' The 0 liXON STATESMAN. Salem. Urejrotw stmaay Blorninjr, uecemoer 1U31
Why Play the Bass Viol?
A thrilling description of orchestral instruments, their,
history, their moods, their part in the 'music colony."
. By HAL CAMPBELL, B. M.
I attended a concert on one occasion . expressly to hear a
much heralded work by a "new man' with a "message,"
from the "new school.'
I am of the "old school" myself, old fashioned enough
to prefer the older tonal systems of Bach, Beethoven and
Wagner. Am tolerant, though skeptical of these "polytonie"
(several keys at once) tone-poets, O-
with their super - counterpoint;
their "mystic chords," and other
Innovations that flout the limita
tions ot the human ear, but this
was too much."-. ;'.v f: .v ,.:.-.
Eren to one crown accustomed
to the hysterics ot Schonberg,
Scriabine, Stravinsky and their
kind, the 'work" was unendur
able, ugly, stark and decadent. I
listened to the first "episode."
bnt soon after the second, with its
discordant tutti triads; moving
en masse as if welded together;
my Interest went, and I found
myself studying the faces of the
performers Instead of listening to
this stomach-ache ot sound; the
grumbUngs, and the belchings of
this ultra-modernist from the
"school ot musical indigestion" ot
which, so said the accepted organs
of ultra-modernism, he was the
ltlarh nrit .'- .
Perfectly obliviojns to the caco
phony, I permitted my eye to wan
der over the large, augmented en
aemble. According to the written
Instructions on the onusical score,
the lights were turned down low.
In the half light my glances swept
over the strings, past the crouch
ing figure of the conductor, who
gesticulated, with his outstretched
arms' and swaying figure, a
"scare-crow" In the moonlight.
Orer to the line of basses which
stood, like blackened, saplings in
a,, fire swept forest and on to the
percussion - section, (augmented)
where waving arms thrashed out
the syncopated rhythm of a bar
baric theme. Hence my eyes
caught the shimmer ot brass,
glinting In the softened rays of
the sole flood-light overhead, the
horns, the trumpets, the trom
: bones, (augmented), the wood
"wind and towering above them the
ponderous tubas.
Why Play
A bass. Viol?
My scrutiny of the players as a
whole complete, I began studying
the faces of each individual, hop
ing to learn the clue to the selec
tion ot the Instrument each
played. The bass viol! What Is
there In a bass viol, even thougb
It was fashioned In the workshop
of a De Salo, to claim the attrac
tion of a man?
" It grants and groans, ' as its
usually, short, bald-headed owner
aws back and forth over enor
mous strings with "a clumsy look
ing bow. Occasionally the. bow is
upraised, and with deft digits the
strings, resin strewed, are pluck
ed. Dust flies as the taut cat-gut
snaps against the finger-board,
and from Its beUy is emitted stac
cato croaks, as if dismally pro
testing the torture.
. The bass viol player alwaya
looks bored to death. His face
resembles a.Brenda mask. Never
a smile creeps over his serious
countenance. Classical symphony;
the syncope ot a jazs' song;, the
whole bow bass ot the lugubrious
"crooner's" nostalgic lament, it's
all the same to the bass viol play
er. Just another night's work to
this unemotional old German, as
he see-saws methodically and
dreams. .
Perhaps he Is away ahead ot
his "part." Back to his small,
room, vhere his slippers, his pipe,
his Schopenhauer beer, cheese,
' pretzels.- await him. .Watch, after
Me performance, and you'll see
- him emerge from the "stage en
trance." See him bending, Atlas
like, under the weight ot his
"bull-fiddle," canvas covered and
. strapped over his 1 shoulders.
Watch him as he trudges down
the back street, for "Fritz" must
carry his Instrument home, since
there Is ao room for such a mon
strous, kennel like thing on a
street car. What made this quiet,
unooiruBive, Teuton cnoose a
bass-viol as a medium to gain
livelihood? ,
OHo.is .
Somber-Toned
- One can understand a man's
preference for the somber-toned
'cello. It seems a member of the
string family grown old and mel
low with age. It has sowed its
wUd oats and lias settled down.
Its place In-the: orchestra is as
sured. To Its care master tone
poets -have entrusted throbbing,
despairing; ecstatic " love songs
- Tschaikowsky in his "Pathet
Ique," as an instance. On its
shapely shoulders the foundation
ot the string quartet must lean.
