The Orchestra
And
Orchestral Music

Thisis not a text-book. It is not a treatise on instrumentation.It is not written for musicians, nor primarily for students of music,though the latter may find in it information of some value to them.This is simply an attempt to give to music lovers such facts about themodern orchestra as will help them in assuming an intelligent attitudetoward the contemporaneous instrumental body and its performances.The author has endeavored to put before the reader a description ofeach instrument with an illustration which will enable him to identifyits tone when next heard in the delivery of the passage quoted. Someaccount of the distinctive nature and functions of the strings, thewood, the brass, and the percussion instruments has been given. Withthis account go hand in hand some remarks on the development of methodsof scoring. The reader will not find such historical matter in anyother book with which the present writer is acquainted. Neither will hefind anywhere else a history of the development of the conductor,which is given in this volume. The author has endeavored to makehis work complete by describing the duties of the conductor and therequisites of good orchestral playing, and by recounting briefly thestory of the growth of the orchestra and the development of its music.All other books on the orchestra which the author has seen are forthe professional musician. In making one for the amateur of music thewriter hopes to supply a need.