Principles of Modern Composition (Continued) Author(s): G. H. Clutsam Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 59, No. 900 (Feb. 1, 1918), pp. 57-59 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/908620 Accessed: 05-03-2016 13:56 UTC 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]. Musical Times Publications Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Musical Times. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 202.28.191.34 on Sat, 05 Mar 2016 13:56:01 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-FEBRUARY I, I918. 57 Weight. The hanging of a peal of bells for ringing in full swing Date. Tons. Cwts. Manchester Town Hall ... I877 5 oj so that each bell describes a complete circle for each Sydney, N.S.W., Post Office 1891 4 18 blow of its clapper is an art in itself. The present-day Preston Town Hall ... ... 868 4 i6 ringer demands that every bell hung for change- Worcester Cathedral ..... 868 4 10 ringing, up to three tons in weight and even heavier Bradford Town Hall ... ... 873 4 7 Abberley Hall ... ... ... 1885 3 i88 than this, shall be 'pealable '-i.e., able to be rung by Chichester Cathedral .. ... I877 3 I3 one man in what is technically known in ' The Exercise' Exeter Cathedral (tenor) ... I902 3 I2I as a 'peal,' which means a set of changes, composed Manchester Town Hall ... 877 3 II and arranged scientifically according to certain Queenstown Cathedral ... 1916 3 72 Rugby School ... ... ... I914 developed laws of this art, of a not less number than 3 4i St. Paul's Cathedral . ... 878 3 2 5,ooo, rung continuously. The time occupied by the Abberley Hall .............1885 3 Ii performance of these peals varies according to the Halifax Town Hall ... ... I862 3 o number and weight of the bells and the number of CARILL ,ONS. the changes rung, three hours being the usual No. of f Weight. Bells. Date. Tons. Cwts. period. 22 Bournville (with clavier) 1906 4 7i To render it possible for ringers to achieve such Loughborough (with clavier) I906 & 1912 3 IO 40 feats it is essential that the bells be hung in a strong Queenstown (with clavier)... 42 I916 17 Ii and massive framework, and that their fittings- Abberley Hall ...... 20 I884 20 15 i6 Worcester Cathedral ... i868 & 1875 17 0 i.e., their wheels, headstock, gudgeons, bearings, Manchester Town Hall ... 21 I877 35 o clappers, and all the other accessories indispensable 19II 2 0 Appingedam (Holland) . 25 to a ringing bell, be 'well and truly' fitted. And for Eindhoven (Holland) ... 25 I914 2 0 this purpose the bell-hanger requisitions the aid of all Flushing (Holland) ... I914 7 2 33 the recent developments of mechanical science with, FANIOUS PEALS OF BELLS. as will be seen, good result, for a peal of I8,027 St. Paul's Cathedral, London. changes, occupying twelve hours and eighteen minutes, Exeter Cathedral. the longest ever accomplished, was rung by a band of Worcester Cathedral. ten picked men on the ring of ten bells of Loughborough Newcastle-on-Tyne Cathedral. Truro Cathedral. Parish Church on Easter Monday, April 12, I909. Dublin, St. Patrick's Cathedral. With reference to the illustrations in the separate Edinburgh, St. Mary's Cathedral. supplement it may be explained that from time Christ Church Cathedral, N.Z. Beverley Minster. immemorial bell-founders have identified their work Beverley, St. Mary's. by using distinctive marks, by means of which in many Bristol, St. Mary Redcliffe. instances it has been possible to fix the dates of ancient Shrewsbury, St. Chad's Church. bells prior to the period when the founder's name and Waltham Abbey. Manchester Town Hall. date were cast on their bells. PRINCIPLES OF MODERN COMPOSITION. BY G. H. CLUTSAM. (Continued from January number, page 13.) The inversion of elementary triads in no way affects use of the third in the bass was not so extensive as a their character as chords. Under the polyphonic casual consideration might conceive, and the appear- system, the variety obtained from a transposition of ance of the fifth as support was rare save in the parts was mainly a matter of re-adjustment. The formation of manifest cadences. The following fundamental position dominated the situation. The extract from a 'Stabat Mater' of Palestrina: 2nd Choir. Ex. 52. 2nd Choir. I I o ' X - r 8 t -- - - J w - - :- I ' 1 r f \ - is constructed under the elementary conditions we have been examining. In the following re-arrangement of the harmonies: Ex. 53. 2nd Choir. ^ - -<2 - -^ -^ - -J - - -^ .^ - ^ -^ - .^ -^ - :^ : -^ --- -- - ^ .