Yes, one . can readily understand
the - melancholy -looking man's
preference for the violincello. -What
is there in a trombone
that Induces man to take It up
as his choice of Instruments? Its
. brazen throat gives forth little
that can be called music, in the
. strict sense of the word. A bla
tant bully strutting down the
street with a "chip" on his shoul-
-' der-trueulent, defiant raucous
voiced, belligerent. It has no do
mesne virtues iiae tne violin or
the cooing, gentle, flute. True, It
struts In the front rank of the
, ' band. Supreme in Its brazen glory,
but is never asked to perform at
a "musical evening! in company
with Debussy, Chopin, Tartini or
Krelsler. Only a supreme optimist
would seek new lodgings with a
trombone case under his arm. By
no stretch ot the imagination can
It be called a "cozy Instrument."
It has Its glorious moments,
doubtless, as when it announces
the entrance of an all conquering
hero, or in such passages as Verdi
gave to it in "Aida," when its
clarion voice is given the "tune."
Here, with five others of Its kin.
.it raises its tapering throat heav
enwards lest they crumble the
walls of the canvas city with their
exultant blast. A few moments ot
glorious bombast, then to sink
once more Into a peaceful senility.
What kink la the' cosmic make
up of a man ever Induced .him to
select a trombone as a means of
keeping the wolf from his door?
A disappointed trumpet player,
perhaps, or was It his fingers were
not nimble enough tor the Intri
cacies ot a fret? This I wondered
as I gazed at the trombonist Sow
revelling with demoniac zest in
the dissonant triads before them,
flushed and exultant.
Difficult too, is It to find a clue
for the selection of a tuba, the
constructor of the brass choir,
Hercules with a "union card,"
looking tor all the world,-like a
man enmeshed in the tentacles of
some huge octopus, he seems to
be struggling, straining and putt
ing to f res himself. Ot all Instru
ments, why a tuba?
Bassooa Is Wise.
Cracking Clowa - .
And the bassooa. A wise-cracking
clown ot the modern ensem
ble, the stabilizer of the wood
wind family. To think ot the bas
soon is to recall Gluck, Haydn,
Mozart, Handel. With them It
went to the ornate ballroom of
the affluent and the opulent, the
Esterhazys. et aL Candle lit sa
lons, silks, satin, brocade, peru
kes; white-wigs, patches, powder,
patcholi; Jewelled, buckled shoes;
snuft boxes; courtsies and sly in
nuendo.
Fallen today from its once high
estate to become the Ed Wynn ot
the. modern orchestra, .to utter
with its double lips, gutteral. Ra
belaisian wheezes, Falstaff In a
high hat, shocking his compan
ions, the genteel flute, and the
timorous oboe. .. "
I could understand one's love
for the oboe. It is the pipe of Pan
come .again to rival the music ot
broken, windswept, marsh-reeds.
To a mortalwith a delicately at
tuned ear its plaintive, haunting
notes suggest a pastorale, green
hills; Indolent sheep grazing un
der a Turneresque sky; drifting,
fleecy clouds; in a windless air.
The soft plash of water-fauns, or
the gathering of "ancient gods
come to lament a strange, turbu
lent, fallen world Debussy!
Thing of Sobs
Is Saxophone
The saxophone! It deserves our
pity, not our scorn, for it is but
the issue of an illicit union, forced
into the streets to acquire the
vicious habits, the vulgarities and
the corruption of the dance-hall.
Here, tonight. It was in strange
company at the demand of this
ultra-modern weaver ot discord
ant sounds. Out ot its element, one
felt .only compassion. In its own
element it is a thing of sobs,
moans and groans, as if bitterly
grieving for a wasted life. A "poor
high symphonic society It fell into
disreputable company, to dispense
mournfully, sagging, seasick melo
dies of "mammy's love," the ba
thos of slimy amorousness; yearn
ing nostalgia; and clotted sensu
ality, to a perspiring dance crowd.
It walks the streets, the Pariah ot
instruments, in company with the
banjo. Its Ethiopian hand-me-
down bed - fellow, jewelled and
painted.
Like the humblest of God's crea
tufes it has occasional moments of
ecstasy, when Jt sobs out the yard
stick sentiment of a cloying valse
in the perfumed man-made moon
light.; By its soft infection lover's
transfer their, rouge from lip to
Cheek, dreaming awhile' of lotus
blooms; tropical languor; wed
ding-rings; and light housekeep
ing to awaken rudely in the
glare of the upturned lights, and
find that things are not always
wnat tney seem.
' Who but an ardent flutist
would puff and blow to coax over
tones out of a flute1; or risk san
guinary apoplexy puffing into the
absurdly small mouth of a sawed-
off, shrill, screeching niccolo.
while the violins loop the loop ot
gaudier parts in perfect safety
and comparative ease? It also has
moments of glory, as when it
whistles and shrieks as the wind
tnrough the taut rigging of the
doomed ship in Wagner's opera.
"Flying Dutchman." or when it
walks grotesquely and alone with
the bass viol in a Puccini score.
Unlike its elongated brother, that
breathes zephyrs and roulades.
tne piccolo is the voice of the
witch and the rushing wind, of
striie. . stress, and Incantations.
