284 REPORTS FROM THE SECTIONS. 
who cares to spell slowly and painfully through such a manu- 
script with its numerous abbreviations, so deceptive that often the 
eye mistakes one élef for another, thus altering sufficiently the 
sound to put you all out and oblige you to read again the twenty 
or thirty lines which performed simultaneously are to produce the 
effect of that portion of the work. No one cares for a task so 
rd, and no one undertakes it. It is for this reason that judges 
of musical competition require from the candidates a pianoforte 
arrangement and reduction of the general scores, and it is for this 
same reason that young composers find it so difficult to present 
themselves fairly before the world ; for in many compositions the 
pianoforte score is powerless to give any sufficient or correct idea 
of the whole work. Of course in the case of an already celebrated 
is not difficult to finda publisher to buy the copyright. He 
immediately prints the pianoforte score for the assistance of the 
artists at the rehearsals. Then the gencral score is delivered to 
the copyists, who extract and separate the parts of the various 
instruments and chorus-voices, and this is often the affair of many 
weeks, after which only really commences the practical labour. I 
do not know if an astronomer finds that stars of the first magni- 
tude or those of minor importance cause the most embarras in 
the heavenly system ; but I am quite sure that, if the former are 
great trials to a composer, the latter are often ten times more 
a C at such and such a place to show off his best notes ; some one 
else desires the time made quicker or slower to suit him; and 
with the style of the music, the sense of the words, or the 
dramatic situation. What signify such trifles to stars who know 
their importance! They have spoken! Make the required 
alterations, or they throw up their parts! The u py com- 
poser has to yield ; and to save the life of his work he, perhaps, 
maims or cuts off alimb. I doubt if there ever existed a composer 
' bow his 
z i Ps eee eying 
ts ¢ 
ES Oe PENS ee ey ae RES nee eR ES eS STE OY SRE eT ee 
