The orchestra and its instruments . onsideredit the highest possible tribute to be called the worthyfather of a devoted family. 2 When Bach and his son, Philipp Emmanuel, wentto work to draw their family tree, they found theyhad fifty-three musicians to hang on the boughs. The whole Bach family played the organ and everyother keyboard instrument. They were all marvellousplayers of the harpsichord. Bachs contribution to the development of theOrchestra is that he treated each separate instrumentlovingly and as if it were an individual, so that heprepared the way for the occasional solos in orche
The orchestra and its instruments . onsideredit the highest possible tribute to be called the worthyfather of a devoted family. 2 When Bach and his son, Philipp Emmanuel, wentto work to draw their family tree, they found theyhad fifty-three musicians to hang on the boughs. The whole Bach family played the organ and everyother keyboard instrument. They were all marvellousplayers of the harpsichord. Bachs contribution to the development of theOrchestra is that he treated each separate instrumentlovingly and as if it were an individual, so that heprepared the way for the occasional solos in orchestralcompositions. He wrote for a great many instrumentsthat were rapidly going out of fashion, such as theoboe damore, the oboe di caccia, the viola damore andthe viola da gamba. Bach stands at the parting of the ways of ancientmusic and modern music. Bach is the bridge betweenthe Old and the New. He is often called the musi-cians musician. Bachs four Overtures for Orchestra are usually 1 Equal tuning. 2 Charles Villiers JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACHBy Lissewsky THE ORCHESTRA 187 spoken of as Suites; but they are compositions onthe LuIIy type. Critics have pointed out that Bachuses instruments to get the effect of fulness ratherthan color. Bachs compositions for a solo violin, unaccom-panied, are the most stupendous works ever writtenby anybody for a single instrument. Great playershave always delighted in mastering their technicaldifficulties, which are very great. Handel was born the same year as Bach, in 1685,though he seems a little nearer to us somehow. WhileBach was living his quiet, uneventful life, Handel wasgaining experience in the world. He was a native ofSaxony and was the son of a surgeon, who consideredmusic a degrading business. We know under whatdifficulties little Handel practised the spinet in thegarret. The Duke of Saxe-Wessenfels heard him playand persuaded his father to let him follow the bentof his genius. Handel played in the Orchestra in theOpera Hou
Size: 1420px × 1759px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmusicalinstruments
