Mozart's Orchestras: Applying Historical Knowledge to Modern Performances
Author(s): Neal Zaslaw
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Early Music, Vol. 20, No. 2, Performing Mozart's Music III (May, 1992), pp. 197200+203-205
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3127877 .
Accessed: 01/12/2012 19:50
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
.
Oxford University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Early Music.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Neal Zaslaw
Mozart's
orchestras
Applyinghistoricalknowledgeto modern performances
-~iiil~iiziiii~~::ji2k
':-N
':
i:-i':i,,i I~::i::.
:I
':;:l -ia~
~i~i~2
I'-i:ii f~~
?:::
::::i:lte~
?~~~~?l**~~~m~p
,?Y
Tii:cIz~
:?N
W????
??:-":?gi"~_ : :?-::'
:l....:i::-:e--::i~?ii?c~B~
P41i
-~r?::::::l:::-::::i:r:::
,l::~i~--,-:i::_~:'::'"~;-iS8
~""J:"-~~-a::i:~
-; :
-IIWOl
f-f
5:4O
ZI
IL
.......... E
--------
.........
A
....
1 GiuseppeServolini,Secularconcert,engravingC.1785(Lisbon,MuseuNacionalde ArteAntiga)
In recent decades a great deal of research has been
carriedout on local orchestraltraditionsin a number of
European cities.' Two outstanding examples of recent
work of this sort can be seen in Cliff Eisen'sand Dexter
Edge'sarticleson Salzburgand Vienna, respectively,in
the previousissue of EM (February1992). An attemptto
summarize what was known a few years ago in this
realm, which might shed light on orchestrasfor which
Mozartcomposed his symphonies,appearedin the performance-practicechapter of my Mozart'sSymphonies,
reproduced here as table 1.2To the statistics of table i may
be added a new list, showing orchestras with which'
Mozart collaboratedas visiting conductor and soloist
but for which he did not createany new music (table2).
Anyone who has workedon historicallists of personnel knowswhat treacherousshoals must be navigatedin
interpretingsuch data: sometimes lists are deceptively
smallbecausethey do not include extraplayerswho may
have been regularlycalled upon-for instance, apprentices, amateurs, servants who also acted as ripienists,
EARLY MUSIC
MAY 1992
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
197
Table1 Mozart'sorchestras(after Zaslaw,Mozart'sSymphonies)
CITY:
Orchestra
vn I vn II va
vc
db
fl
ob
cl
bn hn tpt timp kbd misc TOTAL
LONDON:Covent Garden
1757-8
(4) (3) (2) (2)
1760
(4) (3) (1) (1)
(1)
(1)
(0)
(0)
(2)
(2)
(0)
(0)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(0)
(0)
21
19
0
2
0-2
1
2
0
1
1
0
17
0-2
2-4
0
2
4
(2)
1
1
0
34
0
2
0
(2)
(1)
(1)
0
2
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
Date
AMSTERDAM:
Schouwburg Theatre
1768
3
3 0-2
1
1
*THE HAGUE: Court of
6
5
1766
*SALZBURG:
Court
1767-77
4-6 4-6
K6chel
1
16,19,19a
Orange
3
4
(2)
2
1-2 2-4
2-3 2-3
3 tbn 23-35
35, 38, 45a, 62a, 74c, 75b, 114,
124, 128, 129, 130, 132, 133,
134, 161a, 161b, 162, 162b,
167a, 173dA, 173dB, 183,
186a, 186b, 189b, 189k, 207a,
213a, 213c, 248b
VIENNA:Kirtnerthortheater
1773-5
6
0
29
1
0
33
0
1
0
21
0
0
2
0
18
2
2
(1)
1
0
19-20
2
4
2
(1)
2
0
57
?
?
4
?
2
?
