berlioz orchestration

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Berlioz's Orchestration: Human or Divine?Author(s): Hugh MacdonaldSource: The Musical Times, Vol. 110, No. 1513, Berlioz Centenary Issue (Mar., 1969), pp. 255-258Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/951546

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Berl ioz ' s orchestration:

h u m a n o r d i v i n e ?

Hugh Macdonald

We have grown accustomedto reading appraisersof Berlioz's technique who manfully attempt to

justify or explain his unusual sense of harmony,counterpoint, fugue and so on; these are nowcommonerthan the (doubtless honest) critics whohave not hesitated to condemn his style, usuallyfrom the prejudicedstandpoint of an unswervingadmirationfor Brahms,or Wagner,or the piano-forte-anything rather than Berlioz's music itself.

All, however,areunited npraisinghisorchestration,many clearlydelightedto find somethingthey need

not be nastyor scepticalabout. One is aware of thepositiverelief with which Leon Vallas turns to his

sub-heading n Berlioz'sorchestrationin GroveV),havingsuccessively if not successfully)demolished

everyotheraspect in turn.The brillianceof Berlioz's orchestralcraft is a

clicheof thehistory-books, nd the curtestentriesonBerlioz will not fail to remind us of it. 'He is

importantas a masterof orchestration ather than

simplyas a composer', s the viewof Illing'sPenguinDictionaryof Music,as if Berlioz'sorchestrations fWeber's Invitation to the Dance and Schubert's

Erlkonig were of more value than, say, the Nuitsd'etd. This is palpable, pulpablenonsense, and al-

though it is pleasingto see the hosts all arraignedon Berlioz's side for a change, the lack of con-

troversy over this one feature of his music hasforcedattentionon the morelivelybattlegrounds f

form, harmony, and aesthetics. This unanimityspringspartlyfroma failureto recognizethe manycriteriaby whichorchestrationmaybejudged. Fewreferences o orchestration,whetherby Berlioz or

by anyone else, distinguishbetween what is goodand whatis merelynovel, et alonewhat s expressiveor apt or practicable. The very word 'brilliance'

ambivalentlycovers up this important differencebetween hegoodand the new. AnyonecanwriteanE flat clarinetor a

hecklephoneor a

typewriternto

his scoresand be creditedas a daringorchestrator,but the skill requiredin writingfor them is com-

plementary. Mozartdid not need new instruments

in order to orchestratewell; Strauss,with his be-wilderingpanoplyof curiouswares,can orchestrateabominably.

Strauss at least cannot be accused of neglectingthe study of orchestration,althoughit is doubtfulwhether either he or Rimsky-Korsakovdevoted asmuch time and thought to the art as Berlioz haddone. Berliozhimself erectedthe firstgreatmonu-ment to the art of orchestration n his Treatiseonthe subject,first publishedin 1843, and this mustobviouslyserve as a basis of any study of his own

orchestralpractice. The Treatisedeals exhaustivelywith the capabilitiesof individual nstrumentsandlays out clearlywhat can and cannot be done. Heplaces more emphasison skill than on seekingoutnoveleffects,buttheveryexistenceof thisinvaluabletextbook has perpetuatedthe legend of Berlioz'sexemplaryuse of instruments.

On the assumption hat Berlioz'soveralldistinc-tion as an orchestratorand the uncanny texturalclarityof his scores are beyondquestion,perhapsmay be permitted o drawattentionto some appar-ent shortcomings n his scoringwhichmay in somecases have been applaudedas noveltieswithoutanyconsiderationof their sonorous effect. Two casesmaybe citedfirst,both of which areusedby Berliozin his Treatise o demonstrate n unusualusage,andhave since become ociclassiciof orchestralbravado.

Thefirst s the famoususeof timpanichordsat theend of the 'Scene aux Champs' n the SymphonieFantastique. The effect is extraordinarilypoetic,because t perfectlymatches he designof the move-ment, and suggestivelyreplaces the offstage oboeheardat thebeginning; hedistantrumbleof thunderis ideallycaptured.Let our approvalrest there,forif there s one thingthepassagedoes not suggest t isharmony. There s no sense of F minor when threetimpaniroll thenotes of the triad,andBerliozseemsto have

recognizedthis at the next

entrywhen a

fourth drum sounds the B flat and confoundsanypossiblechordaleffect. Whythendid Berliozselectthese particularnotes? In this case it is perhaps

255



moretheanalysts' arsthathave beenbeguiled,withtoo much talk of 'chords',than Berlioz's. For thereally skilful use of four timpani of differentpitcheswe must look to the 'Marcheau Supplice'that follows, rather than to the 'bruit61oign6dutonnerre'.

