military bands and military music

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This article was downloaded by: [Tufts University] On: 10 October 2014, At: 11:00 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Royal United Services Institution. Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rusi19 Military Bands and Military Music Mr. J. Mackenzie Rogan Bandmaster, Coldstream Guards Published online: 11 Sep 2009. To cite this article: Mr. J. Mackenzie Rogan Bandmaster, Coldstream Guards (1903) Military Bands and Military Music, Royal United Services Institution. Journal, 47:308, 1099-1115, DOI: 10.1080/03071840309417563 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071840309417563 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms- and-conditions

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Page 1: Military Bands and Military Music

This article was downloaded by: [Tufts University]On: 10 October 2014, At: 11:00Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Royal United Services Institution.JournalPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rusi19

Military Bands and Military MusicMr. J. Mackenzie Rogan Bandmaster, Coldstream GuardsPublished online: 11 Sep 2009.

To cite this article: Mr. J. Mackenzie Rogan Bandmaster, Coldstream Guards (1903) MilitaryBands and Military Music, Royal United Services Institution. Journal, 47:308, 1099-1115, DOI:10.1080/03071840309417563

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071840309417563

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as tothe accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinionsand views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Contentshould not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sourcesof information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever orhowsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arisingout of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Page 2: Military Bands and Military Music

THE JOURNAL

ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION. ~ _ ~ _ _ _ _-_ __1- -

VOL. XLVII. OCTOBER, 1903. No. 305.

[Attthom alone tire responsible for the contenla of their respeclire Pcipers.)

_ _ _ _ ~ -_-- __-__ __

MILITARY BANDS AND &IILITARY ALUSIC'. A SERIES O F THREE LECTURES.'

B y X r . J . MACKElY~Ih ' ROGdlT, Bundiit i i .~trr , COld8trUlitl G'unrtla.

LECTURE 11.

Monday, 18th May, 1903. General Lord CHELXSFORD, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., in the Chair.

BEFORE proceeding with niy address to-day, I would like to state what I omitted to say in my last paper-that, by a regulation published about the year 1873, all those desirous of becoming army bandmasters were, and still are, compelled to pass an examination a t Kxieller Hall. In a few cases only candidates have received appointr ments after passing the examination; but the general rule is that students enter, and remain there from two to four years, passing out according to merit. Every bandmaster now serving in the Army has been awarded a ICneller Hall certificate of qualification a t some time or other. Having cleared up this point, I proceed t o deal with the music used by military bands. I may say at once that tho best military bands now play works of a far higher class than were formdrly attempted; and I may add that the improvement, not only in the s_tandard of performance, but in the class of music per- formed, is largely due to the interest manifested in music generally by his Majesty the King, and by the members of the Royal Family. I cannot understand why our native composers do not write directly for military bands. A number of foreign composers, who are well acquainted with the resources of military bands, have written most successfully for them. We British bandmasters are often accused of lack of patriotism, because it is said we accord a preference to works of foreign origin, but the fact is tha t the fault lies not with us, but with our British composers. Why do they not write directly for our military bands, or a t least superintend the arrangement of some of their best works? When it is remembered that our military bands go to almost every portion of the British Empire, you can well understand the pleasure it would give bandmasters to

' The first of tlicse Lectures appeared in the Scptciiibcr No. of the Jon1ts.41,. VOL. XLVII. 3 2

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1100 mLrrt lRT BANDS AND m L I u I t Y MUSIC.

bring forward the names and works of our native couposers, and inciaentally the composers themselves must gain by the public be- coming familiar with their work. I may perhaps here name a few compositions by British musicians frequently played by military bands: overturcs, “Di Ballo,” “Yeoman of the Guard,” and “In Memoriam,” by Sir Arthur Sullivan; I ‘ Lurline ” and ‘ I Naritana ” by Vincent Wallace, “ Bohemian Girl ” by Balfe, “ Britannia ” by A. C. Mackenzie, and a few others; the whole of Gilbert and Sulli- van’s operas, and selections from other less known operas by Brhisli composers : I ‘ The Gipsy Suite,” and the Dances from “ Henry VIII.,” “ NeIl Gwynne,” and ‘ I Bfuch Ado About Nothing,” by ’Edward German; four dances in the olden style, Cowen; prelude to the opera “Colomba,” and ballet music from the same, A. C. Mackenzie ; suite, ‘ I Nerchant of Venice,’’ Sullivan;. several dances by Meredith Ball, and part songs by Hatton and others. Not one of these pieces was written for a military band directly; they are all arrangements or transcriptions. Very often, too, if the arrange- ment of a piece is not made by one who thoroughly understands military instrumentation, the tone colour, the capabilities, and cvcry- thing appertaining to the different instruments, the result is quite ineffective. An orchestral musician or an organist inay arrange it, and the melody may sound all right to the average ear, but in the building up of the piece the proper balance of tone is not produced by the filling in of the inner parts, the arranger has not sufficiently studied the composer’s ideas, and the arrangements, or so-called arrangements, consequently are failures.

Later on I shall give a few examples of good and bad arrange- ments.

I will now present n complete list of instruments as used in most military bands. Tlie highest in pitch is the so-called E flat piccolo. It is really in D flat, and sounds a semitone above its written scale. There is also the E flat flute, which should be called D flat, and the “F” flute, which is really in E flat. AIy explanation of the wrong naming of flutes and piccolos is this: originally a concert flute (whicli is in C) N ~ S wrongly called n “ D ” flute, because the lowest note on the instrument was Later on, for military band purposes, other flutes and piccolos mere maiiufactiired, which were also named from their lowest notes E flat am1 F, instead of, as in all other instruments, from the concert pitch sound obtained by the c.

Thus the so-called E flat flute or piccolo is in D flat, and the “ F ” flute is in E Bat. Tlie fact tha t the latter and the E flat clarinet are in unison is proof ’that they must both be in tlie same key. I now show you the E flat clarinet. This instrument sounds a minor third above its written scale; it is often employed for playing the same part as the piccolo; but i t is sometimes used very effectively with the accompaniments. These two instruments, tlie piccolo and the E flat clarinet, are both high-pitched instru- ments. The flute as a rule plays off a part which may be specially written for it; or sometimes it doubles, that is, plays the same part as the piccolo, only it mill sound an octave lower. The oboe is a double reed instrument, and can be used either for solo purposes, or to give colour to the accompaniments. The reed is kept in a ems11 reed box Rhen not in use. The oboe, especially in sustained

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YILITART BANDS AND 3IILITART MUSIC. 1101

passages, is an instrument capable of very striking cfiects, and can be advantageously employed in either solo or accompaniment. I have met with passages for this instrument, written with shakes, etc., by people who, failing to understand the technical difficulties of the instrument, write very absurd passages, as indeed they do for other instruments. I think that every composer writing for an orchestra or military band should be able to play the scales and simple exercises fairly well on the whole of the instruments, and have some idea of the technique peculiar to each in the same way as at the Royal Uilitary School of Nusic, where cvery student has to “pass” before a master on every one of these instruments, that is to say, he has to play scales and simple exercises on them all.