53+
4
4
2
1
2
0
62
2
4
(4)
(2)
1
0
0
57
300a, (385)
5
0
3
2
(2)
(1)
(1)
0
34
318, 319, 320, 338, 385, (425)
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
0
26
504
2
2
2
2
.4
2
1
1
0
38
385, (425), (504), 543, 550, 551
3
3
3
1
2
4
3
3
2
2
0
2
5
2
1
3
0
2
0
0
2
0
3
2
1
2
0
2
0
1
2
4
2
1
1
0
2
0
0
14
6
2
6
0
16
16
4
3
4
0
TURIN:Opera
15
1774
13
5
4
6
5
8
5
2
2
6
2
2
4
0
Opera
3
3
2
2
2
4
3
3
6
43, 45, 46a, 48, (45a)
VIENNA:Burgtheater
1773-5
7
CREMONA:
1170s
7
Municipal
5
MANTUA: Concert
1770
3
FLORENCE:Concert
c.1780
4
*MILAN: Opera
1770
14
0-2 0-4
73, 74a, 74c, 111a, 112, 135,
141a
NAPLES: Opera
1773
4
0
-6-
*PARIS: Concert Spirituel
1778
11
11
* SALZBURG:
Court
1779-81
*PRAGUE:
1787
6
VIENNA:Burgtheater
1781-3
6
6
*Asterisksindicate orchestrasfor which Mozart composed. The other orchestrasare either those for which he may have
composed, or those believedto be similar in size and make-up to orchestrasfor which he composed.
Figuresin parenthesesinvolved some speculationor extrapolationon the part of the author.
Kochelnumbers in parenthesesare works that Mozartwrote for another place and then reused. Only those symphonies
about which no doubts exist concerninggenuinenesshave been included here.
198
EARLY
MUSIC
MAY
1992
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Table2 More of Mozart'sorchestras
CITY: Orchestra
Date
DIJON:
1766
1753
vn I
Municipal
3
va
vc
db
fl
ob
cl
bn
hn
tpt
timp
kbd
TOTAL
WAM
1
1
4
1
0
0-2
0-2
0-2
0-2
0
0
1
0
(2)
2
0
0
0
0
1
2
14
18
1766
1766
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
(1)
16
1766-7
1786
4
4
4
2
2
2
4
2
2
1
(1)
43-45
1777-8
6
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
4
2
1
1
35
1774-5
1780-1
4
2
2
2
2
2
4
1
(1)
26
2
2
2
2
0
2
2
2
1
(1)
26J
vn II
2
-8-
DONAUESCHINGEN:
Court
1
1790
1
MANNHEIM: Church
1777
10-11 10-11
MUNICH:Theatre
6
1780-81
STRASSBURG:Church
1702
4
STRASSBURG:
Theatre/Municipal
4
4
2
1785
-2-
1778
LONDON: Concert
1784
1786
1788
1791
6
6
6
6-8
6
6
6
6-8
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
3
3
4
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
30
31
31
35-39]
10
6
4
5
2
4
0
4
4
(2)
1
1
53
1789
6
4
2
2-3
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
1-2
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
0-1
(2)
2
(1)
1
(1)
(1)
(1)
31
24
20-21
1789
3
2
1
1
1
2
0
2
2
2
1
(1)
21
1790
5
6
2
2
2
2
1
2
3
3
2
2
0
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
0
(1)
(1)
26
28
1790
1790
DRESDEN: Court
1789
10
LEIPZIG: Concert
1781
1786
1794
6
4
3
FRANKFURT: Concert
1788
3
MAINZ: Concert
1782
1783
5
7
2/
Information still sought: Bologna, Brno, Lambach, Linz, Lyons, Rome, Utrecht, Venice, Verona.
musicians on other payrolls (for instance, the cavalry or
the town waits) and so on. On the other hand, sometimes the lists are deceptively large because they fail to
distinguish active musicians from pensioners, to indicate musicians away on tour, or to reveal the system of
rotation by which orchestra members served. But for the
sake of argument, let us assume that the statistics in
tables 1 and 2 are essentially correct, and then let us pose
the question, 'Of what use might such statistics be to
present-day conductors and orchestras?'
