Orchestral advance has been absolutely phe nomenal since Beethoven made his develop ments in tone-coloring. Berlioz (1803-69) was the first to improve upon the great pioneer's work and achieved remarkable results by his various experiments with new combinations. Wagner carried the art of orchestration still higher in his operas, and since his death a whole host of great tone-colorists have arisen. Rus sia has contributed very much to This advance, and it is not an absurd prophecy to predict that the Slav may attain the orchestral supremacy of the world in the near future. Tschaikowsky (1840-93) appears to be the greatest genius in this field that Russia has yet produced.
In Russia, however, there was, at the end of the 19th century, a decided movement toward a national school, headed by the so-called °Big Five" — Rimski-Korsakoff, Borodin, Cui, Mous sorgsky and Balakireff, and such composers as Rachmaninoff, Glazounoff, Tanaieff, Scriabine and Stravinsky have helped the orchestral ad vance, the two latter being especially radical and ultra-modern in style.
France has also advanced greatly in the or chestral field thanks naturalized Belgian, Cesar Franck (1822-90), who taught many of its chief composers of recent days and himself wrote many noble works. Massenet, Saint Saens, Charpentier, Pierne, Cha brier and many others have advanced the or chestral standard or have written what may be called symphonic operas. There is much free dom of form in the neo-Gallic school Debussy (1862-1918) and Ravel have established a new school of orchestral treatment, the former being remarkable in delicacy and subtle coloring as well as for the frequent employment of a scale consisting entirely of whole tones.
Germany has developed chiefly along the Wagnerian lines, not an unmixed blessing when applied to purely orchestral music. After Beethoven there came a period of dulness in the symphonic field. Mendelssohn (1809-47) wrote much symmetrical orchestral music, but in spite of his melodic grace and symmetrical style he was not of the stuff of which epoch men are made. It was Schumann (1810-56) who led the campaign following too slavishly the classical paths and through this the romantic school and the freer sonata forms came into modern music. Brahms (1833-97) by his great symphonies and other sonata forms has proved, however, that the classical school does not merely belong to a by-gone epoch. Richard Strauss (1864—) has followed the Wagnerian system in all of the theories given above. He has exhibited overwhelming skill in both operatic and orchestral works, and occa sionally genius, but "Richard, the second" has not yet rivaled his predecessor in the Dower of his ideas, although he may be classed as a very important living composer. German music has gravitated rather toward skill than poetry in its recent manifestations, and Mex Reger and many others have striven for very large scores and many instrumental complexities.
Under the lead of Richard Strauss the chief modern orchestral tendency is toward "Pro gramme-snusic," instrumental music, which by means of its title or program notes gives a definite picture. Along with Berlioz, Franz
Liszt (1811-86) was the founder of this school of work. It is beginning to dawn upon the world that Liszt's orchestral works were fully as important as his piano compositions. He has led to great brilliancy of tone-coloring, and in his Symphoniques,' to freedom of form and dramatic power.
England too has heard the modern voice and her precise and correct contrapuntal school as represented by Mackenzie, Stainer and others, has given way to a much freer and bolder ex pression as shown in the works of Elgar, De lius, Bantock, Holbrooke, etc.
Even Italy is influenced by the orchestral tendencies of the present and the operas of Puccini, Wolf-Ferrari, Mascagni and Leon cavallo, and the cantatas of Bossi, no longer give the voice great preponderance over the or chestra and no longer treat the latter as a mere accompaniment. One Italian, Ferruccio Bu soni, plunged headlong into the German school of advanced orchestral works of freest form.
Scandinavia deserves great credit for the nationalism of her best music. As in Russia, her chief composers endeavor to reflect the spirit of their native folk-music in their clas sical works. Grieg (1843-1907) was the chief founder of this style, but Sinding and Sibelius have given important works in the same vein and the last-named has recently attempted the most free and radical modes of modern ex pression.
America has been especially fertile in the orchestral field. The real classical beginnings were made by John K. Paine, and a little later by George W. Chadwick, but at present Foote, C,onverse, Carpenter, Hadley, Schelling, Gil bert, Cadman and many others are writing in the largest forms. MacDowell's (1861-1908) orchestral works, as well as his piano compo sitions, have a place in the standard repertoire of all nations, and Horatio Parker has com posed the first great American oratorio Novissima.' Women composers are more numerous now than at any previous epoch in the world's his tory. Ethel Mary Smyth, in England; Mrs. H. H. A. Beach, in America; Augusta Holmes (1847-1903), in Paris, and many others, have composed good works in the largest musical forms.
It is difficult to prophesy what the future may bring in musical development. Music is the most changeable of arts. Like language it is an invention of man, and even if founded upon natural laws it is still an artificial and, therefore, a changeable product. There is at present a decided tendency toward great com plexity and cryptic expression ; heavy scores and epic prolixity are constantly in evidence. Whether this is but a passing phase time only can show. Conservative musicians are aghast at the many bold experiments which are being attempted. We believe, however, that when the experimental stage is passed the tremendous orchestral skill that has been won will be re tained, but that it will be again combined with the melodic grace and beauty of the older mas ters, and that Beethoven's apothegm will be re established — "Music, even when picturing something must itself remain beautiful.'