This instrument may be termed the violin of the military band, the first, or solo clarinet, taking the part written for the second violin, and the third clarinet tha t of the viola. All B flat clarinets are tlic same, that is of the like pitch and compass, and it seems to me a wastc of matcrial to have so many parts written for them as we find in some arrange- meiitsTsolo clarinet, repiano 1st clarinet, 2nd clarinet, 3rd clarinet, and 4th clarinet. Three parts would be sufficient:, solo clarinet, repiano clarinet, and 2nd and 3rd clarinets combined. Generally all tha t is written for 3rd and 4th clarinets would be more effective on tenor and bass clarinets or bassoons. AIany composers who have written for the clarinet have thoroughly understood the instrumcrit and Weber, in particular, composed very frequently and effectively for it. Sonic of his passages are admittedly difficult, but on the other hand he wrote for that part of the clarinet where the player could not only do justice to the instrument but to liimself. I may mention that this instrument is very susceptible to atmospheric changes, and rises in pitch considerably in a marm room. For instance, in a room like this, wliicli might become heated, the clarinet would be more susceptible to those changes than a cornet, or trumpet, or euphonium, and a t first, on tuning, the instrument possibly would be flat. But after being in the room a certain time, say ten minutes, tlie clarinet player would find that instead of his instrument being flat, he might have to pull out ’this socket, as owing to the heat of the room, the instrument would get warm and sharp in its pitch.

Let ‘us nest consider the alto clarinet in E flat. With the exception of a few notes, the fingering is the same as for the B flat clarinet. It sounds an octave lower tliaii tlie E flat clarinet, and has a very fine full tone; a little niore reedy tliaii tlie B flat clarinct. I f has a beautiful tone, and gives valuable support to the 3rd clarine,,, and also to the bassoon when required.

I am sorry to say i t has been much neglected in military bands generally, but is receiving more consideration in the band arraiige- ments of tlie present time.

I come now to the saxophone family. The members of this family are brass reed instruments; the complete se t as generally used is six, and the names a r o t h e high saxophone in E flat. soprano in B flat, alto in E flat, tenor in B flat, baritone in E flat, and bass in B flat. There are two of the family here, the E flat alto saxophone, and the B flat tenor. These instruments were in- vented by Adolph Sax, about the year 1846. ,The quality of tonc

\$re now come to the B flat clarinet.

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1102 XILITARY BANDS AND YILITA1:Y X m i C .

resembles a mixture of violoncello, clarinet, and cor-anglais, and at the same time it has a kind of brazcn colouring, whlcl~ gives it quite a t imbre of its own. I n the lower register of the scale of the sasophone most beautiful and unique effects may be obtained, es- pyially when two or three of them are used together, or in com- bination with other instrumentz. The fingering 1s similar to that of the flute and oboe. Any clarinet player in a band would in a very short time make himself master of the mechanism. Until the last ten or fifteen years thesc instruments were not used to any great extent in this country, though, I have known ;L fciv bands to employ onc, or perhaps two, of the family -long before the pcriod mentioned. The two mostly usccl have been the alto E flat and tenor in 33 flat. I n Frcuch military bands the sasophone has taken a very prominent place; in one band in particular they have eight in use, and very fine effects are obtained from them. I n most of the French bands they are used. I n the German bands they are not employed so largely, in fact very few bauds in Germany use the saxophone a t all. Many of the English bands, espccially in the Line regiments, have a quartcttc of them, which I think is sufficicnt to meet all requircments in the matter of tone-colour. They may be used for solo playing, or for colouring accompaniments, and also, with very beautiful effect, in church music. The quality of tone is quite unique, and they require not only very delicate playing, but also delicate handling. The compass of the instrument is from the lower B to the high F. I will write you the notes on the black- board, that you may know exactly. (Illustration.) That is the note that the instrument itself sounds. The effcct of those two notes, concert pitch, would be as below. (Blackboard example.) There are two notes above this note which solo players might reach, but in scoring for the instrument one should not write beyond that, unless the music bc intended for pi1 escccclingly good soloist..

We will now take the bass clarinet in B flat. This instrunient is an octave below the ordinary B flat clarinet. Instrunient makers used to manufacture them in other keys, but they are now only made in the one key in this country. It is constructed of larger dimensions than the ordinary clarinet, b u t the compass is much the same.

Sometimes a separate part is written for this instrument, but morc often i t plays from either the first or the second bassoon parts. It IS not advisable to writo higher than C, though a good soloist can play four or five notes higher. Those who have heard the music of “ Les Huguenots ” at the opera will remcmbcr a solo in that notable work which is given by Meyerbeer (who knew how to write for it) to this instrument, and inany may have often h a r d the solo without having seen tli2 instrument. Although these instruments, Le., saxo- phones, bass clarinet, and E flat clarinets, give most beautiful colouring to the military band, they would be very useful instruments in the orchestra as well, if properly treated, and if those who write for them knew where to utilise thein in combination with stringed and brass instruments.

I n these clarinets w e Qavc a fanlily of instruments of totally different tone-colour, but the lower notes of the Lass clariiict arc very rich and effective, as the passage I h a w just mentioned, written by Meyerbeer, in the opera-of Les Huguenots,” shows ; wherc lie takes the instrument down to its IDwest note in the middle of B cadenza,

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MIJdITARY nANDS AND MILITARY JIUSIC. 110:

and also up to high G. But this passage is only written for soloist. The fingering of the bass clarinet is practically the same as for the B flat clarinet. The bassoon is treatecl as a bass to the oboo, and may be used with excellent effect in combination with the other reed and wood-wind instruments. I n the higher register the quality of the tone has a marked resemblance to tha t of the 'cello. The compass is from the low B flat to high B flat, but it can play up to C, or even D. It does not follow because a writer for orchestra or military band may know the coiitp7ss of the instrument, that he is qualified to write for that instrument, because many passages in between those two notes, low B flat and high B flat, may be quite unplayable, and again some of the notes on the instrument are weak and ineffective, SO tha t any- one writing.for this and other instrumeuts should understand the good parts of it, i.e., the notes which are good, their quality of tone, and also the technical difficulties.

The cornet used in military bands is invariably the one in B flat, and it has the usual scale of open and harmonic notes, the funda- mental note being the low C, which is very low. The open notes of the instrument are these (blackboard example). These are the natural notes, bu t all the other notes are obtained by the use of the pistons. (Here osamples were given of good and bad passages written for the cornet.) There are works written for the cornet and other instru- ments which give the whole of these scales and the capabilities of the instrument.