The most straightforward use, and (upon reflection)
perhaps also the most troubling, is in simply replicating
Mozart's orchestral forces for a given performance of a
given work. This was the use to which I put these statistics when providing musicological supervision of the
Academy of Ancient Music's complete recordings of
Mozart'ssymphonies.Forthatprojectwe organizedthe
symphonies geographically,replicatinga Viennese
theatreorchestra,the Salzburgcourt orchestra,the
Pragueorchestra,a largeItalianorchestraand a small
one, the orchestraof the ParisianConcertSpirituel,a
Londonorchestraanda Dutchorchestra.I believethis
wasa worthwhile
whichjustifieditselfboth
experiment,
by the musicalresultsandbywhatI andotherslearned
from it aboutMozart'sevolvingorchestralstylein its
historicalcontexts.
ButeventhoughI will defendthe basicconceptand
resultsof these recordings,I find it worryingto hear
from enthusiasticperformers
thatthey no longerperforma Mozartsymphonywithoutconsultingmytable1,
EARLY MUSIC
MAY 1992
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
199
in orderto adjusttheir forcesaccordingly.Herewe have clothes.'And after a work was completed, if there were
the nub of so many argumentsabout the value of his- subsequentchangesof venue or cast, Mozartmade revitorically informed performance: once we have dis- sions, as with the Vienneseversionsof Don Giovanniand
covered something about how music was originally Idomeneo.This way of dealing with arias also explains
performed,whatshould we do with thatknowledge;and the motivation behind many insertionand substitution
how do we decide, or even distinguish,betweenobserv- arias. Modern musicians, on the other hand, expect
ing the letterand observingthe spiritof our discoveries? singers to take pre-existentariasconceived with voices
I can defend the symphony recordings not only other than theirs in mind, and to practise for weeks,
becausethey provedto be fruitfulexperimentsand lively months or even yearsuntil they have masteredthem.
performances,but preciselybecausethey are recordings
Although it is a little more difficult to demonstrate
and not live performances.First-ratemusicians, pro- that Mozart'sinstrumentalworks were also tailored to
ducersand engineerscan and do find waysof recording their intended venues and executants,I believe that it
that maximizethe best characteristicsand minimize the can be done. The best known caseof this sort is probably
weaknesses of any voices, instruments, repertoryand the Andanteof the Piano Sonatain C, K309,written for
venue; in live performances,on the contrary,one is RosaCannabich,aboutwhich Mozartclaimedin a letter
generallystuck with the inflexible acoustics of a given of 6 December'1777that 'it fit closely the characterof
venue. The thinkingbehind this apparentlyparadoxical Mlle Rosa'.And I believe that symphonies too, even
assertionis not as circularas it mayappearon firstexam- though they are in a pan-Europeanstyle that permitted
ination. True,it might seem impossiblefor us, with our them to be performedanywhere,were composed with
modern ears, to know how any given instrument or particularaudiences,occasions,acousticsand orchestras
piece of music was once meantto sound in orderto be in in mind. To suggestlines of inquirythat might serveto
a position to seek to 'maximizeits best characteristics'. confirmthis hypothesis,let us brieflyexaminethe quesYetthose who havespent a long time masteringa fine old tions of Italian orchestrasvs. German orchestrasand
instrumentcan tell you that it graduallybecomes clear theatreorchestrasvs. orchestrasfor 'halls'(i.e. salons or
why the instrument is built the way it is, wherein its music rooms).
The aspect of the famous Italianopera orchestrasof
glories lie, what musical truths it may permit and what
its limitationsmay be. And those who examinedeeply a Mozart'stime that is most strikingto both modern and
fine piece of music make similardiscoveries.The act of 18th-centuryeyes and ears is the preponderance of
revealingthose half-hidden glories and musical truths stringsoverwindsand, among the strings,the enormous
must be the only possible justificationfor revivingold number of violins comparedto the lower strings.(Note
instruments (or, in the case of orchestras, groups of the orchestrasof Milan, Naples and Turin in table i.)
them), and those glories and truths must be audible in Another strikingfeatureof largeorchestrasin Italy and
Italianateorchestraselsewhereis the tiny numberof vioany recordedor live performanceworthy of notice.
