64 Professor C. Hubert H, Parry [Feb. 28, 



dispensed with, leaving the design exactly as it appears in the finest 

 movements of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms. The functions 

 of these various divisions may be summarised as follows: — The first 

 half establishes the principal key of the movement and its contrast- 

 ing centre ; everything being contrived with the purpose of marking 

 their apposition, and therefore tending to regularity. The second 

 half begins with such treatment as gives the strongest relief to the 

 regularity of the first by breaking up the subjects into small portions 

 and interlacing them irregularly, and by keeping up a constant 

 shimmer of modulation ; and finally the principal key of the move- 

 ment is re-established firmly by presenting both subjects successively 

 in that key. Into subordinate modifications of this structure, and the 

 details of it, it is not possible to enter here. It must be sufficient to 

 say that in the greatest works of Beethoven there is hardly a bar or 

 a step of one note to another in all the complex structure which has 

 not its intelligible place and function in the general scheme of 

 the movement, and it is difficult to see how the differentiation of 

 parts and the distribution of functions could be carried out more 

 perfectly. 



The complete design of symphonies and sonatas comprised other 

 movements of less complex and less interesting structure than this, 

 which were combined with it for the sake of contrast and balance. The 

 first type of such grouping of movements was the attempt of early 

 composers to piroduce an artistic effect by playing two or more dance 

 tunes together, so that their contrasts might show off one another. 

 They began with such simple contrasts as Pavans and Galiards, and 

 progressed up to the relative complexity of the suites of Couperin, 

 Bach, and Handel. But this stage of advance was only an arrival at 

 a very modified degree of heterogeneity; for the movements were 

 always in the same key, and almost always in the same form ; that of 

 the dance tune in two balanced halves. The symphonic or sonata 

 group obtained a much higher degree of contrast, by putting the 

 central movements into contrasted keys, and by strongly contrasting 

 the forms of the movements themselves. A common type is that of 

 four movements, of which the first is the highly developed form, 

 comprising strong contrasts above described ; the second an imita- 

 tion of the operatic aria ; the third a dance tune pure and simple ; 

 and the fourth a rondo, which is commonly a simple series of alternate 

 contrasting dance measures. 



We must now take a rapid survey of the evolution of modern 

 orchestration. The greater part of the evolution has been carried on 

 in the department of instrumental music, especially in the symphonies 

 of the greatest composers. These are derived from the overtures 

 which preceded the early operas, which were divided as early as 

 Alessandro Scarlatti's time into three movements; the first solid 

 and quick, the second slow, and the third quick and light. The 

 practice of playing them apart from the operas began very 

 early, as they were found very useful at the feasts and dinner- 