Some trumpets are longer than this one. This instrument must not be confused with the trumpet in use in the cavalry, viz., the ficld trumpet, because the field trumpet has no pistons. This trumpet is used in certain military bands, but not to such an extent as it ought to be. Some arrangers simply employ it in tuttis, and in doubling the horn parts, mhcreas i t might often be employed in other ways, with splendid effect. I n writing Fmfclres this is the instrument which should have first con- sideration, and it might bo utilised not only in that respect, but in many others. I n the marching band one or two of these instruments, if played well, give a very fine quality of tone, and are most brilliant in effect. Thc cornet cannot' possibly replace the trumpet, the quality of tone is so essentially different.

Let us now turn our attention to the French horn. 01dy French horns in F and E flat are used in military bands. I n some bands only the F horn is used; this is done to suit the convenience of the players, but this fact may also bo accounted for by the horn being very susceptibl? to changes of temperature, and a cold crook put on suddenly Inay'lcad to the instrument becoming too flat. In using an F crook it necessarily follows in the caso of an inexperienced player tha t certain open notes, which should be produced with the E flat crook, must suffer by having to be played by the horn crooked in F. I will give you an example of this (blackboard example). The top line I have written for the F horn; the bottom line for the E flat horn. - A11 the notes written here are open notes; there is no necessity to p u t a valve down a t all. B u t in the passage on the top line for the horn in 33, these notes must be produced by putting down the first piston, and consequently the notes are not so good as the open notes of the E flat horn. The ordinary fingering on the F horn is to use the first valve, as these four notes on the E flat horn are open notes, and

W e now come to the valve trumpet.

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1104 MILITARY BANDS AND MILITARY MUSIC.

are therefore fa r more effective by being played on the E flat crook, which is a larger crook. Of course a soloist would play these notes all right and with ease, and the notes would be effective, but i t must be remembered that all players in Army bands are not soloists, or in other bands, for tha t matter. So a composer, in writing for the horn, should always bear in mind what open notes can be played on the instrument, and what notes are closed or valve notes. I n most of the orchestras in London the players hardly ever use any crook but that in F.

Now take the saxhorn. Here is an instrument which is rarely used in our military bands now. A t one time it took the place of the French horn in the military band, but iiever in the orchestra. ’ It was invented by Sas, who also devised the sasophone, and from him the name is taken. The quality of tone is so bad tha t it does not blend well with tho wood-wind instruments, or othcrs used in military bands. Tlie Althorn in B flat has the same compass as the B flat cornet, and the same fingering, bu t it sounds an octave lower. I n my opinion the B flat tenor sa-xophone would be very much better employed in playing the par t which is written for this instrument, because the tone of the Althorn is neither one tliing nor the other. Its tone is something between the saxhorn and tlie euphonium, but i t lias not a nice full quality. Personally, I do not care about the instrument a t all. It is not used in every band. I think the tenor saxophone would be a great improvement mere it to take its place.

Here is a tenor trombone in B flat. It is used both as a solo instrument, for general effect and colour, and also sometimes as an accompanying instrument. No military band should be without at least two of these instruments. Apart from programme music, the tenor trombone plays a very prominent part in the orchestration of parade marches, ete., for military bands. I will explain the shifts and position. This open note (B flat) corresponds with the low C on the clarinet, and it is the same on the cornet. Tho fingering of tlie cornet I have explained. The open notes on the cornet would bo C, G, C, ’E, G, B flat and C, while those on the trombone would be B flat, F, B flat, D, F, A flat, and B flnt. Then you put down the first valve of the cornet for that note. Then for this we take the 3rd position of the instrument, which takes A flat, then E flat, etc. So you go on right up. Any player of the cornet would soon discover the right positions on the trombone. (Several other examples were given.)

As you see, it has a handle. Thic is on account of the slide being longer than that of the tenor tromlnhe. You will observe that to get to the A flat, the 7th position, it wwld need a man with a very long arm to reach out to the end of the slide. JIost players grip the instrument here. The G trombone is a minor 3rd below the tenor trombone. It is used in combination with the tenor trombones, and I may say it is an indis- pensable instrument ‘in every military band. The C or B flat euphonium has quite taken the place of those disused instruments, the serpent and the ophicleide. It serves as a solo instrument, and gives great support when required to the bombardon, for parts written an octave higher than that instrument. The euphonium in general use is that with four valves, b u t some solo players have an instrument with five valves. I n the hands of good players, it is a most beautiful

Now we will consider the G trombone.

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MILITARY BANDS A N D MILITARY MUSIC. 1105

instrument, the t h e and quality being very rich indeed. There are many good euphonium players in London and in the Army generally, and the euphonium is an instrument which is always, when in good hands, worth listening to, and one to which writers and arrangers might well give more consideration than they do. The bombardon is an E flat instrument. For tho convenience of military bands, it is tuned in E flat and B flat. Some of the Continental bands use an F bombardon. The compass of the E flat bombardon extends to the fundamental note of the 16-foot octave, bu t that of the B flat bombardon in the 32-foot scale. This instrument ha-s nominally only three pistons, but on most there is a fourth. Veiy few military bands would use an instrument. without the fourth valve, which is most useful, in fact I regard it as indispensable to the instrument. I have not a B flat bombardon here.

The next instrument I wish to deal with is the side drum, of which we have two here. T i ~ i s (showing examplcs) is called the cheese pattern drum, and t h i s is the Guards’ pattern side drum, which is now in general use throughout the Army. Some years ago the cheese pattern drum mas used in most regiments. B u t even a t tha t time I have known some regiments to have the Guards’ pattern. The Guards’ drum is now adopted by the War Office, and is the type eerved out to the Army. Neither the side drum nor the bass drum requires tuning.

I should now like to give you a few examples in military band scoring. As I havc before esplained, in writing for an oi,chestra, so in writing for a military band, the composer or arranger should be acquainted with the technical difficultics of the instruments ho is writing for. I do not think it suEcient to only know the compass of the ‘instrument. Passages are often written n~hich are really quite unplnyable, and even sometimes when certain passages are played they are not well arranged and consequently are quite ineffective. Before proceeding to give you a fern examples of military band scoring, I would like to say tha t it is, in my opinion, no greater liberty to take works of great masters, provided they are suitable, and arrange them for military bands, than it is to take pianoforte pieces of great masters and score them for an orchestra. It has been said too often that military. bands should only play what is directly written for them. If this were the case we should have a repertoire of twenty or thirty pieces to select from, and nearly all those of a light character. With reference to this point, many composers and arrangers, and sometimes musical critics go to concerts and hear a military band playing a Liszt Rhapsody o r a movement from a Beethoven Symphony, and say, “military bands have no right to play tha t imsic; it was not written for them.” But if not, are we to confine! ourselves to those twenty or thirty pieces that were directly ,written for military sands! On the other hand the Liszt Rhapsodies-there are fifteen of thcm-were originally written for the pianoforte. That being SO, one may pertinently inquire, why did arrangers take them in hand and score them for the orchestra? Surely tha t was as great a liherty as it is for us to take them and score thFm for our bands. We can get very excellent results by playing these works, as is proved by the fact that nearly all the London ‘bands playing a t the Sunday concerts perform these and other works before the public, and give satisfaction to their audi- ences, not once, but dozens of‘times a year. I think this justifies

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1106 MILITART B.4NDS AND MILITAItY MUSIC.

their arrangement for military bands, and also most of the works of the great masters. Playing such music is educating, the players in the band, and the listening to it educates the audienccs. Uore- over, the works of the master himself become better known than if they were simply played upon the piano or orchestra, or whatever else they may have been written for. Naturally there are some compositions which are not suitable for military bands, and it is advisable to leave these alone. But that requires a little discretion on the paxt of the arrangers, and I do not think any good musician would attempt to score for bands works which are not suitable for them.

In illustrating military band scoring, I may mention that the instances I shall give will be played over nest wcck (by the kind permission of Colonel Sir Francis Graves-Sawle), by a few members of the Coldstream Guards’ band. The illustrations to wliich I shall direct attention to-day are those of good and bad scoring for military bands. We have hire a piece of music from a well-known work. This is a passage written in Allegro Vivace. There are six notes to be played in a bar, and the time is very fast. TIii-s is the instru- ment upon which it is to be played (the euphonium). It is quite as impossible for a man’s tongue to go so fast, let alone the physical impossibility of his obtaining a sufficient store of wind from his lungs. This suggests that the arranger has not given proper con- sideration. to the instrument, or any consideration to the composer of the music. In fact, it looks as if he has just taken the orchestral score and transposed it for a military band, and given the passage to any instrument-throwing it a t the instrumentalist, as i t Fere, with the observation, “There is something for you; d o the best you can with it.” The passage might have been given to the clarinets and bassoons as an alternative, with much better effect. The consequence of tlie player being unable to accomplish the task which is set him is that the effect intended by the composer is lost.

Here is a.passage from another piece of music, mit ten for the bombardon (blackboard esample). The ordinary fingering of the passage is this:-The first note (G) is obtained by placing the 1st and 2nd valves down, and the second note (F sharp) by placing tlie 2nd and 3rd valves down, and so on. It runs in this way:-1st and 2nd, 2nd and 3rd, 1st and 2nd, 2nd. All notes that can be taken with the 1st and 2nd valve may also be taken with the 3rd only. But the- passage is really impossible: no bass player would play t h a t , passage a t the speed a t which it is written. If the arranger had just left out one note there (example), and substituted a rest, and written t\’e pasage as I have it underneath, three notes instead of four, it would have been practicable, and those other notes could have been given to another instrument. Unless some such arrangement were made, the passage would have been quite spoilt, and Meyerbeer’s ideas wquld have been lost. Moreover, the player who tried to perform the passage would be dissatisfied with himself, and the result would be a fiasco so far its the general‘ rendering of the passage was concerned. The next example is taken from the overture to “ Tannhauser,” in which there are certain passages in the “ Finale ” which Wagner wrote (blackboard example), but these passages have been arranged for military bands, in quite a different, form (as in the top example),

There are plenty of works which are very adaptable.

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which hardly anybody would recognise. Why this has been done I cannot say, because the passage as originally written is an the clarinet, and I think that the band which could not play that could hardly be called a band I feel certain that every Line or other band in the Service would have some clarinet players who could play those passages. Why they should be altered as they are here I fail to comprehend. That is one of the reasons why some people, listening to military bands, say, '' Well, they are playing L selection from " Tannhauser '' or other compositions, but that is not the way the composer wrote it; I suppose the,bandmaster altered it." Thus the bandmaster gets the blame, and people do not think of the arranger, who put it in that form. Nine times out of ten he is the culprit, and not the bandmaster. A bandmaster, if he knew what the composer's ideas were, would not think of altering the passages, provided they were playable by the instruments which he had. at his disposal. That is on0 of many passages. Not a few good compositions are spoilt through this same kind of bad arrangement. I have several examples-I could go on for hours showing them-of bad scoring, but I do not think it is necessary to give them now, as I shall deal with them nest week, and show you practical illustrations. I have been asked several times my views on the subject of wood-wind instruments used in military bands, whether they should be of ebonite, cocus wood, or black wood. As a result of my experience, I would, for clarinets, strongly recommend cocus wood, or black wood-the latter for choice. Black wood is not so influenced by variations of temperature, and docs not expand or contract to the same extent as West Indian cocus wood. I n very many cases wood instruments split badly through the carelessness of the bandsm'en and the lack of supervision on the part of those who are in charge of them sometinits is responsible for the existence of defects. This carelessness takes the form of moisture being allowed to remain in the instrument. after use, SO that when it is again brought into use and exposed to any grcat heat, the natural expansion of the inner portion invariably splits the outer. Instruments made of wood are much more easily replaced and less costly than. ebonite. Rosewood I would recommend for bassoons and oboes, as it is porous and open-grained, and will stand a hot climate well, as I know from my experience, and I havo tried ebonite, cocus wood, black wood, and rosewood, in such stations in India as Cawnpore, Pesha- war, also in Burma and Africa-you would not get a more trying place for dry heat than Cawnpore. Another extreme is Bombay, and SO also is Calcutta. One instrument I had was an ebonite clarinet, t h t tone of which was not so free or so liquid as i t should be. I played i t myself, and. the player to whom i t belonged gave i t up after two or three months' trial, on the plea that lie did not like i t so well as the others. Thursday in India is the general holiday in each week, and on Wednesday, during the hot weather season, after the playing was over for the day, we used occasionally to put our wood-wind instruments into a little receptacle filled with oil, where they remained until the Friday morning. On Friday morning they were taken out and wiped dry. After the practice was over, the players had to clean their instruments, o r i i p e them dry, and show them to the band- sergeant. Then the instrument was oiled with a feather and put away until again required. I think, under those conditions, I am right in saying that i t did not cost a large amount a year for the repairs of wood-wind instruments.

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1108 MILITARY BANDS AND MILITARY MUSIC.

My reason for dwelling on the subject of t h e spl i t t ing wood-wind instruments in I n d i a is that I have roceived a few le t ters asking m y opinion on t h e subject.

I th ink I have now exhausted my subject for to-day, a n d next t ime I hope to have t h o honour of submit t ing to you esamples of mili tary bad scoring, a n d I will give illustrations of this scoring, both f o r operatic music and f o r church music in its various forms.

Yr. A . H. BEIIRESD :-I nould like t o refer t o one point touched upon by Mr. Rogan. He mentioned tha t bandmasters wero often accused of ‘want of patriotism, and t h a t they give preference to foreign composers. Wc hare ncver had a chance of Iicaring good bands. It is only within the last fern years that military bands 1iare.played a t important places, such as tho Alhambra, Queen’s Hall, Albert Hall, otc. Fornicrly tho music plaj-ecl was of distinctly lighter character, and i t was iiot xor th while writing especially for them. Now t h a t bands haro renchcd such a perfect s ta te of cffickncy, i t is a great pleasure t o work in the new fields of music t h a t they have opened out for us. I n fact, I myself liaro taken the subject up seriously, and hare written and arranged scrcral pieces for military bands. I think Mr. Rogan has been a great pioneer for us. He has rendered all tho great masters with an accuracy, t h a t a few Fears ago ~ ~ - o u l d hare been deemed impossible. Now, I am suro British ccmposcrs will take up this military band scoring, and we shall not in tho future depend solely on tlie writings of foreign composers.