What was it in these the oldest
or instruments, to attratt a man?
The face of the player elves no
clue. i
Bon a Pagan
The Drum
There is something in a drum
that Intrigues our affections. It
has no melody, full tone, or modal
scales to bewilder or disturb it.
It is the "oldest Inhabitant" of
the music colony. It came out of
the mists ot the dark ages, when
a swain's amatory qualifications
were judged by his ability to wield
a war, club, .slay a saber-tooth ti
ger, or disarrange a prehistoric
belle's permanent wave, as he
dragged her to his . bachelor's
apartment. 'It went regularly to
church and temples. It took Its
place alongside high priests at
rites and rituals, but it has no hint
of piety or holy living. "Born a pa
gan it has remained a pagan. It is
a link between the thin veneer of
civilization and the pagan in us;
a rattle, and we are full cousins to
the savage. Fundamentally it has
remained unchanged ; throughout
the ages, from the time its shell
consisted a hollowed out log. un
til , today, with its ornate trap
pings and burnished splendor.
The heritage ot every known
tribe and people it was, as It is
today the symbol of modern restlessness.-
' :
It followed the banners ot Char
lemagne, Genghis Khan and the
triumphant Jaesar. It beat a
"flourish" and shared the glories
of Austerlltx, Wagram and Mar
engo with Napoleon. It beat the
retreat on Russian steppes and on
the field ot Waterloo. It heralds
the birth of a king, and, muffled.
follows, him to the grave. : Sup
press the drum and we would meet
world peace halt way down the
road. . .- .. ' -
It Is no respecter of persons. It
shared the splendor of the silken
teats of Pharoah of Egypt, and the
squalor and canvas tent of "Little
Egypt" of the side shows. A four
note theme from Its vibrant skin.
and Beethoven launches his
mighty fifth symphony. A "roll
of," and the Elk's parade Is on its
way.
Drums are the tools of content
ed persons who, knowing' they
lack the finer touch for the
strings, yet take the world as they
find it and make It happier and
jollier withah Yes, there is some-
thingabout a drum that holds our
affections.
"Tally Ho"
The French Horn
Does dire necessity drive a mu
sician to his choice ot an- instru
ment? If not, explain why a man
selects a French horn. Perhaps It
was because it is an easier method
of gaining a livelihood he-selected
these delicate colls of brass, in
a field where competition was not
so keen.' But why this twisted
mass of piping with the haunting
voice and the temperamental an
ticts ot a grand opera diva, con
juring up- mental -pictures of
Elfland. Sherwood oaks, and midsummer-night
dreams? Did he get
his start In the town band pecking
at the "after beats" with an "up
right," or did he yearn ' for It
from the time he cut his teeth on
a teething-ring, adorned with a
contraption that gave forth a wee
sy, single note; as a sturdier
youngster yearns that some day he
may be an aviator, a locomotive
driver, or a brigadier-general on
a white Arab charger? Perhaps
he Inherited the desire from an
unknown forbear who sounded
tire "tally hoi" on his "wald
horn," to the accompaniment of
baying hounds, clattering hoots,
and the shouts ot scarlet-clad
riders racing to the "kill."
I look at the faces of the play
ers, but the answer to the riddle
is not there. This stolid looking
section takes things very serious
ly, giving not a hint that the fiery
blood ot a roUicking huntsman is
in their veins. Somehow I fancied
they would fraternize with the
bass players and after their work
was done, seeking, I would find
them together, drinking beer from
steins, discussing Hitler, his nazi
cohorts, the Wagners, Beyrouth,
and the "union scale" of wages.
The French horn! A splendid
thing, indispensable, as are all
other units of the great ensemble,
but why did he select It? I ask
myself the question, as my eyes
Wander to the trumpet section.
This much I had learned as I
watched the trumpeters. The in
strument the man played, in some
way reflected the personality and
the temperament of Tthe player. A
Jolly, go - as - you - please; rotund
group are these - trumpet players.
Tonight is their big chance and
they are revelling In it. It has
been years in the coming. From
the genial "Papa" Haydn, throngh
Berlioz, Meyerbeer, and Wagner
came their opportunity. From sub
servience to arrogance, and arro
gant they 'are now as they fling
out the theme, boldly and blatant
ly. After years of subjection, as
unimportant as a man at his own
wedding, at last they have "ar
rived." They came on the wave of
ultra-modernism. They answered
the- beckoning finger of the Im
pressionist and emerged from ob
scurity to effulgence. Musical
"beggars 1 on horseback." They
rushed to the feast ot highly fla
vored foods, eating their fill when
once they were content with the
crumbs. Over-dressed offspring of
the Keren which caused the walla
of Jericho to totter, natural sons
ot the Chatsozerah, from the days
(Continued on page 7)
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