already gone beyond the boundaries of popular disquisition in our citations of that kind. The supreme merit, however, of M. Jullien, it may be briefly added, arises from his perceptions as a composer, one who has innovated upon established precedents, for the purpose of creating new effects, and who has shown equal dexterity in writing for instruments, as voices-for he has successfully produced, lately, at Covent Garden, a grand opera, Pietro il Grande. He is the originator of Monster Concerts, which admit of all these new effects-Concerts, too, for the people, at cheap rates, making Art the property of all instead of a few, and improving it accordingly, as political economy shows that the multiplication of every article enhances its quality. On the 29th of August, 1853, he commenced in this country a continuation of the THREE THOUSAND POPULAR AND GIGANTIC CONCERTS which he has presented in Europe. Such an event, we repeat, is a significant fact in Art.-It is a public benefit of a high order; and indicates too, in a cheering manner, how the progress of Art is westward, and that democracy now, as of old, is to prove the true and genial friend of the muse.

In order to render clear our explanations of the scope of voices and instruments, we add below notations of their extent This we give as regards the voices according to a received standard, but it may be remembered that nature is exceedingly unequal and various in this particular, voices sometimes having extra notes, but more frequently falling within this standard in their limitation. The extent of the instruments is that accorded them in orchestra writing; in solo performances under masterly hands, additional notes and sometimes whole octaves in the upper region of pitch are presented. For example, Bottesini, the greatest performer on the double bass who has ever lived, renders his humanity-mocking tones like a rich soprano voice in its medium regions. So, too, the harmonic notes of the violin are produced at an octave beyond its orchestra pitch. These wondrous virtuosoisins may in time, with the increment of population and wealth, and hence of talent and genius, be incorporated into music, and become as classic as any other lyrical fact; but, up to this time, the feudal system and military conscriptions of Europe have impeded or destroyed the giant steps towards such a millennium of

beauty, and the chief business of men has been to manure the death-ruts of military ambition, while our American devotion to "the carrying trade" in ideas, iron and calicoes, has made us content to be the porters of the Art of other nations, instead of the creators of our own.

We shall not add to this list by enumerating Instruments rarely or occasionally used in an orchestra.

A Score, or Full-Score, above briefly described, is written with Musical Notes, in sequence and combination, according to the appearance presented in the "GRAND SYMPHONY IN C," of which the first few bars of the exordium are given on a subsequent page. The number of staves or groups of five parallel lines might be multiplied if our pages were larger, but as we present them, several parts often crowded on one staff, the uninitiated reader in such curious and complex detail, may have an idea of the thickstrown notes, through which the leader is able to shed his intelligence on that of every performer, whether there be twenties or hundreds, and wield them with artistic might and triumph.

The art of writing well for an orchestra, so that each part in its performance shall be clear, and that not one shall interfere with another, but all blend with proper discretion, may be compared to the successful coloring of the painter. Much time is required to attain a thorough knowledge of the resources of each instrument, and then the labors of the student must be long pursued before he can satisfactorily write for an orchestra, it being taken for granted that he has that peculiar musical organization which enables him to enter upon such a task. The methods of writing for an orchestra are as various as the genius of composers, and change constantly with the improvements of instruments and the powers of performers. All composers agree that the burthen of the orchestra rests with the stringed instruments; but their treatment in connection with wind instruments greatly differs under the pens of different composers. The bassoon has risen in rank. The trumpet has ceased to utter the platitudes of the barracks and discourses with sentiment. The introduction of valves to the trumpets and horns enables them to play all the half tones with equal success. Much more use is made of the wind instruments now than formerly.

It is plain from the foregoing dozen bars, or as they may be more properly called, measures, of a grand symphony, that the leader has under his eye at one instant the doings of the largest orchestra, even of a hundred or upwards. The distinct parts in this score are twentythree, eighteen of which are for wind instruments, the kettle-drums added thereto, and the remaining five parts are for the stringed instruments, violins, violas, violoncellos and double basses. Each first violin plays the same part, which is simply duplicated by the copyist; so with each second violin and the other stringed instruments. The duplication and reduplication of the individual stringed instruments swells their number in an orchestra such as Jullien's, to sixtyfour: wind instruments not being multiplied. It will be observed that in the first measure of the foregoing full score of a grand symphony, all the instruments have something to perform, and as the admiral "expects every man to do his duty," he casts his eagle glance around, and raises his baton authoritatively before giving the signal by the first beat on his desk to the army of artists, to attack the grand major chord-a universal flood of lyrical light which Haydn invoked when he portrayed the almighty fiat which blazoned creation into sight. In order that this chord may have its fullest effect the stringed instruments, the double bass excepted, each plays chords of four notes by which their force is increased four-fold. The second measure is a unison or an octave for all the instruments, which the leader learns is to be given with a determined spirit, by the mark sf, the abbreviation for the Italian technical sforzando. In the third measure after this crash, comes a passage in octaves for the hautboys and the clarinets. This is accompanied by the stringed instruments; and in order that it may be heard distinctly the accompanying parts are marked p. for piano, and the leader consequently calms some seventy stringed instruments down to such quiet expressions, that the four hautboys and clarinets are distinctly heard above them. In the fourth measure the double tonguing of the sonorous trumpets, leads to the crash on the fifth measure, which, up to the eighth measure inclusive, is a symmetrical imitation of the four first measures at one interval higher in the scale. Measures nine and ten are the imitations of the first measure, the chords being different leading to measure eleven, where there is a double forte, and the leader insists upon an increased volume being given to the sonority of even the pre

viously loud passages. Measure twelve shows a short note for all the wind instruments, which the leader causes them to snap off, in order that the stringed passages following may enjoy their independence. Here endeth our chapter on instrumentation, as within our present limits we cannot get beyond shoe-tops in a cyclopædic ocean. The judicious reader, though he may never have thought of a full score, will doubtless find in the intricacy of one single such page well rendered, enough to occupy the mind of such a director as Jullien. It has been often remarked that great composers have generally died young. This has not occurred through their idleness, for apart from the nervous excitation necessary to mount into the empyrean of lyrical imaginings there is an amount of labor physical and mental in writing out an opera or an oratorio, that is enough, if often repeated, to destroy a delicate organization.

Some

two thousand pages of score such as we here present, with the addition of numerous vocal parts, would fall short of the amount of notation required for the composition of a grand opera.

On

The above remarks, as may be perceived, were written before the concerts of M. Jullien commenced in New-York. entering Castle Garden for the first time a few nights ago, we were pleasantly surprised to find the obtrusive barrenness and ugliness of its interior overlaid by various ingenuities of decorative art, in the shape of draperies, flowers, festoons, symbols, etc., and all else that Parisian taste so well understands.

The impressions we have derived from a close consideration of M. Jullien on several occasions is, that he can magnetize and fire an orchestra, and through it an auditory, with a preeminent degree of force. This truth the vehement, tumultuous, and overwhelming plaudits of the thousands who go six nights a week, rain, or shine, to hear him, irrefragably affirm. In his original compositions which have been performed here he shows himself an unsurpassed master of the art of displaying the properties of each and every instrument, and bringing out of virtuosos their highest qualities. His arrangement of American airs concluding with a description of a battle is the best piece of purely imitative music we have ever heard. It may be safely said that this community did not know the possibilities of a truly grand orchestra until developed by Jullien. Several of his leading solo players have no equals in the world, and the whole body is composed of choice spirits. The accuracy, strength, and splendor of an inspired musical colossus are evolved by the pas