The orchestra and its instruments . nch violins, or thelittle flutes, on a continued bass from some of thebass instruments; and in the symphonies twogroups of instruments were used — first, a group ofviolins in five parts, viole di brazzo (ten in number)supported by the bass of double-bass viols, clavecins,or chitaroni. Then a group of seven instruments(five trombones and two cornets). The sympho-nies were very short — just an air played throughonce; but they are very sweetly harmonized andresemble dance-tunes. The groups of instruments were intended to express,accompany and even symbolize eac
The orchestra and its instruments . nch violins, or thelittle flutes, on a continued bass from some of thebass instruments; and in the symphonies twogroups of instruments were used — first, a group ofviolins in five parts, viole di brazzo (ten in number)supported by the bass of double-bass viols, clavecins,or chitaroni. Then a group of seven instruments(five trombones and two cornets). The sympho-nies were very short — just an air played throughonce; but they are very sweetly harmonized andresemble dance-tunes. The groups of instruments were intended to express,accompany and even symbolize each personage in thedrama. Orjeo was, therefore, not an innovation; itwas the highest expression of the end oj a period — thecrowning-point oj the music oj the Italian Renaissance. There were several new ideas in Orjeo, however,even if the instruments of the Orchestra were justthose of the Italian Renaissance. In one place, forinstance, two violins were allowed to play independ-ently of the viols; and that was absolutely CLAUDIO MONTEVERDE THE ORCHESTRA 145 The fact is Monteverde was new, if his Orchestra wasnot; and his originality was going to express itselfmore fully in after years as we shall presently see. Let us run through the arrangement of Act curtain rises on the Infernal Regions with scenerypainted in the magnificent style of the Italian paintersof the period — Titian, Tintoret, Correggio — anyof the great masters we may like to think of — andwith many ingenious mechanical devices; for thesebrilliant Italians were very well accustomed to gettingup pageants and festas. The trombone, cornet andorgan play large and sombre chords to evoke the ideaof Hades. Orpheus enters and tries to conquer thePowers of Darkness with all the resources of his first couplet of his song is accompanied by theorgano di legno (organ with the flute tones) andthe chitaroni; and when Orpheus begins to sing, thetwo violins play. At the second couplet, after arito
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmusicalinstruments
