(doubled two octaves lower by Clarinets), whilst underneath, MUTED 'CELLOS enter with a florid little motif of oriental suggestion. The 'CELLOS continue this motif for a few bars, taking it lower and lower, the Wood Wind, meanwhile, quietly thickening out their holding-notes, until they become a soft extended chord. II-12. Strings (all muted) with Clarinets and Bassoons now hold a chord, above which are heard the FLUTES and OBOES, an octave apart, playing the florid motif. HARP and some WOOD play against this a little figure of detached arpeggio notes. 13. Lower Strings hold the chord, First Violins maintain a tremolo, which very softly descends the chromatic scale in parallel thirds, doubled by Flutes, Oboes and Celesta (HARP and various WOOD carry on the arpeggio detached-note figure). A soft roll is played on a Cymbal, with drum-sticks. 17-18. The force engaged in the parallel thirds is thinned down to First Violins and Celesta. PICCOLO and HARP (harmonics) carry up the arpeggio figure. 19. A Muted String chord, doubled by Harp; against this background, a high CLARINET note which blossoms into an arabesque, and then closes up into the long high note again. 20. Under this long, high Clarinet note, which is now withering away, are heard Muted Strings and Harp chords, with, in the FIRST VIOLINS, the little chromatic opening figure of the oriental motif of bar 7. 21-2. Another CLARINET takes over the long note and the arabesque, whilst Muted Strings and Harp repeat their chords, slightly changed in harmony 23. MUTED VIOLINS in octaves, doubled by ОвOE and COR ANGLAIS in octaves, make the arabesque into a rhythmic, sinuous rapid figure, a few Wood Wind and Lower Strings supplying slow chords. 24. PICCOLO and CLARINET in octaves repeat the figure with quickened pulse, other Wood, Strings and Harp accompanying. 25-6. The same proceeding repeated, with FLUTE for Clarinet. 27-8. The florid, oriental motif from bar 7 is given out (quickened) four times, a step or two lower each time, by PICCOLO and FLUTE, against the arpeggio figure in pizzicato LOWER STRINGS and HARP glissandos and soft Wood Wind chords. 29-30. FLUTE and CLARINET do much the same, to a similar accompaniment. 31-2. OBOE and VIOLINS play the oriental motif (at its original pace) to an accompaniment of Clarinets, Bassoons, and Lower Strings. 33-5. A Muted Strings and Bassoon chord (Harp arpeggios heard just as it opens) serves as a quiet background for a cadenza-like extended treatment of the chromatic oriental motif, by CLARINET. 36. The Cadenza continues, but resumes something more like the original form of the motif, whilst LOWER STRINGS (the mutes at last removed), BASS CLARINET and BASSOONS play an ascending chromatic figure. 37. FLUTE and OBOE in unison play an inversion of the Clarinet part in the last bar (i.e., turned upwards instead of downwards); COR ANGLAIS, CLARINETS, VIOLINS and VIOLAS play an inversion of the part of Bassoons and Lower Strings in the last bar (i.e., turned downwards instead of upwards). 38. GLOCKENSPIEL and HARP, against String and Bassoon chords, play a slow arpeggio motif, doubled by PICCOLO off the beat.' CELLOS start, with their bottom note, a slow pizzicato scale, which they carry right up, rising steadily, beat by beat, through the next six bars, strengthened first by (sustained) FIRST BASSOON, then Cor Anglais. 39-40. Similar, but FLUTE now doubles the arpeggio. 41-2. Similar, but ОBOE now doubles the arpeggio. 43. Similar, but CLARINET now doubles the arpeggio. 44-5. Long chords by Wood, whilst VIOLINS double the arpeggio figure, increased in rate of speed. 46. A chord in HORNS alone. 47. Whilst this chord continues, PICCOLO, OBOE, HARP and VIOLINS, pizzicato, take the arpeggio. 48. STRINGS take the chord very softly. FLUTE, CLARINET, HARP and VIOLINS pizzicato take the arpeggio. 49-54. This sort of alternation continues. 