Organ Accompaniments (Concluded)

Author(s): Edwin H. Lemare

Source: The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular , Apr. 1, 1900, Vol. 41, No. 686
(Apr. 1, 1900), pp. 233-235
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3368402

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 THE MUSICAL TIMES.- April I, 1900. 233

and then he will laugh and confess that he only

ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENTS.
wanted to see if he could hoax you. ButBy when
Edwin H. Lemare.
at last the piece does finish, and the perspiring
(Concluded from page 164.)
and agitated musician rises from the piano
evidently anticipating praise, you see that it It is an accepted truism to say that music i
was all done in earnest. The same thing takes an indispensable element in worship. Near
place at all the concerts with pieces by Liszt, every thoughtful and intelligent worshippe
Wagner, Berlioz, Brahms, and, newest of all, feels the power of music, and instinctive
Richard Strauss, and the numberless other demands it. The day has gone by when on
composers of the new school, who unceasingly can be satisfied with the lifeless and drea
produce opera after opera, symphony after reading of Psalms, Responses, and Creed.
symphony, piece after piece." We cannot One naturally feels that something more is
deny the general truth of these words. Many wanting ; something which brings life and
of us have " been there," and know. spirit into the service. Music, we feel, does
For the present, however, Tolstoy lets music
this. It brings out, at least to those of a
off lightly, with just an indication of modernmusical or artistic temperament, the meaning
obscurity and emptiness. But this is onlyofa the different parts of the service, and helps
respite. Execution comes later. On the other to convey to the mind what it is apt to lose
hand, summary justice is done upon Continentalsight of through constant repetition of well-
decadents in painting, poetry, and fiction. known phrases.
Baudelaire and Verlaine, "now accepted as Now, nowhere is the help of music in this
great poets," are whipped with scorpions from respect more needed than in the saying of the
the Count's presence. Both are " contemptible Creed. The Creed has been called " An
and commonplace in subject-matter " ; the act of intellectual adoration " ; but in order
first elevated gross egotism into a theory andthat this may be a reality and not a mere
replaced morality by a cloudy conception offormality, the mind must be in a state of
beauty ; while Verlaine's idea of life consisted
intelligent acquiescence. The constant repeti-
in "weak profligacy, confession of his moral tion of the Creed has the effect of dulling the
impotence, and, as an antidote to that impo- sensibilities as to its meaning ; but I think it
tence, in the grossest Roman Catholic idolatry."
is possible, by a judicious accompaniment, to
Such, in their kind and manner, are the decadent
bring out the force of the well-known words.
painters, novelists, and dramatists. The slimeThe old diatonic style of accompaniment is
of rottenness is on them all.
too monotonous and uninteresting to be con-
Do you suppose that Tolstoy encourages, or
sidered in any sense a help. Such, for instance,
even permits us to rail against decadent as art-
because we do not understand it ? He does
nothing of the kind. Mercilessly logical, he
to IH- r INI - =^|
turns upon us who prefer what we call a I
better-
believe in God the ) Mak
ordered and saner art with this argument : - Almighty, J earth : J &c.
Father
" Such an attitude towards this new art is
quite unjustifiable, because, in the first place,
that art is spreading more and more, and
< f &c.
has already conquered for itself a firm position
in society . . . secondly, and chiefly,
because if it is permissible to judge in this
way of the productions of the latest form This, o
of art, called by us Decadent art, merely keepin
because we do not understand it ; then an art
remember there are an enormous number of
to om
people - all the labourers and many of the non-
organ
labouring - who, in just the same way, do not
ought
comprehend those productions of art whichas we far
consider admirable : the verses of our favourite
intere
authors - Goethe, Schiller, and Hugo ; the should
novels of Dickens, the music of Beethoven and
softly
Chopin, the pictures of Raphael, Michael tenden
Angelo, da Vinci, &c." the th
All forms of art which have not the feelings Wald F
of religion as their source and the good of life
assuming that the choir have been trained
as their end are thus declared to be false -
to listen carefully to the organ - than by
varying in the measure of their unreality increasing the tone of the instrument. Listen
perhaps, but still, without exception, false. attentively to the words throughout, and try
Next month I shall follow Tolstoy into hisand get your accents to coincide with them as
extended indictment of music as we now know it.
far as possible. If you should have wandered
Joseph Bennett. from the key, get back in good time in order