The second is the celebrateduse of trombone

pedalnotes in the Hostias of the GrandeMessedes

Morts. This sunquestionably strokeof inspiration,an effectof cavernous mmensity ntirely n keepingwith Berlioz'stotal conceptionof the work. Somewriterspraise the effect unreservedly,others (forexampleGordon Jacob) considerit horrible. Theacoustical truth is that the root position majorchordssound nfinitelybetter han theothers, or theovertonesof eight low trombones are exceedinglystrong (both in recordingand performance) spec-ially the second harmonic,soundinga 12thabove.There are eight chords in the Hostias where thethree flutesdefinea triad, of which only threeareroot position majorchords,the rest are all suscept-

ible to variousdegreesof distortionby overtones.As eachchordapproachestssforzandoheovertonesemergeand cloud the colour of the harmony;theeffect is somewhatas in ex 1. At the end of themovement hepassagewherethetrombonesventurebelow low B flat step by step, reach G sharpand

cautiouslyreturn to B flat, like a batherwho has

dippeda toe or two into the water and decidednotto plunge, surely smacks more strongly of experi-mentation than of the raising of the Host. The

passageis reproduced n the Treatise,and to these

pages it shouldproperlyhave beenconfined.

Ex. 1IFLUTES

Tr-o#4ow

(.0.),

-"

The GrandeMesse des Morts also supplies us witha classic case of miscalculation,he sort of thingonefindsfrequentlyn thesymphoniesof BeethovenandSchubert,but whichraises a surprisedeyebrowinBerlioz. TheRequiems a workof strong,even stark

contrasts,one of which is the juxtapositionof thetenor soloist's serene Sanctus and the chorus'svigorous ugalHosanna. Therepriseof theHosannais glossedby thefirstviolins,mutedand divided ntofour parts, maintaining the ethereal, long, slowchords of the Sanctus, the one pace and timbresuperimposed n the other. Onlyin recordingdoesit seem possible to make these violins audible overthe fullforte of the restof the orchestraand chorus,withoutaskingthe firstviolins to drawrapidbowsand producefull tone, thusdestroying he characterof the notes.

Hector BerliozNEW EDITION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS

To mark the Berlioz Centenary Year publication will shortly be announced of

'Les Troyens', one of the most important of the composer's operas. This new

edition will be used by the Scottish National Opera and Royal Opera in their

performancesof this work planned for this year.

The previously published volume contains the Symphonie Funebre et

Triomphale, and further volumes are now in preparation.

A subscriptionprospectusgiving details

concerningthe New Edition will be sent on request

Barenreiter,2/4 Great Titchfield Street, W1 (01-5809008)

256



Ex. CELLOSiv.

-". 1i I ,- i-a s 3 i s

Berlioz's orchestral balance is in general masterly

enough, but it would be interesting to discoverwhether he ever experienced any qualms about the

problems of balance encountered in Harold en

Italie, a work which has only enjoyed any reasonablecirculation since the advent of the gramophone, andwhich remains exceedingly rare in the concert hall.Soloist and orchestra are hard to balance in anyclassical concerto, and in Harold the problem is noeasier.

About some of Berlioz's orchestral habits there is

greater latitude for disagreement. I have personallynever felt convinced that his fondness for dividedcellos and basses in dense, low chords is unerringlysuccessful. The scene of Hector's ghost in Act 1 of

Les Troyens is an exception, for the broad pace andthe clarity of the chords make the harmonic pro-gressions distinct and audible. It works less well in

the duet between Anna and Narbal later in the operawhere the orchestral superstructure is heavier, and

seems almost clumsy in the Roi de Thule ballad inLa Damnation de Faust (ex 2).

Berlioz also evinces the belief that a low cornet

will blend with trombones as an optional fourth

voice. It is true that modern trombones have moved

a long way from the tone-quality of Berlioz's time,but it must nevertheless have been extremelydifficult even then to bring off this effect. One very

rarelyhears a successful blend.

Generallyit is

horrible, and even if it can be done by a specialexertion on the part of the players, it was surely no

part of Berlioz's purpose to impose undue diffi-

culties upon his executants; the whole gospel of the

Treatise is directed towards the simple and effectiveuse of instruments. The two most notable cases of

this treatment are the middle section of Andro-

mache's mime scene in Les Troyens and M6phisto-

ph61's' air 'Voici des roses' in La Damnation de

Faust.We have yet to hear a piccolo execute the octave

glissando demanded in the hast movement of the

Symphonie Fantastique, but other actual impossibili-

ties are rare. In Les Troyens the cor anglais has tochange to oboe in the space of a dotted quaver, and

there is a five-second change for the clarinettist fromB flat to A, which is cutting it very fine. On the

other hand, he can show over-concern for makingthings easier for the performers at the expense of the

resulting sound. This most often arises in his

choral writing, when he is anxious to keep the

voices within their allotted range. The basses are

given a lower octave which weighs down the upperline; or certain notes are doubled an octave lower.

Conductors who suppress the lower octave doub-

ling of the sopranos' high A flat at the climax of the

fugue subject in the Hosanna of the Requiem do

wisely.There is a passage at the end of the first movement

of the Symphonie Fantastique where Berlioz dividesboth groups of violins and apportions the notes

E x . 3

J- F-~

In I.

between the two players of each desk (ex 3). It is aclever device and undoubtedly useful for less skilled

players. At the same time the fragmentation of theline is not properly disguised and there are manybars where there was no need to weaken the tone.Here we have Berlioz's practicality overriding his

idealism, and in the history of orchestration thepassage is a major landmark. The 18th-centuryconception of orchestral instruments as voices, witha consequent refusal to deceive the ear, gives placeto the later basis of orchestration in which instru-

ments may legitimately be used as links in a chain,or as particles with which the complete sound is put

together. Berlioz's purpose here is emphatically notto set up a dialogue between separated lines but touse two voices to give the effect of one. It was as

much this conception of orchestration that Berlioz

bequeathed to later generations as the revelation ofnew and untried orchestral sonorities.

