The Art of the Musical Instrument Maker

Extract 1¹

Musical instruments are devices invented and arranged by the art of the instrument maker to express sounds in the absence of voices, to imitate man’s naturel voice or to embellish and accompany it.

There are also instruments which create more noise than harmony, used for public summonses, and others which are used to maintain the courage of the troops on the march and in combat. Music written to be performed by devices of this sort is called instrumental.

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2. Wind instruments, made to sound by means of the mouth, such as flutes, trumpet, oboes, bassoons, serpents etc. and by means of bellows, such as the various types of bagpipe [musette, chalemie, loure] and the organ.

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Only here will we observe that each instrument has its own range, expression and character, with which the musician must be acquainted.

If he take the instrument beyond its true register, he will make it shrill, dull or harsh.

If he does not know its manner of expression, he will not use it in circumstances where it will have the greatest effect.

A most important part of a composer’s study is that of the character of the instruments. These are the voices through which he speaks to our ears.

But it is not enough to know each instrument by itself; he must also know the effect of their sounds combined with one another; sometimes a well placed horn note will suffice to produce the strongest feelings.

There is no phenomen in naturel and no passion nor feeling in man’s heart which cannot be imitated with instruments; but one cannot say that all are equally suited to all these imitations. If the high sounds of the piccolo flute are heard at times in the depiction of a tempest, they will give it great realism. The low, lugubrious sounds of the horns will give fearful notice of the arrival of ghosts and spirits. The notes of the stringed instruments must sometimes be sustained, sometimes plucked etc. [1]