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234 THE MUSICAL TIMES.- April I, 1900.

to prepare for the key of the Amen. of A

stops,
few &c. It goes without saying that n
chord should
bars of dominant pedal serve this purpose very be used in which the reciting note
well. Regarding the registering, does
I should
not form a portion, except possibly during
a passage
suggest the Swell Celeste (if the beats where the reciting note is used as
are not
pedal. Every discord should, of course, b
too quick) with perhaps sub and super-couplers,
or very soft 8-ft. without couplers.properly
Do notresolved. We will suppose the choi
arefanfare
herald "the third day" with a trumpet reciting the Creed on the note A. Some-
on the Great, but make your accompaniment
thing like the following (which I have writte
descriptive and sympathetic in the way
down of a phonographic record, taken at my
from
changes of harmony, in preference own church) might be played : -
to changes
i
Andante. -60.

Sw. (soft 8 ft.)^

Man. <

| r-gļjjgp-

The same remarks apply to the Lord's Prayer, the compass of some of the motives and phrases.
only in this case let your accompaniment be If a certain phrase went down two or three
very soft and only just audible in the church. times to the A below middle C, it would not be
A few suggestions as to playing Anthems, written for the oboe. It is a great pity that so
Masses, &c., from the ordinary pianoforte many organ stops are wrongly named, as, for
arrangements of the orchestral score may beexample, the Horn stop, which is frequently
acceptable. If your anthem should be taken found in the Swell. This resembles the horn
from one of the well-known oratorios, and of the orchestra about as much as the double-
a full score of the work is not available, you bass resembles the piccolo ! I think the stop
are, of course, somewhat handicapped ; butthat if is most akin to the soft tones of the
it is possible to look at the score first, youhorncan is the Great Claribel or Wald Flute.
indicate roughly in your copy how the music The is Swell Oboe, if coupled to this,
laid out for the orchestra. Thus, for instance, sometimes adds to the effect, providing the
the playing of a passage as a solo on the shutters are closed, or nearly so. The stops
clarinet that is written for the strings would bein an organ by a first-rate builder, that do
avoided. A rough idea may be gathered fromsomewhat approach orchestral tone, are the

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 THE MUSICAL TIMES.- April i, 1900. 235

