CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



These notes can be fitted in with one another, so 

 that the instrument has a complete chromatic 

 scale of open notes. This will be better under- 

 stood from fig. 32, in which are shewn at (a) 



the six series of harmonic notes which can be ob- 

 tained upon a C horn with three pistons : the first 

 piston lengthens the tube by an amount which lowers 

 its pitch one semitone ; the second piston, a whole 

 tone ; and the third, a tone and a half ; and by 

 using the first and third, second and third, and all 

 three together, it is lowered two whole tones, 24 

 tones, and three whole tones respectively. By 

 piecing together all the notes thus obtained, it 

 will be seen that the instrument has a complete 

 chromatic scale between the limits shewn at (b\ 

 and this by the use of only the more easily pro- 

 duced harmonics. 



What has been said as to the nature of the 

 sounds which can be produced by the horn, holds 

 equally good for the Trumpet j but with this 

 instrument only a few closed notes are possible, 

 and these scarcely ever used. Its tube is nearly 

 cylindrical throughout its whole length, the bell 

 at its mouth being comparatively small, and this 

 shape is the cause of the brilliancy and piercing 

 quality of its tone. What has been said as to the 

 different keys of the horn, and the effect of fitting 

 it with pistons, equally applies in every respect 

 to the trumpet Its compass is about the same 

 as that of the horn, but an octave higher; it plays, 

 therefore, notes on the treble clef as they are 

 written. 



The ordinary Cornet, or Cornet-a-piston, differs 

 from the piston trumpet only in the shape of its 

 tube, and in being only half its length. Its 

 compass, however, is nearly the same, for although, 

 on account of its shorter length, its fundamental 

 tone is an octave above the fundamental tone of 

 the trumpet in the same key, still it is found that 

 its most effective notes lie in the second octave 

 of its compass, while those of the trumpet lie in 

 the third, and thus either of these two instruments 

 can perform music written for the other. 



The cornet by its shape stands between the 

 trumpet and a very large family of instruments 

 belonging to the Bugle class, which are more 

 used in military bands than in the orchestra. 

 This class includes the alto and tenor bugle, 

 euphonium, bombardon, ophicleide, and many 

 others, besides the sax-horns and tubas, and other 

 instruments top numerous to mention. Their 

 peculiarity is, that their tubes taper very gradually 

 and throughout almost their whole length. 



Of all the brass instruments, the grandest in 

 701 



tone are the Trombones, the real bass of the class 

 of which the trumpets form the soprano. In them 

 a slide moved by the hand takes the place, and 

 serves the purpose, of the pistons in the instru- 

 ments just described. There are three principal 

 classes of trombones, called respectively alto, 

 tenor, and bass ; the second is the most common, 

 but the latter is one of the grandest 

 instruments in the orchestra. It is, Q; 

 however, difficult to play, on account 

 of the muscular exertion required. 

 Its fundamental tone, with the slide rj 



closed, is the double Eb (fig. 33), 

 and in the case of this instrument, Fig. 33. 

 the fundamental tone of the tube, as 

 well as its over-tones, can be used. The trombones 

 are non-transposing instruments, their music being 

 written always in the key in which it is to be 

 played. 



We now come to the last class of orchestral 

 instruments instruments of percussion. The 

 principal of these are the Kettle-drums, of which 

 every orchestra has at least a pair. By means of 

 screws, which increase or lessen the tension upon 

 the drum head, each drum can be tuned to 

 different notes within a moderate range. The 

 larger drum can take any note between F and c 

 (fig. 6), and the smaller Bb and f. Usually, the 

 two drums are tuned to the tonic and dominant 

 of the key in which the music is written, but other 

 intervals can also be employed when they are 

 required by the exigences of harmonies. The 

 ordinary ' side-drum/ used in military bands, and 

 occasionally also in orchestral music, does not 

 emit a definite musical tone, but only a sound of 

 some sonorousness, which in certain circum- 

 stances is useful rhythmically. 



An orchestra, such as is to be heard in the 

 larger opera-houses, or at the more important 

 orchestral concerts, generally contains seventy or 

 eighty performers. The proportions of players 

 on the different instruments in such an orchestra 

 will be approximately as follows : Fourteen first 

 and as many second violins, ten violas, six violon- 

 celli, eight double-basses, two flutes, two oboes, 

 two clarionets, two bassoons, four horns, two 

 trumpets, three trombones, one harp, and two- 

 kettle-drums. To these will be added side-drum, 

 cymbals, and triangle when required ; and in 

 some cases, other instruments are also necessary, 

 as the Corno Inglese or the ophicleide. 



As it has not been possible for us, within the 

 limits of this short article, to do more than barely 

 sketch in some of the outlines of the subjects of 

 which we have had to speak, we append a short 

 list of books which may be studied with advan- 

 tage by any one who wishes to pursue them further. 

 Those which we think most valuable for general 

 purposes we have marked with an asterisk. 

 Lectures on Sound, by Professor Tyndall (Long- 

 mans) ; *Sound and Music, by Sedley Taylor 

 (Macmillan) ; *Music, by H. C. Banister (Deigh- 

 ton, Bell, and Co.), an elementary technical 

 manual ; General Musical Instruction, by Marx 

 (Novello) ; A Theory of Harmony, founded on 

 the tempered Scale, by Dr Stainer (Rivingtons) ; 

 Six Lectures on Harmony, by G. A. Macfarren 

 (Longmans), founded on Day's harmonic theory ; 

 *How to Observe Harmony, by John Curwen 

 (Tonic Sol-fa Agency) ; * Modern Instrumentation 

 and Orchestration, by Berlioz (Novello). 



