Johnstown High School - Spectator Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

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THE SPECTATOR 17 up till the tonneau was abreast of the seat of the carriage. Grace had already divined his purpose, and now she jumped, collapsing in a heap on the seat of the tonneau. She was none too soon. The chaise struck a tree at the side of the road and was entirely demolished, while the horse galloped feebly down the read, the torn harness dang- ling loosely about him. Robert leaned over to shut off the power, but before he had his hand fairly off the lever Grace was clinging to him with her arms about his neck, sobbing: “Oh Robert! Robert! And to think it was all a joke.” DORE’ W. GRAZIER '09. The Modern Orchestra ♦ITT is a noticeable fact that the American people grow II more musically inclined year by year. Their delight in the Symphony orchestras which every large city pos- sesses especially supports my statement. Of course these orchestras are only able to exist by the generosity of a few wealthy and public-spirited music lovers, yet the people appreciate the music even if they cannot pay for it. The orchestra of to-day affords an interesting topic for discussion. In the orchestra of to-day we find three distinct groups, or divisions, of instruments, the string instruments, wind instruments, and instruments of percussion. The string instruments are the dominant power of the orchestra; under this head come the violins, violas, violoncellos, basses, con- tra basses, and double basses, all of which have four strings, and are played by means of a bow. The violin, called the king of instruments, is certainly the king of the orchestra, and has a greater range of notes than any other instrument. Its tone is powerful and of great carrying power. The viola is almost identical in appearance with the violin. Being somewhat longer, its strings are tuned lower, and the result is a tone almost unrivalled in sweetness. The violoncello is much larger than the viola, and hence cannot be played in the same manner; it is placed upright instead of to the shoulder. Its low range nd fine tone make it especially

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16 THE SPECTATOR collision he was forced to run the car over the little em- bankment at the side of the road and into some low bushes. As the clutch was not thrown out the engines stalled, but both this and the wagon driver’s thanks passed unheeded. It came upon Robert like a flash. “That was Grace and Reynolds I saw back at the armhouse. Suppose I should meet-----” But here his thoughts were interrupted by the clattering hoofs of a horse. In a moment a light chaise swung around the turn in the road, and there, clinging des- perately to the sides, were Grace and Reynolds. Reynolds was yelling at the horse, and never thinking of making an attempt to secure the reins. As the chaise careened by he showed his cowardliness by jumping, thus leaving Grace to her fate. Robert waited no longer. In a moment the engines were purring, and the machine made a mad dash up the hill to the road, and then away after the flying horse. But on intermediate gear ! Could he ever make it ? He opened the throttle with a jerk, and shoved forward the spark lever as far as he dared. Soon the car was speeding at its mid-geared limit. The race was down grade, and Robert soon noticed that he was steadily gaining. At times he could faintly hear Grace calling his name, and it drove him nearly wild. In despair he threw the le- ver back on high, and — O joy! it held! The car shot ahead, but for a second only. Then came a crack, a jerk, and the speed slackened. He waited until the car had-ar- rived at its former speed, and then threw forward the le- ver, again running the machine on the intermediate gear. He could see that it was gaining rapidly now, for the horse was tiring. They were passing dense woods on either side, with barely, room for two carriages to pass, and should the horse succeed in getting past this stretch there would be lit- tle chance of Robert’s being able to do anything. Slowly the machine came up to the vehicle, and care- fully Robert edged in beside it. The noise of the engine frightened tbe horse still more, and for a while it looked as if he would get away thru increased speed. But his strength was spent, and Robert came up rapidly. Cau- tiously Robert passed the rear hubs of the chaise and drew

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18 THE SPECTATOR adapted to solo work. The bass, contra bass, and double bass are so .nearly identical in appearance that it is hardly necessary to distinguish them. As their name implies, they are in the orchestra what the bass singer is in the quartet. Huge, clumsy and heavy, they are very undesirable instru- ments to play, altho they are indispensable to the harmony. Thus, from the highest note of the violin to the lowest note of the double bass, we have a chromatic range of almost seven octaves, which is greater by about an octave than that of the wind instruments, which I will next describe. This branch of orchestral instruments is subdivided into two more divisions, called, respectively, the brass and wood-wind instruments. The trumpet, trombone, and French horn belong to the brass; while the flute, clarinet, oboe, piccolo, and bassoon uphold the wood-wind. The trumpet is an instrument somewhat resembling the modern cornet, and is adapted to bugle calls, fanfares, and hunting songs. The trombone is lower in range, and is known as the majestic instrument from its powerful tone. But what a contrast is found in the soft, mellow tone of the French horn, an instrument almost similar to the two preceding. I am sure that nobody hearing the horn solo in “Der Fries- chutz” played by a good performer, will ever forget it. The piccolo is the smallest instrument in the wood wind family, yet the most clamorous. Its tone is shrill and only adapted to the loudest passages in music. The flute is nothing more than a large piccolo, as it is played in the same manner. Its tone, hewever, is excellent. The oboe is the smallest of reed instruments. Its tone is sweet, yet peculiar. The clarinet, the instrument most closely re- lated to the oboe, has the greatest range of the wood-wind instruments. It is the most commonplace instrument of the wood wind. The last, and the lowest ranged, instrument of the wood-wind is the bassoon, which is about four feet long. I can hardly describe its tone, which, altho deep and well-rounded, is so droll as to remind one of a circus clown. Coleridge, in “The Ancient Mariner” refers to this instru- ment. The main use of the wood-wind is to play rapid and brilliant passages, and to enliven loud passages. As their name implies, all these instruments are hollow tubes of hard wood, played either by a reed or by the lips.