55. VIOLINS, bowed, now take the figure- 56. here joined by GLOCKENSPIEL, HARP and PICCOLO, which add, between the beats, the same arpeggio figure, in canon with the Violins, i.e., playing a passage of the same shape, but overlapping instead of coinciding. This sort of thing continues (Flute and later Oboe joining in the Canon), until bar 63. where PICCOLO, FLUTES, COR ANGLAIS and VIOLINS begin an upward-moving melody, with a considerable crescendo, in which WOOD and BRASS gradually join. 67. TREMOLO STRING chords (sul ponticello)1, Violins very active with a running arpeggio figure (barely heard in this Record). SIDE DRUM starts a roll, TRUMPET enters with its original call which, in bar- 68. is taken up (unfortunately almost inaudibly) by various WOOD WIND instruments. 71. The WHOLE ORCHESTRA is now engaged and so continues for the remaining four bars. (b) The MARCH is that for King Dodon's wedding. The description in the score (freely translated) is as follows: Trumpets are heard: the triumphal procession passes in front of the palace. First come the King's body guard, with their self-important boastful airs; then the Queen's suite, in costumes quaint and many 1 lit.,' on the bridge,' i.e., with the bow very close to the bridge of the violin, producing a peculiar effect, which Forsyth in his Orchestration describes as a sort of core of sound covered up by a thick layer of scrape '. coloured, as though they had just stepped out of an Eastern fairy tale. Some of the company have only one eye, in the middle of the forehead. Others have horns, others heads like dogs. There are also negro giants and negro dwarfs, veiled slaves bearing treasure-caskets and golden vessels. Last of all, in a gilded chariot, appear the King and Queen. The populace bursts into excitement and shouts for joy. It seems hardly needful to describe in detail the orchestration of this piece, as the reader who has followed with care, in several hearings, the notes on the orchestration of the previous piece will easily identify most of the instruments and combinations here. Observe in the opening bars the TRUMPET call answered by FLUTES and OBOES. The instrument that enters with a tune (of six bars in length) about three-eighths of an inch from the outer circle of the Record is ostensibly COR ANGLAIS, but sounds a little too smooth in tone. TROMBONES have a fine chance of making themselves felt somewhere about the middle of the piece, where they enter with a tune of their own, a note three times repeated followed by a series of rolling triplets. This is the tune first introduced as an arabesque by Clarinet, bar 19 above. PICCOLO too comes into his own before the piece is ended. Large Columbia Light Blue Record. L. 1533, 7s. 6d. Printed Music. Orchestral Score, and also Piano Score, of these pieces alone published by Jurgenson, Leipzig, and obtainable through Goodwin & Tabb at 10s. 6d. for the Orchestral Score and 3s. 6d. for the Piano Score. The Vocal-Pianoforte Score of the whole Opera (with English text) costs £1 IS. Orchestral Score not available. Moussorgsky. The Song of the Flea. This is the cynical song of Mephistopheles in Auerbach's Drinking Cellar at the opening of Goethe's Faust. It is a satire upon princes' favourites. Chaliapine sings it in Russian, with an orchestral accompaniment. The original accompaniment was for the Piano. I do not know whether the composer provided this orchestral version; it has no very special effectiveness. There is a good Aeolian Record made by Rosing, who also sings it in Russian; this has Piano accompaniment. Once, long ago, a king lived who kept such a fine fat flea. (A flea! A flea!) And cherished him as dearly as tho' a son were he, A flea! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A flea! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A flea! He sent for his own tailor, who came to Court in haste. Now cut my flea a doublet, and clothe him in good taste.' A doublet for a flea! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A flea! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A flea! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A flea of taste! Our flea is dressed in velvet, and silk and golden hue, And full liberty to him is given at the Court. Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A flea! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A flea! A minister the king made him, a diamond star he wore, Ha, ha! The courtiers, male and female, they were no longer gay. Ha, ha! |