This minute attention to detail is observable throughout the entire series of Beethoven's orchestral works: and we may well believe that it stimulated in no small degree the emulation of his contemporaries; for the age in which he lived produced more than one instrumentalist of the highest order. Schubert, we need hardly say, is a host in himself. Weber's mastery over the Orchestra is perfect, and adds not a little to the charm of his delightful compositions. The dreamy opening of his Overture to 'Oberon,' with its three sweet notes for the Horn, followed by one of the most faërylike passages for the Flutes and Clarinets that ever was imagined; the lovely melody allotted to the Horns in the Overture to 'Der Freischütz,' and the eldritch sounds which succeed it; above all, the mysterious Largo, for four Violini, con sordini, which so strangely interrupts the Allegro of the overture to 'Euryanthe,' and the gloomy tremoli for the Viola which add so much to its weird effect; these, and a hundred similar passages, evince a purity of taste and an originality of conception which have rarely, if ever, been exceeded by the greatest Masters. Mendelssohn exhibits scarcely less richness of invention in his Symphonies, his Concertos, and, especially, in his charming Concert Overtures to 'Die Schöne Melusine' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' In freshness of colouring, and inexhaustible fertility of resource, Spohr's great Symphony, 'Die Weihe der Töne' has never been surpassed. Berlioz—whose 'Traité d'Instrumentation' no young composer should neglect to read—studied the subject deeply, and with extraordinary success. And, undoubtedly, the strongest of Richard Wagner's strong points is that intimate acquaintance with the Orchestra in all its phases, which, guided by his keen perception of effect, enables him to weave its elements into any new combinations best suited to his purpose. He it was who first conceived, among other daring and beautiful innovations, the idea of using the high harmonic sounds of the Violin, in unison with Flutes and other Wind Instruments. The Prelude to 'Lohengrin' depends, almost entirely, for its enchanting effect, upon four solo Violins and three Flutes, used in a way before unknown, and crowned, it is needless to say, with triumphant success—
Want of space forbids us to add to the number of our examples: but we trust enough has already been said to shew that modern Composers have not been idle in this matter. It is indeed certain, that during the half-century that has elapsed since the death of Beethoven, more real progress has been made in Instrumentation than in almost any other branch of Art. Innumerable new effects have been attempted, with more or less success: and, though much evil has been wrought of late years by a growing tendency to overweight the Brass Band with coarse-toned Instruments fit only for military use, the best Composers have uniformly resisted the movement, and, preferring sonority to noise, have left the latter to those who aim at nothing higher than the short-lived approval of a vulgar audience. In truth, less mischief has been done by Composers even of the lowest class of Dance-music, than by injudicious Conductors, who, never satisfied when the Trombones are silent, have overloaded the Scores of the Great Masters with additions of the most unwarrantable character. So far has this abuse extended, that the student can never be sure that he is listening to the effect really intended by the Composer. Let him, then, endeavour to gain experience, by studying the Scores of all the best works to which he can obtain access: and, when he shall have attained the power, not only of recognising, in performance, the effects he has already read upon paper, but even of hearing them distinctly, in imagination, while he is reading them, he will have gained the first step in that road which all must tread who would write well for the Orchestra, and delight their hearers with really good Instrumentation. It is in this way alone that the Art can be satisfactorily studied. It cannot be taught in words. Much valuable information may indeed be gleaned from the well-known Treatises of Berlioz, Lobe,