Mr. A. V. BAI~KOOD (Bandmaster 1st Battalion Royal Bcrks Regi- inont) :-Xr. Rogan spoke of the B flat tenor sasophono taking the place of the Althorn, and parts written for tha t instrurnent. I ham tried that, with varying success. I n certain passages it is decidedly an adrantage to have a B flat saxophone, and t o learo out. tho Althorn (I use both instrurncpts in my band) ; but in other places, I hare found that i t is absolutely necessary to havo tho Althorn, as tho I3 flat saxophone is not strong cnough to cope with the accompaniments which may be written for t h a t particular solo. Another point is the arranging of pianoforte pieces for bands. I consider t h a t pianoforto music is very greatly enhanced by being played on military bnncls, for the reason, that, by this means you obtain different qualities of tone-colouring irliicli cannot bc got out of tho piano. A11 thoso instruments which arc played haro their own tone-colouring, and the combinations of them giro a better effect than tlio pianoforto can possibly yield. Therefore, I consider, that pianoforto music is greatly enhanccd by being played on a military band, as a general rule. Some such pieces cannot be done justice to, becauso KO cannot get wind instruments t o render passages as they can be played on the piano. Tlio next point is t h a t of the suitability or other- wise of music written for orchestras being transcribed for military bands. I do not linow whether anybody will agree with mc-possibly not, I know somo people do not-but in my opinion, a good oxample of tho unsuitability of orchestral pieces for military bands is Tschaikowsky’s I‘ Symplionio PathBtique ” (I do not know whether there are ally other arrangements in existence than the printed arrangement by Boosey). Justice cannot bo dono t o it, and you cannot get tho effects which aro obtainable in a stringed orchestra, for which it was originally written. To arrango well is a vorx difficult matter, and arrangers do not always tako into consider- ation, as Mr. Rogan indicated, the point I hare referred to. Thero is always-a possibility of tho rendering being either too heavy or too light. I agree with Mr. Rogan on t h a t point as to arrangers not taking into

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consideration sufficiently the capabilities of the instruments which they iiro arranging for. Even the sound of tho instrument is not alrrays sufficiently considered. Many arrangers when they know the compass of i7n instrument imagine t h a t i t is the easiest thing in the world to fill in tho notes from a pianofoito score f o r a few instrunicnts, irrespective of the capabilities or CWII tlic sound of those instruments. Therefore, you frcqucntlr get ncconipani~nents too light or too lieary for the solo iirstru- nient. With regard to tho semiquaver passage in Nr. Rogan’s last esaniple, I in-self, hare arranged t h a t my clarinet playcrs shall leave out tho top octare occasionally (not throughout the movement) where they \ tar t with the two l?’s, and instruct them to breathe a t t h a t place, and tlicn continue the rest of tlic passage, and I find it very effectire. Tho general effect is obtnincd just tho same, bceauso you tlicn get the effect without leaving out practically anx notes, and there must be breathing points. I ~vonld like to asli Jlr. Rogan, wliether the arrangement of “ TnnnhHuscr ” which he speaks of is Chappell’s new arrangement.

l l r . roo.^, ill reply, said :-The arrangement of ‘. Tannli~user,” which I referred to, is one published by Chappcil tk Co. I was w r y glad t o hear the reniarks of Jlr. Barwood on niilitary band scoring. I believo I xas the means of Nr. Delirend taking up military band scoring about a year ago. Mr. Delirend is n w r y distinguished musician, and n grandson of Dalfc, one of tlic greatest British composers who lived i n the last cciiturr. Hc ltns folloacd the profession all his lifetime, in Germany, in England, and in other places. I harc great pleasure in stating t h a t he lias arranged and composed screral \rOrlis for military bands. Mr. Behrend was f o r n i e r l ~ an orchestral m i t e r only, bu t 1iaFing talien up military band scoring, nncl haring done so i ~ e l l , publishers harc accepted the niusic lie Iias coniposcd for military bands. I am glad t o hear t h a t Mr. Bamoocl is intcrestcd in the n flat tenor sasoplionc and the saxophoiie family gpnernlly. Possibly tlic sasophonc may net bc strong enough t o bring out effectircly the payts of tlic Altliern xrlieso place I suggested i t should take, but my objection to the Althorn is, t h a t i t is neither one thing nor tho other; it is not a euphonium, i t is not a trombono, and i t is not a sasliorn. I do not think there is much qunlity of tono in tho instrument, and for that reason I do not care for it. Certain notes on the Althorn are most objcctionablc. That is my reason for suggesting the tenor saxophone. IVitli regard t o pianoforte music, I agree Kith Mr. Barwood tha t somo picccs are often iniprored by being scored for military bands, on account of the great tone-colour t h a t can be produced, and bccause of tho other effects possible, which cannot be obtnincd on tho pianoforte. With regard t o tho I‘ Symphonic PathQtique,” two or threo OF the morements do, I think, lend tlicrnselres well to military band scoring. The 5 4 would, I think, bo better if arranged in another koy. With regard to t h e scoring of accompaniments for a military band, I agree with Mr. Barwood. I n the passages from “ TannliHuser,” tho omision of the high note, tho octave of tho F, for tho clarinets, is important. I do not think the passago would worli out well. You would not get the effect intended by tlio composers of those streaming semiquaver passages, if you leare o u t t h o octave. The accent on tho first two notes as originally irritten is oreqthing. N e s t week I shall have pleasure in playing the passago over t o you, and you shall hear tho result. It will also givo mo great pleasure t o play the passage in the n-ny t h a t has been suggested this evening.

The CHAIRVAN (General Lord CHELVSFORD, G.C.B., GIC.V.0.) :-I am snro, ladies and gentlenieii, .sou will wish inc to cspress your rery

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lie art^ tlianlis to AMr. Rogan for tho very interesting lecture he ha5 gircn 118,s well as tlie blackboard illustrations, and the esamples of the various instruments which are played in a military band. As I said last Monday, 1 am quite sure that if those who attend concerts, and who are interested in classical music wonld only get a larger acquaintance with the instru- ments which form part of tho orchestra, their pleasure would be rory niuch enhsnced, because they .rrculd recognise during the playing of an overture, or wlintercr tho piecc might be, esactlg the capabilities of tlro instrurncnts, and come, in timc, to look upon i t as an old friend. I hOp0 that nest Monday, those who are hero will attend again, and.hear n practical illustration gircn by Mr. Ropan’s bandsmcn as a supplemcnt t o tho two lectures which ho has already giren to us. I need not ask you to foruially proclaim the rery liearty vote of thanks irliic-11 in your name I bcg now to tender t o Mr. Rogan.

