Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 4.djvu/483

Rh 'doubletongue,') or for kettledrums, but probably for both combined.

The fact that all trumpet and horn music suffered from the absence of such important intervals as the third and seventh of the dominant chord, gave it a monotonous character. To obviate this the device was adopted of adding to the principal body of trumpets, in the key of the tonic, a few tuned in other keys. In the following example we find two trumpets thus introduced, one in the dominant and one in the second, the principal reason for the use of the latter being the note G, by which a modulation into A minor is effected, llude as may be these first attempts for enriching the harmonies, they are nevertheless the starting-point of the modern brass band. The adoption and extension of the custom of mixing in both trumpet- and horn-bands a variety of differently-tuned instruments made almost every harmonic progression possible, providing the band was numerous enough.

Although trombones were in frequent requisition they seem not to have been so often combined with either trumpet- or horn-bands as might have been expected. In a collection of Lutheran hymns by Johannes Krüger ('Psalmodia sacra,' publ. 1685) we meet with a fine example of the employment of a choir of five trombones, which weave around the simple four-part chorale a richly figured and most effective accompaniment. The diversity of duties imposed upon town-bands—having not only to provide the music for all sorts of civic fêtes, but also on high church-festivals to take part in the musical portion of the sacred rites—necessarily led to an enlargement of the limits of ancient instrumentation. Trombones came into general use, and being combined with flutes, oboes, pommers, zinken (cornetti), and sometimes a couple of trumpets and kettledrums, some very decent band-music emerged by slow degrees from the barbarous noise of former times. Instrumental music now began to be noted down, and we are enabled to trace its progress as we come nearer the 18th century. Bands separated more distinctly into three classes, each striving to perfect its own special mission—the full orchestra addressing itself to the cultivated musical intellects, whilst the military and brass bands appealed to the masses at large.

A new era begins with the invention and rapid improvement of the clarinet, which for wind-bands is as important as the violin is for the orchestra. Its brilliant tone, capable of every shade, from the softest to the loudest; its large compass, extended by the introduction of the smaller clarinets as well as by tenor and bass clarinets, at once placed it in the rank of the leading instrument, and the oboe was pushed into the second place. Two more instruments were so perfected in their construction as to become important additions to wind-bands, namely the bassoon and the French horn.

From 1763 military music assumed a definite form, and although still very rudimentary, we can trace in the instrumentation, as fixed by order of King Frederick II. of Prussia (Frederick the Great), the foundation upon which further development, in the shape of additions of other instruments, soon manifested itself. This first organisation comprised two oboes, two clarinets, two horns, and two bassoons, to which after a short time were added a flute, one or two trumpets, and a contrafagott. The French bands of the Republic (1795) consisted of one flute, six clarinets, three bassoons, two horns, one trumpet and one serpent, besides a number of side-drums. In the time