If this approachis accepted,then the problems with las, often only one or two. Finally,many Italianorchesreplicatingin modern performancesthe orchestrasof tras and some north of the Alps preferredto have more
tablesI and 2 begin to emerge.Mozart,like his contem- double basses than cellos, a string balance disliked by
poraries,believedin tailoringthe music to the occasion; many modern conductors,which sounds as if a 16' stop
in contrast, we believe in tailoring the occasion to the had been pulled.
music. For example,when Mozartcomposed an opera,
Anyone familiar with the orchestralwriting in the
he was willing to work on the instrumental music, operasof Jomelli,Cimarosaor Paisiellowill understand
chorusesand recitativesbefore he was familiarwith the why this balancewould haveworkedbrilliantlyin Italian
voices of his leadingsingers,but not the ariasbecausehe operahouses. An operaovertureor symphonyof any of
wanted to calculatethem for the individualvoices. This these threecomposers(or their contemporaries)may be
way of working, this philosophy,can be clearlyread in compared with Mozart'sSymphony in F major, K112,
many passages from the Mozart family's correspon- composed in Milan in 1771,which seems to call on
dence concerningthe creation,rehearsalsand revisions similarorchestraltexturesand balances.
of Lucio Silla, Idomeneoand Die Entfihrung aus dem
Unlike in Italy, where concert orchestrasoften oriSerail.3Perhaps Mozart's best known remark on this ginatedin opera orchestras,opera orchestrasin Central
subjectis from a letterof 27 December1780,'I like an aria Europewere often secondaryto and outgrowthsof conto fit a singer as perfectly as a well-made suit of cert orchestras.Mannheim is the prototype here, but
200
EARLY MUSIC
MAY 1992
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
thereweremany others.The CentralEuropeantradition
began in the late 17thcenturyas an imitation of Lully's
orchestraby such German-speakingKapellmeistersas
Muffat, Cousser, Schmierer,Bleyer,Mayr and Fischer,
but it was almost immediatelytransformedby Italian
influence in the organization of the strings and by
indigenousinfluencein the form of the Renaissancetradition of wind-playing which had lingered in Central
Europe.The competence of the largelyBohemianwind
playerswhom Mozart encountered in Munich, Prague
and Viennaexplainsthe demandingwind partshe wrote
in Idomeneo, in his Viennese piano concertos and
operas,and in the last five symphonies.The symphonies
of, among others, Vanhall and Dittersdorfwere conceivedfor such a balance,and one can compareMozart's
Symphonyin D major,K45,composed in Viennain 1768
or, indeed, his last five symphonies.
Italian orchestrasemphasized strings and especially
violins and double basses, French orchestrasgenerally
had a balance more like a modern chamber orchestra,
and Germanorchestrasfavouredsometimes the French
and sometimes the Italian string balance while often
giving special emphasisto the winds. Symphoniestravelled widely, but there were local 'dialects' that took
advantageof local tastes and differingorchestralconditions. I believe that Mozartwas alertto such traditions.4
As for the matterof theatresvs. halls,I have attempted
to demonstrate elsewhere that Mozart may have
adjustedhis tutti orchestrationto account for these two
acoustics. This involved the high woodwinds. For
theatresMozartfavouredtwo oboes plus two flutes, for
halls,two oboes ortwo flutes (in his earlyworks) or two
oboes and one flute (in his later works). My hypothesis
may explainthe changesin orchestrationin two cases in
which Mozart reworkedhis own symphonies.The first
case is the Symphonyin D major,K45 (two oboes), and
its arrangementas the overtureto Lafinta semplice(two
oboes plus two flutes). The other is the 'Haffner'Symphony, K385:the first version (1782)was intended for
performancein Salzburgand has two oboes; the second
(1783)was intendedfor a concertin the Burgtheaterand
has two oboes and two flutes.5
It has long been accepted, on grounds of both historical evidence and common sense, that some orchestras with which Mozart worked were too small for the
tasks assignedthem. But as considerablescepticismhas
been expressedabout the idea that other orchestrasmay
have been too large, it is worth reviewingsome of the
evidence supportingthat suggestion.