LECTURE 111.

Monday, 25th May, 1903.

General Lord CHELYSFORD, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., in the Chair.

LAST week I dealt with instruiiiciits iisetl i i i ii military band; and I left off a t the point at which I WIS t:ilking of militnry band music and scoring. 1 promised to give :I fen- csnniples of military band scoring to-day. Before proceeding with these illustr:rtions, however, I should like again to point out tlie necessity of composers and :iri.nngers not only having a good kno~vlcilgc of tlie fingering of the instruments, but an under- standing of some of the teclinical difficnltics connected with them. I stated last week that I tliouglrt i t no greater liberty to take an orchestral work of one of tlic great masters, providctl i t were suitable, and arrange it for a military bnnd, tlian it was to t:il;o pianoforte pieces, also by great masters, and score. them for an ,orchestr:i. You ivill doubtless reniembcr some of tlie glaring examples I gave !:>st week in iiiilitary band scoring, and I wiil now, by thc kindness of :! few members of tlie Coltlstreani Guards’ band, hare them played ovcr. But bcforc proceeding ivith this I will spin write one or two of tlic csaniples I p v c 3-011 last week. Here is a pssqge wliich is in tlie o p e ~ r of ‘I C:~Inie~i.” It has been :~rranged, or transcribed for n military band. Z%at p;is..jngc lias been giren to the euphonium. This (showing instrument) is x C euphonium, but those gcner:illy used are in I3 flat. On tlic ordinary euphonium the highest note is B flat. To keep a passngc like that going for 30 or 40 bars ivould be quite impossible. But the player is then after playing this pnssnge cspected to continlie with a similar passage, only much more difficult, sustained for about GO bars. It woulcl be a sheer impossibi1.ity for any player to play those passages ns written. This goes to pIorc that many of tlie arrangements which arc mnde for military bands are undertaken without suficicnt enre being exercised, and witliout e w n introducing the eolouring which the composer himself intended. Wc will play a few bars of this over now, so that you may judge of the en’ect, first with this instrii- ment (tlic enplionium) and then without it. The solo is given to the fiutc,

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but tlie accompaniment is too lieavy ; there is too much going on other- ,,+c to allow of tlic flute-standing out as it should. The balance is not eceii ! Thc ptisj;lgc will now bc pl;iyccl witli the h s o o n s and claxinets pla>-ing the accompnniment. You wqill notice thc tongue itself plays about tlic cup of tlie mouthpiece. It \~ou ld hypractically inipossiblc to play tliosc six notes in tlic tiine in which tlley were written. The passage coulcl linvc been given to other’instrumcnts wit11 far bcttcr eKect t l im by cmploying tlie cuplioniruu, especially in that register. S o w ~ r c will play tlic 6-6 without the euphonium, and you will notice that this p s s i g e is continued riglit to tlic end of the piece. Tlint gives you an ilIust.ration in n sindl way of tlic differencc.in tlic effect wlien tha t instrument is einployecl i n its proper placc, and its conlpnss taken into consideration. I will now proceed to give yon illustrations of tlw overture to “ TannliXuser.” Tlic fiist part wliicli will bc plnyed is tlie middlc of tlie sccond movenient of tlic overture. The p;Lss:ige is written “ tremolo ” for tlic violins. In the arrangement no\\- beforc mc the notes arc being sus- tained by the reed instrunients, tlic cornct playing tlic solo. First of all we will lienr it with tlic sustained p:wagc, diicli is onc armngement.

My idea of n p;issage like tlint for n niilitnry bnntl, SO as to get as ncir as possible to tlic composcr’s intentions, u-oultl be to liavc it played syncopated by the clarinets, the cornct playing the solo. We now come to the finale of tlic overture, wliicli is so very grand and en‘ective when well reiideretl. Tlic top liiic on the blnck board shows tlic wt~y tlic pissage WM written by tlic composer ; the second line illustrates tlie ninnner in which it hns been arixnged for a military bnnd-one of inany aiwngements of this f i u n ~ piece of music. The bottoni line embodies tlie suggestion of n gentlcmnn who w:is present at tlie lecturc last n-eek. 111 discussing tlie matter after inj- lecture, lie said t1i:it was the wiiy i n nliicli Ilk band plnycd the passage, to get out of tlic tlifliculty. I do not see any diEculty. in playing tlic top, line at all. This is not n very intricate pnssagc for clarinet players. Tlio band wliich lacked clarinet players :lblo to phy that top line in this key should not play tlie overture at, all. I think tliere are very few bnnds in tlie Britisli .&my tlint could not plny tlic top liiie as \witten in this pnrt of thc overture. Preceding this there are ninny pissnges far inorc difticult for clnrinets. We will play thc first pnrt as tlic coniposer inteiiclecl it to bo played. Tlint is one of the arixnge- inents in wliicli it has been scored for military bands. We will now play an :irrangement of thc finale wliich, I tliink, you will admit is taking n very great liberty with tho coinposer’s work ; there was no necessity for it whatever. This last pnssnge is tlie suggestion which m-as made last. week. Wo will how play tlic overture from that point to the end. These passinges ;ire continued to within cleven bai-s of. tlie completion of tlie overture, and you will hear for yourselves whether clarinet players are aipnblc of sustaining these pissages right through. I tliink that goes to show that i~

little more a r e should be escrcised by those aimnging for military bmtls. I n thc forin in whicli t h e arranger produced this it m-ould have been very;unaccept:ible to tho composer, and had he heard this passage played by military band in any but the originhl forin lie would probitbly lime coiiclurlcd that his niusic was not suitable to n military bahtl. The same argument applies to inany arrangements of pieces of music for militnry bands. I liare knowii inany woise cnses tlinn this. Xilitxry bonds are often condemne:l for pLaying the high-clLw compositions by people wIio tliiiik they are not a t all suited to t’hem. But I imnginc you will agree with mc t h t adrerse criticism results from tlie fact that tlie pieces hare not lmm lroperly scorcd 01- nnnnged for the b a d . Whatever the mpnbili-

We will now talrc the ncst movement.

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1112 MILITART BANDS AND MILITARY M U S I C .

ties of tlic b:ind, no military band would be able to give a good rcnileriilg of some of the pieces which are so nrmnged. Hut if the arranger Jvould take g r a t e r mre to carry out the ideas of the composer, as far as possible, T think good results might be acliievecl.

