospects of income greater than the wind instrument player, and about equal to the violinist and the organist. How long he will retain this advantage depends largely upon the taste and fancy of the’ time. It would be -a healthy sign if the teaejiers of the wind and stringed instruments had the largest prac-. tice, for it would point to a movement in the direction of concerted playing, and eventually ; to. the establishment' of local orchesbias in the country. There are not' wanting 'signs that the study of stringed instruments is becoming far more widely disseminated within the last few years ; and as it is a matter of greater difficulty to ‘dabble’ in the violin than in the-pianoforte, .it may be assumed that the study is likely to be more serious and deep-seated. The number, indeed, of lady-violinists of good technique and sound musicianship has increased so largely that it will soon become a serious question whether they ought not to, be admitted into the ranks of orchestral players. Such a step would no doubt be as warmly debated 1 and as hotly canvassed as the question of female suffrage. We may expect heart-burnings and rebellions which may even lead to a temporary disaster. But it is undoubtedly an illogical proceeding which permits a Neiuda to play the solo part in a concerto, and denies a place in the orchestra which accompanies her to the less brilliant but thoroughly solid and trustworthy players of her own sex. As yet the thin edge of the wedge is represented by one or two solitary lady-harpists, but where is the line to be drawn ? A famous conductor, who was interrogated on the point, could find no more adequate plea to support his uncompromising opposition than the complimentary excuse that the presence of even one fair ladyviolinist in the orchestra would imperil the attention of the gentlemen to the counting of the bars and the beat of the conductor. The recent- decisions with regard to the . London County Council may have a more strictly legal basis, but how long will the law itself remain unaltered? Who, even the most prejudiced, would stake his last dollar on the permanent exclusion of ladies' from an orchestra? ‘Sufficient unto the day ’ is the last refuge of their opponents ; meantime it is impossible to deny that the chances of lucrative employment for the lady-violinist are increasing apace. In the case of wind instruments it may be said that every capable person , who, masters one of the numerous inventions at his disposal is doing his part in helping forward the spread of orchestral music. This, the highest form of musical enjoyment and the most influential in its effects upon the public, is the crying want of our country. With the exception of Manchester and Liverpool, and more recently of Birmingham, there is no complete provincial orchestra in a single English, Scotch, or Irish city of importance. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast, Leeds, New- ( castle, all alike are destitute of an organised body of resident orchestral players. If it were not for the efforts of Sir • Charles Halle and Mr Manns, they would never hear a symphony, overture, or concerto from year’s end to year’s end. Mr Sewell at Bradford and Mr Riseley at Bristol, are making heroic and successful efforts to found local associations of players, but they have found no imitators in our other great centres. The result is a con : tinual stagnation of orchestral players, in . London, where the market has become clogged and overstocked with the most pitiful results. The study .of orchestral instruments both by amateurs and professionals throughout the country would in,a short time do'mucb to relieve this undue pressure in 'the metropolis. • If the satisfaction to the individual player is