Flute, Clarinet, and Orchestral Oboe, and ifof Beethoven's choice by making
their disapprobation
the Gambas are really good one mistakes in the concert-giver's
can produce a " No. 1." In accom-
panying the concerto they took no trouble in following
very good representation of the strings.
the soloist - this sort of thing has been noticed within
Do not be tempted to play the pedal
a hundredpart
miles' an
radius of Charing Cross - they
octave too low, especially in fugai movements. showed no feeling of delicacy, and so on. In parts
If you are in doubt as to where the double-
of the Symphony they even became so lackadaisical
bass enters in a fugue, pedal the bass partthat, notwithstanding the conductor's beat, these
of the chorus only in the same pitch . obstreperous bandsmen - especially the wind players
A suitable introduction to the anthem is - infused no fire into their performances. Poor
most important. This should, as much as Beethoven! Well may the critic pathetically ask:
" What sort of effect could even the most exquisite
possible, be in perfect sympathy with whatofiscompositions make under such circumstances ? "
to follow, both in regard to key, time, and
ryhthm. In many anthems which commence
jf it is effective to work up a gradual crescendoThe first performance in England of Beethoven's
on a dominant pedal, and then to start right No. i took place at a concert given by Giambattista
away without any pause. Cimador, at the Great Rooms, King's Theatre, on May
I have occupied so much space that I am 18, 1803, three years after its production in Vienna.
(It should be noted that orchestral parts were not
obliged to curtail these remarks and leave printed till the end of 1801.) A search amongst the
further suggestions on this subject to a future
London newspapers for a notice of Mr. Cimador's
occasion. In concluding these unpretentious concert, in order to see what the London critics - if
hints on organ accompaniments, I trust I mayperchance there were any at that time - said about
not be considered a faddist. But I think it Beethoven's C major Symphony, has proved fruitless.
better to err - if, indeed, it is erring As
- aon
matter
theof fact, the newspapers of that time
side of soft accompaniments than on that (1803) of
werea full of war news ! Does not history
repeat itself ?
too loud and dramatic style.
Some important alterations have been made in the
regulations for the Music Competitions at the Paris
OCCASIONAL NOTES. Exhibition since the first details were furnished, of
which a summary was given in our last issue (p. 167).
Many happy returns of the Century to Beethoven's
It had been originally intended that all choirs who
First Symphony. This, the No. 1 of the immortal
competed for prizes should sing in French. But
nine, was first performed at the Burg Theatre, when it was pointed out that such a condition would
Vienna, on April 2, 1800. The occasion was the first
almost exclude foreign choral societies, the authori-
concert that Beethoven - then twenty-nine years of
ties obligingly consented to allow foreign choirs to
age - gave for his own benefit. The performance sing in their own languages, and to offer similar
began at 7 p.m. and the programme was as follows : -
prizes to those offered to French choral societies,
1. Symphony.. .. .. .. .. Mozart. such awards to be specially competed for by the
2. Air from the Creation . . . . . . Haydn. foreign choirs. ^ The principles upon which the
3. A Grand Pianoforte Concerto " played French competitions ^ were primarily planned precluded
and composed "by . . . . . . Beethoven. foreign choral societies from entering ; but choral
4. The Septet . . . . . . . . . . Beethoven. societies from the British Isles will now be able to
5.
6.
Duet from the
Improvisation by
Creation
enter and compete on_Haydn's
Beethoven for special prizes open to all
Emperor's Hymn. foreign countries, providing the entries are sent in
7. Symphony, No. 1
soon enough to satisfy the French authorities.
No key, and therefore no clue is give
Concerto, but it was probably either t
The annual
flat. The Septet had Bridlington Musical
been Festival - with a
previously p
Prince band of 70 players and chorus
Schwarzenberg^, of 170 voices - is to
where it be ha
held on the 26th inst. The choral works selected for
immensely."
performance are Verdi's Requiem (Manzoni), Cole-
ridge-Taylor's "Death of Minnehaha," and Stanford's
No less than six months passed before the concert " Revenge." The orchestral features will include
received any notice in the great German musical Beethoven's Eighth Symphony and " Coriolan " Over-
paper of the day - the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung. ture, Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream"
From the columns of this periodical we learn that Overture, Wagner's " Siegfried Idyll," Berlioz's
Beethoven's Concerto (key not given) contained many " Carnaval Romaine," and the Incidental Music to
beauties, especially the first two movements. The the " Wasps" of Aristophanes, composed and to be
Septet was a work showing great taste and feeling, conducted by Mr. T. Tertius Noble. Mrs. Bosville
and Beethoven improvised in a masterly manner. will sing Liza Lehmann's vocal scena " Endymion,"
The new Symphony gave evidence of " much art, and Mr. Bosville will, as heretofore, be the conductor-
novelty, and wealth of ideas," but - oh! those "buts" in-chief. It is satisfactory to learn that the low
of the critics - the wind instruments were too much in pitch will be used at the concerts.
evidence, and thus the symphony was more after the
manner of military music (Harmonie) than real orches-
tral music ! It appears that there were some quarrels The prize of £ 20 offered by Mr. Alexander for the
- " differences of opinion " perhaps is better - in best Quintet for horn and strings has just been
regard to the conductorship of the concert. Beet- awarded to Mr. Emil Kreuz. Mr. Alexander is now
hoven thought that Wranitzky was the best man, but offering an additional prize for a Pianoforte Quintet,
the band disliked him and they preferred Conti. of which particulars may be obtained from Dr. Yorke
Thus, with Wranitzky at their head, they vented Trotter, 22, Princes Street, Hanover Square.

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