Tlie nest composition I sliall deal with will be the " Cnsse-Noisette," or " Nnt-C$ier," suite by Tschaikowskj-. It is played freqiienttj- at tllc Queen's Hall, while tlie concerts are in progress there. Tlic first number is an overture ; and in the orchestral arrangements tlic only stringed instruments employed arc two first violins, two second, :\nil two vioI:is: The 'cellos or double b:isses :ire not utilised .it all in this number. Wc will play n few bars of the march, the overture, and n few smaller numbers. -My object in playing'tliis piece is to try and illustwte that it is posible for a military band even to phy the most tleliaite compositions. There are works written witli peculiar effects for stringed instruments which military bands possibly should not attempt. If the p:ns:iges are not over-dificult, and are within tlie.conipnss of the instrument, it is all right. If they are written in n peculiar position for stringed instrriuients it is more difficult for n military band to get tlie effects wliicli~tlie composer inteiirled. I n this suite, however, I do not tliiiik those clificultic~ present tliemselves. h great d e d of the orcliestintion used is also eiiiployetl in the orchestra itself-I mean oreliestnition for tlie military ~buutl. We will now play :L few bars of tlie overture. It is not possible tbo gct esnctlj. tlie snmc tone- eolonr, blit we colitrin, 1 tliink, t o get n good c01o:ir. We will now t;il<e tlie hi.nb Diince. Tlierc is also a number, written for t.lic celesta, but i t is of too delimtc n character to reproduce on n military bnnd. In this h i 1 1

D:ince we get an instrument introc!ucecl which is seldom nscd in :I militmy band, namely, the Cor-hglais. h o t l i c e cl:rnce, it1 the R i m e suite, is called the Reedpipe Dance. I n the orcliestn it is anmngctl for t h e e flutes, but xq we linrc only one flute lierc this afternoon the otlier parts will be played by otlier instruments. 'The next piece is :I Chinese Diince, and it is snid that the composer, when writing this, must have lint1 ill his liiinil :I

Chinaman's pigtail. You will notice tlic long semiqnnwr passngcs allocxted to the flute and piccolo from the third bar to nearly the end. Anotller f&Tture of this piece is that the bhssoon t:ikc the lead in the accompxniments a t the beginning of the number ; you will kindly observe that t.he clnrinets play pizzimto passages, and the ensemble is not :It :ill ineffectire. I n the introrluction of this number tlie hnrp is used in .n very prominent way, so the difficulty of scoring this for n military band is possibly greater- than scoring sonic of the otlier numbem, because it is not an easy thing t o iinitnte tlicse instrunients i n n military band. However, I think we h:iw got, 'ns 11car to i t ns possible. Tlie nest piece to be clealt wifli will be n Liszt rhapsody. !rliere are fifteeu of these r1i:ipsodie.s written for the piano, and this is one which lias been arranged for n military hand. We ~ i l l now p!q- No. 2.; xse also phy So. 1, xr-hicli is in m:inuscript. This, I tliink, it is geneidly nclmitted, is a pianoforte piece ivhicli coines out yell in n military bapd ; certainly it does not lose anything in t'lie quick i n o ~ c - meet. Originally it was arciiiged for an orchesti-a, and aftern-ards converted for a military band.

I aiii now going to give YOU a few examples of Indian music as arinngetl for military bands. XO serious attempt h,w cwr been n m k to bring the niusic of India to tlic notice of Western .people, in t!ic shape of selections, or fantasias, or solos, or anything connected wit11 i~ !nilitmy band, or, for that matter, with an orchestra. Ind im music itself, tint is,

We will first play tlic ninrcli tint1 tlieii the overture.

The nest piece we come. to is the Flowers Valse.

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XILI'I'AIiY BANDS AND MILITAILP MUSIC. 1113

tlie tunes as t h y are actually sung and played in India, liavc Iievc1;, so f u r as I a111 a~vare, been published in the forni of :I selection by nnybod~-. It \ms my privilege during my stay in India to rnakc tlic acqu:iintancc of P

native gciit.lcinan who took n great interest in tlie musicof liis country, the hIahamjali Nohiin Sourinclro Tngore, residing in Cn1cutt:i. He spends (I good deal of his tiiiie nnd nioncy on the inusic of- 1ndi:i. I made his :tcqiiaintancc when I was in Calcutta ; and there and in other parts I wns frequently asked d y we iievcr played some of tlie music of the c.oi1nti.y. &Iy reply xi^: tlint, when I Iiad :in opportunity of making a good collcction of tnncs ant1 Iiriiiging t,lieni before tlic British public I u-oiiItI (lo so, 'l'lic opportunity hiis! (liiririg tlie Inst few years, been given iiie ; :ind :I selection of Indian niclo.lies 11:is nos- been aminget1 for military bands and will shortly be publislied. Soiiic of tliese tunes T obtained froiii tlie JIalia1nj:ili Mohun SourinJro 'I'ngorc ivlieii in Intlin. Others lie 1i:is sent ine :it tlifferent times. 1 tliiiili wlien you Iicnr tlieiii you will agree t1i:it iii:iny arc very beautiful Iiielotlies, a i i d certainly ouglit to be bettei laiioivn. 111 iny owi Iirtlinii csl)criciice I felt a t times the want of sonic good 1i:itive inelodies to phj-. 'i'liej- :ire very tliflicult to obtain ~bcnirrse the ordiniiry song wliicli you Iienr in tlie Laz:i:i~~ t11e1.c \voultl not c~o~linieiitl itself-or : i t

Ie;ist v ~ r y few of thcni-to the :i\-cr;ige ear. It is oiily :it the 1)artics or ivctltling feitsts that yon wodiI 1ic:ir good singers ant1 good players. They ]lave ill 1iitli:i wvciity-two tlifliercnt :irr;ingeiiieiits of tlie clironiatic scile. They include our iiiajor iiiode, botli foriiis of our minor, :ind tlie.ccclc~iiistir:il iiiodes, usetl in ivhat is liI1ol~-ii as Gregorim music. Tlicsc pcculinrities :ire :ilso fount1 to :i great extent iii tlic folk songs of Europe, and :I nuniber of others whicli, of cour;e, are quite unfamiliar to Western caix Of the last named many are quitc unsuitctl for Iiiwmonisntion on :my pl:iii \vliicli \\-oultl a t once comnienil itself.to Eiirope:ii musicians. The feu- bnis of this ivliicli will be played are written on one of the seventy-two cliroiiintic sciles; it is not n tune, but simply an introdriction, which leads to a Iiynin, sung iii p i s e of Vishnu. 'l'lie Hyiiin of Visliiiu is of great niitiquity,antl I tliink you will ntliiiit that it is most iiiil)rcssiive, and tlint i t certainly lends itself to iiiilitnry band treatinelit. There is :inotlicr in this sclcction eallctl the Krisliixi Hymn. Before proccediug w-itli tlrnt we will play :I popular tuiw, d l c d '' Tnzn h:i T:iza," wjiicli is played all orer India. There nre sel-er:il beniitiful sncrcd tunes, but tiinc will iiot perniit of going tliroiigli thein :ill. Orie of these is, oilled ': Hail, Royal Prince ! " It was written by tlic gent.leman whom I Iim-e :tlready nlludcd to, being composed on t.he ocaision of the visit of tlic Prince of Wnlcs, now tlie King, in 1876 and 1876, and dedicated to him. Tlie next is also a well-knowii tune d i i c h is played and sung. It is .a street beggar's song, and well knoivn throughout the bazaars in Indin. The finale of tlie selection is the Hj-nin to Vislinu; the only difference is that yon get it in a quiet cliurcli-like forni, at the begin- ning of the piece, while i n the finale it reappears in a gi-ander form, and is contx.npuntally treated according to our Western ideas. Of course i t nirist be undci-stood that' in India they know nothing a t all of 1i:irmonj' ; it is simply plain melorly accompanied sonietinics by a toiii-toiii. It, tlicrefore, niiglit appear that we are t:iking n liberty in nrinnging these melodies. But , as 1 csplninetl to those in Indin who arc interested in .tile m+tter, Western ,people ~l-ould never listen to their melodies unless they were hirnionhcd, It is so fully scbrcd .that it cannot he played softly to give. the proper effect inteiidetl. and, therefore, all the Iiunil)e!.s_ ;ye iiot ?tlnpterl to. n sninll room. 111 the last part Soil will 1ie;ir :i ,fen- .b!i!s of the Tntionnl Xiitlieni , in association 11-ith i i i i 1ntli:in melody, :in11 two or t h e e bnrs of tile Dmiisli hymn at the wiinc tinw.