CharlesBurney,a sophisticatedwitness to orchestral
performances in many parts of Europe, was disappointed with the performanceof a Mass by Johann
KarlAdamGeorgevon ReutterunderFlorianGassman's
direction, which he heard in St Stephen'sCathedralin
Vienna in 1770,because 'as there was a numerousband,
great noise and little meaning characterisedthe whole
performance'6
The director of the Concert Spirituel in 1778when
Mozart was in Paris was Joseph Legros. Mozart had
problems with him, but he was an excellenttenor and
competent administrator, who had taken over the
orchestraat an artisticnadirand restoredit to its former
eminence. The praisehis reformsreceivedincluded the
following:
Mr Legros... knewthatthenumberof instruments
mustbe
relativeto the size of the hallandthat,mostoften,one producedgreatereffectswitha lesslargenumberof performers.
he has reducedthe numberof performers
in
Consequently,
boththe orchestraandchoir.7
The dangersof an excessivelylargeorchestrawerealso
revealedduringHaydn'sLondonsojourns.The excellent
ensemble of the orchestraat the Hadyn-Salomon concerts in 1791-3was mentioned in several reports; the
group numbered about 40.8 When in 1795, however,
Haydn led an orchestraof more than 60 for the Opera
Concerts,the otherwiserespectfulcriticspolitelylet it be
known that the ensemblehad been ragged.9And Haydn
penned a related criticism in his diary:'The (London
opera) orchestrais largerthis year,but just as mechanical as it was before, and indiscreet in its
accompaniments.,o
Finally,accordingto FriedrichRochlitz, the Leipzig
premiere of Beethoven'sFifth Symphony experienced
difficultiesin the scherzobecause the orchestrawas too
large."In a similar vein, Anton Schindler wrote into
Beethoven'sConversationBook in 1824 that 'Lichnowsky saysthat a smallerorchestrain the hall of the Theater
an der Wein is more effective than a large one in the
And Schindlerwas later responsiblefor
Redoutensaal."12
some more detailedremarkson this subject:
Beethovencomplainedgenerallyof the misunderstanding
of
the tempiat the concertsof the greatViennaMusicalSociety
... Thiscauseof dissatisfaction
led Beethoven
[Musikverein]
one dayto makethe importantdeclaration,
thathe hadnot
composedhis symphoniesfor such vast orchestrasas that
fortheViennaMusicalSociety[Schindler's
usuallyassembled
footnote:The structureand extentof the hall of the great
ImperialRidottoatVienna,in whichtheconcertsof theMusical Societyareheld,rendersa powerfulorchestranecessary],
and thatit neverwashis intentionto writenoisymusic.He
EARLY
MUSIC
MAY
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
1992
203
addedthathis instrumental
worksrequiredan orchestraof performanceof music of the Classical period, except
about6o [good]performers
only;forhe wasconvincedthatit perhapsfor oratoriosintended for massed forces.
was by such an orchestraalone that the rapidly-changing The
principle behind this is as sound now as it was
shadesof expressioncould be adequatelygiven, and the two centuries
ago:the size of an orchestrashould correandpoeticsubjectof eachmovementdulypreserved.
character
to
and acousticof the space in which it is
the
size
Beet- spond
... If doubletheamountof sixtyperformers
displeased
The
YorkPhilharmonic,for example,has
New
hoven,whatwouldhe havesaidof threeor fourtimesthat playing.'5
a
normal
string complement of 17-17-12-12-9 or a total
occurrenceat our music-fesnumber,no unusualorchestral
of
When
67.
performing18th-centurymusic, conductors
tivals?Whatwouldhe havesaidhadhe heardhisSymphonies
will
often
and Overturesperformedby an orchestraincreasedby
request about half that number, perhaps
or
a total of 32, with only single winds. This
8-8-6-6-4
ripieni...?13
createsproblemsin allthree of the categoriesmentioned
Whileit is indisputablethat economicssometimes above:
dictated smaller orchestrasthan either patrons or
(1) Clarity Many 18th-centuryorchestrashave proin sometimes portionally more violins, fewer cellos and, especially,
musiciansmighthavethoughtpreferable,
andplaces,whenmoneywasnot a problem,otherfac- fewerviolas;most often eitherthe numbersof cellos and
torsmusthavedetermined
the sizeof orchestral
forces. double basses are about equal or the double basses
Three factorswere paramount:(i) the desire for clarity predominate.