- J - --- j _c;I^~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ F- J t I ' T - - i , ! ? , &c. This content downloaded from 202.28.191.34 on Sat, 05 Mar 2016 13:56:01 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-FEBRUARY I, 1918. 58 about as many thirds are introduced in support as the system, which will be considered in a later passage will conveniently carry, and it is possible that article, the opposition of the ascending and descending the inversion of the fifth at the entrance of the 2nd Choir scales in the arbitrary or so-called melodic minor is not quite in accordance with polyphonic methods, scale accounts for many results in the work of Bach but it is introduced to illustrate a possibility. The and his contemporaries that certain critical opinion accidentals C~, BP, and G are not definitely considers as anticipating surreptitiously the harmonic Palestrina's intention in either example, and can be scheme of the modern composer. They are, however, retained or discarded according to taste. In the nothing of the sort. They arise from scale and not harmonic system, the presence of the third in the bass harmonic considerations, but the principles that apply affects the distribution of the chord much more to the limited number of chords at the disposal of the significantly than under the older conditions when it old composers still obtain in respect of the greatly was frequently doubled, generally from the necessity extended number of chord combinations available at for keeping the various 'voices' moving freely and the present day, and a full appreciation of the easily. In the next example, the interplay of inversion ingenuous methods of the past actually simplifies the and suspension, presumed and prepared, can be advan- understanding of the complexities of the present. I tageously examined: am strongly of the opinion that all material of value acquired by a study of counterpoint, with its many Ex. 54. awkward rules and embarrassing obligations, can be more easily and advantageously assimilated by a modern student in the examination of its principles from the harmonic standpoint. No sane teacher should impose on his pupil at any stage of his career a study of the various species of counterpoint. In two parts it is stupid, in three it is a futile 'grind,' and as to four, especially in the fourth species, I quite agree with Mr. Frederick Corder, The second and fourth of the asterisked inversions who has said-he referred, however, only to the are the commonest forms with the fifth in the bass, i.e., fourth species -' Even when the most skilful the dominant supporting any progression wherein it is Mus. Doc. has evaded or triumphed over its obstacles, common to each chord, major or minor, and suggesting the result is simply miserable.' As to fugue, I the Plagal cadence: venture to assert that nobody wants it now and will never be likely to want it in the future. On the simple lines I am pursuing in these articles, any Bt ir --- --I5?- student whose musical instinct counts for anything at Ex. 54a. all, will, I trust, be placed in a position to think and work considerably for himself, although my space will only allow me at the moment to do little more than suggest the method of procedure. The technique of early musical composition was To return to passing-, or, better, auxiliary-notes. I strongly reinforced, also probably originally by have selected a couple of passages from a Bach singers when parts that progressed in intervals of Chorale which illustrate their effect fairly compre- a third or fourth were allowed to fill the void with the hensively, based of course on the material I have intervening notes of the scale. Passing-notes are a already subjected to consideration. On the outlined natural outcome of the scale-sense, and their principal harmonies: characteristic is the endowment of life and movement to what otherwise might be a dull series of elementary chords. The first relief in this direction was signalised by the appreciation of suspensions, which in many cases reproduced the effect of passing-notes, but the distinction is easily to be discerned. The earlier device itself introduced to the composer a number of combinations that were ultimately destined to rank as chord-entities, whose origin was feasibly explained by the methods of the harmonic system. which also reveal a simple example of extended With the use of passing-notes the tonality of distribution of the voices, the use of auxiliary notes many passages was more strongly defined; they confers a feeling of life and movement that is a were inevitably part and parcel of the particular considerable asset to the distinctive value of the scale that was under treatment.