lye will play tlic finale.

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1114 MILITARY BANDS AND MILITARY MUSIC.

I would now like to give you a fern esamples illustrative of the scoring of church music for a military band, to accompany the servico. We will play a chant, in the first place in the ordinary way, and then softly, with a little varied colouiing or orchestration I think more can be done with a military band in this respect than is usually tho case. Many bands take a grcnt concern in it, but others do not exhibit that interest which I think they might. A t Wellington Barracks the choir is composed of drummer boys, and the men quar- tered there for the time being. Tlie band accompanies the service; but as the service is sung in unison, and the boys and men are not trained vocalists, the effect of the singing is not such as you would get a t Westminster Abbey or St. Paul’s. None the less, the service is of a very bright and hearty character, and I think the band itself makes up a great deal for the deficiency of the choir, wlieii i t is attended to. The nost illustration of scoring I have to give is a piece entitled “The Last Good-bye.” The reason for playiug this little piece is to introduce to your notice the ton~xolour .of the saxophones. I spoke of the family of the saxophones last weck, and gave an illustration of compass and what they were capable of doing. They give a beautiful tone colour, and, as I have before stated, in the French bands they are used to a great extent, but in London the fact of their not being used in the orchestras, or anywhere in this country for the matter of that, causes the instrument not to be taken up by the military bands so generally as they might be; there is very little private work to be done with them. The man who plays a saxophone will find scarcely any engagements to be had. This is called an E flat alto saxophone, and this is the B flat (showing instruments). We will now play a Tarantella, which is written no doubt with the view of showing off the clarinet playing of a band, and for general effect. It is not a great composition, but is very pleasant to listen to, and one which is in- variably well received by audiences.

I do not think, my lord, ladies and gentlemen, that there is anything further I can say a t present. I have stated my views on the several points to the best of my knowledge, which is founded on from 30 to 40 years’ practical experience with the British Army. I thank you, my lord, ladies and gentlemen, for the very kind attention you hare given me.

The CHAIRMAS (General Lord Chelmsford, G.C.B., G.C.V.O.) :-I am sure we are very much indebted indeed to Mr. Rogan for llaTing given this interesting wries of lectures upon military band instruments and music. The qualities of the different kinds of music are, I believe, rery little understood; and I am in hopes that Mr. Hogan’s illustrations of the different instruments which are placed in a band, will tend to interest tho.genera1 public a great deal more than lias hitherto been the case. Hitherto thcy hare been quite satisfied to listen to the band, and to appre- ciato the melody which they hear played upon it. I think, howorer, that very few, except those who try to play upon some of the instruments wliieli are in the band, know what very great difficulties the bandsmen haro to encounter, more especially in that country which Mr Rogan knows so well, India, where the climate affects the instruments, and it is necessary that bandsmen shall be rery careful to keep them in proper order. But those who linre listened now to the Tarantella which has lieen played will agree that it is nlniost marrellons that men should be able, on an instrument like tho clarinet, to get the tone and espression and

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MILITARY BANDS AND MILITARY MUSIC. 1115

tl:o fingering that they do. 1 am suro t h a t i n tho thanks you aro n-illing to accord BIr. Rogan, you will bo anxious t o include tho bandsmen who hnro liindly como Iierc, t o sholr- what can bo done by men who throw their wholc soul into tho work, and who arc really musicians in heart and soul. I am suro I can tondor t o Mr. Rogan our thanks for liis lrindncss in delivering tlicso lectures, and for bringing down a selected number of liis own bandsmen t o illustrato oxactly tho theories which 110 has enunciated in tho lectures. He has n-ell proved his caso tha t military bands aro i~ort l iy of har ing music written spccinlly for them of the higliest class, only tha t this must bo arraiigcd in a manner nliicli is i n

accordance 11 itli tlio -quality and tono of tlio iiistruiiicnts, and tlio capabilities cjt tho performers. I only hop0 N r . Rogan’s lectures may lead tlioso rho liaro tho task of arranging tho classical music, and music of niodcrn days, for military bands, to understand t h a t they inust really not only look t o tho coiiipass of tho instrunicnts, bu t also to their capabilities and difficulties, and to tho points’ which Mr. Rogan laid so much stress upon. I ask ~ O U t o accord by, acclamation your thanks t o Mr. Rogan and t h e bandsmen who are here.

Mr. ROOAS, in reply, said :-On behalf of tho members of the band and niysclf, I beg to tender - O U our most rcspcctful and hearty acknowledge- monts of your cordial roto of thanks, and your kind appreciation of tho playing of the band this afternoon, and also for tlic great attention and in- terest you liaro given to my lectures. If I haro dono anything t o further the iiitcrcsts of military bands, or t h e interests of tliosc who would liko t o writo for military bands, I am moro than ropaid for the troublo of prc- paring my Iccturcs. I think, as I hare already statcd, t h a t i f our British composers would only undertalio to writo directly for military bands, they would do a great dcal bettor than by confining their attention to orchestras alone, and Iiaring their works tranwribcd or badly arranged. Sir Alexander Mackcnzic, the Principal of t h e Royal Academy of Jlusic, inritcd nio to giro t h o lecturcs thcrc, wifIi zt cicw to encouraging tlic students t o rrrito for military bands, and I am pleased to say they haro taken tho matter up in a serious way. I inritcd tho students to attend our rolicarsals occasionally, so tha t they might become better ac- quaintcd with tho tcchnicalitics and tono of tho instruments. I f they took some book in which the compass alono of the clarinet or other instrument is gircn, this ospcricncc could not bo gained. It is quito essential when you are scoring passages to knon- tho best parts of tho instruments and how to write for them. Thero is no book published t h a t I linolr of rrhich will tell you all t h a t should be known by composers. I am suro thgt by listening frequently t o a m i l i t a q band, students rrould bo able t o orcrcomo tlicso difficultics t o a great oxtent.

VOL. XLVII. 4 A

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