and flexibility;(2) the need for correct balanceamong
(2) Balance With 32 strings most 18th-century
the strings and between strings and winds; and (3) the orchestraswould have in the tuttis doubled the woodneed for amplificationof sound in proportionto the size winds and horns, and sometimes even tripled the basand characterof the performancevenue. The first of soons. When the stringsexceed32, this becomes an even
these threehas alreadybeen documentedby contempo- more urgent desideratum.
rary objections to excessively large orchestras. The
(3) Amplification If over the yearsthe experienceof
second arose from the fact that, as much as possible, manyfine musicianshasestablishedthat 67 stringsgive a
balance had 'automatically'to be taken care of in strong, full tutti sound in AveryFischerHall and other
advance,giventhat concerts(unlikeoperas)almostuni- like halls, what then do 32 strings give? The answer:a
versallyhad but a singlerehearsaland no baton-wielding light, quaint tutti sound. But as anyone who takes
conductor monitoring the balance at each beat. The Mozart'smusic seriouslyknows, not all of it is lightthird need came from the desire for neither feeble nor indeed 'light and heavy execution' (leicht und schwer
bloated but solid orchestralsound in the tuttis. In the Vortrag)occupy considerablespace in the musicaltextabsence of electronic amplification,nothing remained books of the period.'6And only as much of his music is
except to adjust the numbers of musicians in different quaint as you make it that way. As for the effect of the
sections up and down until the desired effects were tuttis:they'mustfill the hallwith sound-enough sound
obtained. In the largest musical establishments, like that it bounces off the walls,thus providingthe necessthose at Munich, Mannheim or Salzburg,there were arymarkedcontrastto the sound of the solo and piano
sometimes 8o, 90oor more musicianson the payroll,but passages, which does not bounce off the walls. If the
they neverall playedat once. Instead,orchestrasof vary- former fails to occur, the orchestrais too small for the
ing sizes and makeup'wereselectedfrom the largepool hall. This means that a so-called 'chamber'orchestraof availablemusicians to suit the genre, the venue and whether of period or modern instruments-may be a
the occasion."4
mistaken idea for performingMozart'smusic in many
The implications for modern concert performances large modern halls.
seem clear. It makes little sense to replace modern
Toreplicateexactlyone of Mozart'sorchestrasfollows
instruments designed for large halls with 18th-century the letter of the historicaldata; it may work extremely
instruments designed for smaller ones unless we are well in just the right acoustic or for a recording.To folwillingalso to returnto small,resonanthalls.Ifa concert low the spirit that shaped the historicaldata, one must
hall is such that it requiresextraordinarilylarge forces ask what was behind the orchestral arrangementsof
for the orchestraltone to be of satisfactorysolidity,and if Mozart's time when those arrangementswere in the
(as Schindlerquotes Beethovenas saying)over-enlarged hands of strong musicianswho were not hamperedby
forces ruin the music'stempo, poetry and nuance, then financialor politicalconstraints.The answer:amplebut
any such hall should be abandoned as a venue for the not bloated sound in the tuttis, proportioned to the
204
EARLY MUSIC
MAY 1992
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
acoustic; perfect balance among strings and between
stringsand winds, with emphasison the top and bottom
of the orchestraltexture at the expense of the middle;
and maximum contrast between solos and tuttis, with
tuttis that can make the hair stand up on the backs of
listeners'necks.
Neal Zaslawis ProfessorofMusicat CornellUniversity.He
was the directorof the symposium'PerformingMozart's
Music'and editedThe CompleatMozart (Norton).
Discussion
'3A.Schindler,TheLifeofBeethoven,ed. I. Moscheles(London,1841),
ii, pp.98-lo4. The words in square bracketsare my emendations of
Moscheles'stranslationin light of A. Schindler,Biographievon Ludwig
vanBeethoven(Miinster,1840),pp.20o8-12.Foran intelligentdiscussion
of this passage, see J. Braun, 'The Sound of Beethoven'sOrchestra'
Orbis musicae, vi (1978), pp.59-90, esp. 73-81.
'4Foran accountof how this was workedout for the premiereof Idomeneo by the combined Mannheim and Munich orchestras,see N.