not at the moment so complete as that produced by the study of the pianoforte, the results of combination with his neighbours will in the end prove infinitely more repaying/' Much also might be done in the direction of orchestral institutions if the choristers, in'our cathedrals were encouraged to take' up such instruments. The attempt was made many years ago at Armagh, and met with a success which only ceased when the disendowment of the Irish Church crippled the sources of income at the disposal of the authorities. A systematic training would not only act favourably on the singing of the boys, but would also prove a source of income to them after their dismissal from the choir. The last remnant of village orchestras, thebassoons and oboes which accompanied the parish services half a century back, may have been trying tosensitive ears, but more good would have been done by improving than by abolishing them. In far too many matters connected with our churches restoration has spelt destruction. In the West Riding of Yorkshire good work is still e.guobein dThe competitions amongst local wind bands are becoming more and more popular, and with the best results. The material is rough perhaps, but it is capable of refinement, and refinement will come with increased knowledge and experience. In Wales the Eisteddfods are encouraging similar efforts ; but with these wholesome exceptions the British record is a blank. It rests with parents and guardians to do their share in wiping away the reproach. The study of the organ is one possessing .a great fascination for the young student. The obstacles to its cultivation have been to a great extent removed. The touch is now as light as that of a Broadwood pianoforte, the alternate slavery and tyranny of the blower has made way in most places for the uncomplaining water or gas engine, and the multiplication of choral services is giving, increased employment to the serried ranks of young organists. But although it is easier to obtain a skin-deep mastery over the organ than over the violin or even the pianoforte, it is quite as important that the beginner should be as carefully trained and guarded from tricks of style as in the instruments afore-named. There is an especial danger at the present time arising from the fact that organ-playing in England as in a state of transition. The solid old style has, from the undue prominence of some of its more glaring absurdities, given place to an equally reprehensible flimsiness of execution which, like so many of our modern plays, has been ‘ adapted -from the French.’ It may be hoped that the wisdom of teachers will keep each style for the school of music which is usitable for it. It is possible to be solid and weighty in the rendering of a Bach Fugue,' and effective and brilliant, in the execution of a Widor symphony ; ,but it is not necessary for the sake of solidity-to insert the sharp seventh into the common chord in order to get what old-fashioned organists used to call ‘ a good rolling effect,’ or to insert an aceacciatura before the first note of a phrase, to anticipate the first chord by giving out the treble note a beat too 500 n,,, or to prolong the last passage by holding on the pedal bass. These ingrained practices, which alas! are not even yet out of date, and in which many organistsi indulge from mere habit and without a thought, are in their nature as ridiculous as to begin a performance of the Meistersinger Prelude, with an anticipated keynote on the flutes and trumpets ; or to end the C minor symphony of Beethoven with a long C held out indefinitely by the double basses and the bass trombone. What we should hiss in a concert- room as a vandalism, we accept without a protest as an appropriate adjunct of the church style. An instant’s impartial consideration would convince players of the stillness and ugliness of such tricks, and it is of still higher importance that our younger musicians should be brought up innocent of such bad. habite. 'Equally should, they -be restrained from overdone, staccato,. over.rapid pace, and the pump-handle use of the swell pedal. It is not uncommon to hear; crescendos,', and diminuendos proceeding from an organ . with the regularity of a steam engine, without regard to the sense or meaning of the composition. Any hearer who has suffered from this too prevalent complaint may well forgive our conservative German cousins their systematic opposition to, the, ‘ Schwellung.’ . It forms a curious commentary on the relative estimate of the pianoforte and otherinstruments, and that’alone of all, we. have mentioned it suffers rather'than,gains by. reduplication. To listen to an organ with 'l2O stops is no torture, twenty violins in unison sound better than two, and the multiplication only increases the beauty of their, quality/ But who. would wittingly listen to the performance of forty pianofortes in unison? The experiment has been tried. One instance, of which I was told by a well-known musician, seems almost ludicrous in its exposure of the innate faults of the instrument. Recently such a performance took place in. a Continental capital. . The piece chosen was an arrangement of the overture to Wagner’s .* Rienzi,’ the players were eighty in number, the pianofortes forty.- The first, note of the composition is (as is well known) a long pause on one note beginning softly and requiring a prolonged increase and decrease of sound. With mathematical accuracy forty fingers, descended on the note. Ping ! No increase, no decrease, only one metallic hit as of a poker on the grate, and my informant fled precipitately from the:room. .

The increasing universality of taste with [ regard to the choice of an instrument is nob,-of-course, without its drawbacks and mannerisms. Chief amongst- them is a tendency to run in grooves and to get up a,temporary'rage for some one instrument, •and that not .always the most carefully chosen. The epidemic of violin playing is, happily, nob productive of much waste ot power, but the same cannot be said of the guitar mania, which is just .now at its height. As an al fresco accompaniment of the voice the guitar is full of charm, but as ■ah all-"-absorbing and widely.-extended practice it is of little use..tp the (player and of less to the art. Moreover, ’as in ' the’ case of tbe choice of music a taste for the spurious occasionally takes the field, so is it in the preference shown for cross-bred and mongrel instruments,, such as the banjo, vulgar offspring of the trombone and guitar ; the cornet, that-tea-garden edition of the noblest of brass instruments; and perhaps worst of all, that drpning combination of bagpipe and accordion, called the harmonium. Labour expended upbn such hybrid monstrosities as these is in-' deed waste of time and ruin of taste. The annoyance they give to the next-door neighbour, even when they have been mastered by the player, is greater than that caused by the first efforts of the budding violinist.

In adopting any form of instruments, wood or brass, string or percussion, the first consideration should-be its suitability to the player and its usefulness in respect of its surroundings. Once chosen j it must be mastered not only in its technique and details, but in its relation to and combination with other instruments. If these considerations commend themselves to the rising generation, we may look forward to seeing a considerable advance made in the country along a path which has been too long untraversed and neglected; Their;

very study, if it is to lead to, the best results, necessitates a certain modesty in the player, a sinking of self-interest and showiness of style (for even'‘in the orchestra all violinists cannot play, first fiddle without marring the work they are interpreting), butrthese very necessary methods of discipline can only be of assistance ih ensuring that earnestness of purpose and striving for mastery, without which all artistic work is hut a mockery and a'delusion.