There are cases where Berlioz's instructions are

ambiguous or incomplete; these can prove madden-

ing to editors and conductors. Each deserves to be

investigated more fully, as I can do no more thandraw attention to them here. At first sight, for

example, the instruction 'baguettes d'6ponge', so

common a marking in Berlioz's timpani parts, is

perfectly explicit; so is the rarer 'baguettes de bois'.What happens, though, when nothing is marked?

There is no cancelling instruction, and the Treatiseseems to hint that timpanists would normally haveused 'baguettes de peau' unless instructed to takeeither harder (wood) or softer (sponge) headedsticks. Why, then, did he never appear to cancel

these directions? For how long a stretch of musiccan they be assumed to hold good ?

Why, also, if the adoption of valves was such a

burning question in the mid-19th century, did he so

carelessly mark a stave 'cors Ba istons' or 'cors 'hcylindres' in one place and simply 'cors' in another?Does the player stick to the valved horn even aftera change of crook ? The incompleteness of the scoresis all the more disconcerting because of the un-marked bouchi effects implicit in parts for thenatural horn.

And then there is the seemingly trivial question of

who plays second bassoon. Berlioz's usual bassoon

complement was four, but there are enough occa-

sions on which he specifies two to leave doubt whensimply 'Bassons' is marked in the score (in the

Royal Hunt and Storm for instance). The second

desk of bassoons was in origin a doubling, strength-

257



ening desk, not an extensionof the series. Whenthey played n four realparts irstandsecondplayedat one desk, third and fourth at the other; whenthey play in two partsthe firstplayerat each desktakes the upperline (even, it seems, when the partwasmarked solo'),each secondthelower,andwhenonly two players are required'les deux premiers

bassons' could mean two things,either the first ateach desk or the first desk.The point is not that it mattersmuch who plays

whichpart (althoughthe possibilitythat 'solo' canimply two players should be observed) but thatBerlioz should have left the matter so open toquestion. Yet he is not entirely o be blamed orouruncertaintiesbecause his directions assumed thecommon knowledge of contemporaryorchestralpractice. No doubtorchestralplayers, henas now,knew what was implicitin the notes. For us thedifficulty s to reconstruct hese assumptions,andthis can only be done by a broadand detailedstudyof the scoresand orchestralmaterialof the time.

I do not wish to dwell on Berlioz'sfailingsas anorchestrator, or to restorea properbalancewouldrequireme to table,at incredibleength,thefelicitiesandmasterstrokes f his scores. I wouldmerelyaskthat his orchestrationbe seen as an integralpartofhis technique, perhapsthe most strikinglyoriginalpart, but not somethingseparateand untouchable.To arrive at a true judgment one must assesscritically he novelty, the historical mportance, hepracticability,he sensory effect,and the expressive

BERLIOZ

Requ i emGrande Messe des Morts

Editor: LEOPOLDDAMROSCHVocal Score Price 12s 6d net

T e D e u mfor Triple Chorus with Solo Tenor

Vocal Score with Instrumentally-CuedPiano Accompaniment

Price 14s Odnet

NWOR"WLONDON

effect respectively,without blindly assuming thatone is as good as the other. If a centenarymayseema curiousmomentto debunk what has traditionallybeenthe composer'shighestattribute, suspectthatBerlioz'srehabilitationhas progressedfar enoughfor specialpleadingto be unnecessary.In any caseit is as a composerthat his statureat last standsso

high, not as a mere sonic manipulator.

T h e 0 t 1 1 i t a l E f t i m nMarch1869;28pp; 2d

... The Italian languagehas been, and is, a mostbaneful nfluence o music,affecting ts production,its performance, nd its effect.

The repetitionof this manifest truth would be

vain were there not still unadduced acts and argu-ments to support it. First among these may becited the notablecase of Handel'soperas. Thesearecast in a form that limited the workings of themightygeniusof themaster,andallowed no play toits higher attributes . Based upon subjects thatare entirely unsympathetic o our times, and con-structedupon principles hat aretotallyuncongenialto ourstage,his operaswillnever,andcannever,beperformed again; the revival, as an antiquariancuriosity,of GiulioCesare, n 1787,was,and willbe,the last occasion of the complete representation fany one of them,anda largemassof the labours ofone of the greatest,and, perhaps, he verygrandestof musicians,wroughtat a periodof life whenmen's

abilities are at the strongest,are obsolete and vir-tually lost to the world for ever. The exceptionalperformanceof some very few detached singlepieces from these works in no degree invalidateswhat has here been urged, but proves only howcountless s the loss fromamongwhich theseprice-less fragmentshavebeen rescued.

-from an article 'The Italian Language: its evil

Influence upon Music' by G. A. Macfarren

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