This Section
next In the Wood-Wind department, it is scarcely possible to group together these details of technical development. The individual instruments differ so much in the shapes of their pipes and their methods of tone-production that it is better to deal with these points under each instrumental heading.
In any case, only a very brief historical sketch is given. Just sufficient information is supplied to enable the student to understand clearly the origin of the instrument and the principal changes which it has undergone in construction and treatment. Composers too-often look upon orchestral instruments as cleverly manufactured toys springing from nowhere. Most of these instruments, however, have a very respectable family history. And this family history should be of interest, because, in almost every case, the modern instrument, under all its paraphernalia of rings, bolts, and bars, preserves intact the distinctive characteristics of its ancient progenitor. A seventeenth century Horn-player, if we could resuscitate him, would probably be considerably astonished at the Horn-playing which he would hear at a present-day Symphony-concert. But if he were a good Horn-player, it would not be many weeks before he would be quite competent to " make one " in the orchestral quartet.
Under the separate instrumental headings, such as "Violin," " Oboe," and so on, the student will find precise technical details and examples of the orchestral use of the instrument. The technical details, especially in the case of shakes and tremolos, have been presented within the smallest possible space. When printed in extenso, they are often enough to make a fair-sized book. Whenever possible, they have been cut down either to a general formula or to the shortest possible list of what is practicable or impracticable, as the case may be. In this way, they can often be reduced to the limits of a few notes.
Some discretion has been used both in quoting and in compressing modern Full Scores. These, again, take up an enormous amount of space. As a rule unessential parts of the Score have been omitted, but these omissions are always clearly pointed out, either in the text or in a foot-note. A certain number of examples have to be selected solely to illustrate the technical capabilities and limitations of the various instruments. But in general an eye has been kept on their artistic value, from the point of view of Scoring. No apology need be made tor referring over and over again to some of these quotations.