Zaslaw,'Mozart'sOrchestrafor Idomeneo'Proceedings
of the1991InternationalMozartSymposium,Tokyo,November18-2o, 1991,ed. B. Ebisawa (in preparation).
'SAnon.,Wahrheitendie Musik betreffend,gerade herausgesagtvon
einem teutschenBiedermann(Frankfurt,1779),p.36
'6T.Stephenson,'Heavyand LightExecution:The Correspondence
betweenTouchand Expressionin KeyboardMusicof the ClassicalEra'
(DMA diss., CornellU., 1991)
TARUSKIN
I think it's productive to do the kind
RICHARD
of researchyou have and then go furtherand offer the
world some prescriptionsfor performance;that is too
rarelydone. But when you talk about maximizing the
good features and minimizing the bad features in the
recordingstudio, what'sthe differencebetweenthat and
standardizingthe layout?
NEALZASLAW
There's no difference if your engineers are
naughty and tone down the double bassesbecausethey
think it sounds as if there are too many of them. But if
you have engineerswho really respond to the unusual
nature of the balances they are hearing, then there's a
creative partnershipbetween the old information and
the modernrecordingsituation,and that is veryproductive. You're not ironing out the individuality of the
arrangement;you're enhancingit.
'For a bibliography,see N. Zaslaw,'When is an OrchestraNot an
Orchestra'EM,xvi (1988),PP-483-95,here pp.491-5.
2N. Zaslaw, Mozart'sSymphonies:Context, PerformancePractice,
Reception(Oxford, 1989),table 12.1,pp.458-9
3Fora marvellouslyhelpful presentationof Mozart'sthoughts on
these and manyother matters,see R. L.Marshall,MozartSpeaks:Views
on Music,Musicians,and the World(New York,1991).
4Formore about these regionaldifferences,see N. Zaslaw,'Mozart's
European Orchestras'Mozart:Musicieneuropeen,ed. B. Massin (in
preparation).
5N.Zaslaw,'Mozart'sOrchestralFlutesand Oboes' MozartStudies,
ed. C. Eisen (Oxford, 1991),pp.2o1-11
6CharlesBurney,ThePresentStateofMusicin Germany,theNetherlands,and UnitedProvinces(London,1773),i, PP-356-7.This paragraph
and the four following it are condensed from N. Zaslaw,'ThreeNotes
on the EarlyHistoryof the Orchestra'HistoricalPerformance,
i (1988),
pp.63-6.
7Journalde Paris,22 March1777,pp.2-3
8H. C. RobbinsLandon,Haydn:Chronicleand Works,iii: Haydn in
England,1791-1795(Bloomington, 1976),pp.44ff.
9Ibid., pp.287,293-4
'oGesammelte BriefeJosephHaydns, ed. D. Bartha (Kassel, 1965),
and LondonNotebooks,
p.536;JosephHaydn:CollectedCorrespondence
ed. H. C. Robbins Landon (London, 1959), p.293
"[JohannFriedrichRochlitz], 'Musik in Leipzig',AllgemeinemusikalischeZeitung,xi/28 (12April 1809), cols.433-8,449-60, here 434-5
ed. K. H. Kiuhlerand G.
'Ludwig van BeethovensKonversationshefte,
Herre (Leipzig, 1970), vi, p.45
INTERNATIONAL SUMMER COURSE
FOR EARLY MUSIC
LISBON -
PORTUGAL
8TH
AUGUST30TH - SEPTEMBER
2
1
9
9
A C A
A
)E
ANA
Concertsand Conferences
Peter Holtslag
Jill Feldman
SINGING
RECORDERAND TRAVERSO
Richard Gwilt
Ketil Haugsand
VIOLIN
HARPSICHORD
Rainer Zipperling
CELLOAND VIOLADA GAMBA
Sponsored by:
DE
PO?UGM
Information:
Academia de MWisica
Antiga de Lisboa
R. Ricardo Espirito Santo. 3 - 1Y Esq. * 1200 Lisboa - Portugal - Tel.: 1/60772-i
EARLY
MUSIC
MAY
This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.82.215 on Sat, 1 Dec 2012 19:50:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
1992
205