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HAUTBOYS. |
51 |
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XV, and readily acknowledges that they copied the Germans in this. Since a continental writer of the period has said: " The English easily adopt innovations from abroad, and complete their military bands easily enough," we may assume that the English lost little time in adopting these new instruments. Gras-sineau in his "Musical Dictionary" (1740) does not seem to have heard of the clarinet. As an orchestral instrument it was first used in this country by Arne in " Artaxerxes," 1762. The bassoon and horn were certainly in use with us before 1760.
It is most remarkable, that although this new departure made for development by way of tone colour, no advance resulted in augmentation. Regimental bands which invariably comprised from four to six performers, might easily have been increased to eight or ten with the advent of bassoons and horns. Instead of this, the bassoon takes the place of the bass oboe or courtal, whilst a couple of horns oust a like number of oboes. During the whole of the first half of the eighteenth century, even the bands of the Foot Guards numbered no more than six performers, two oboes (or two clarinets), two horns and two bassoons being the usual combination. There is an interesting march for a band of this sort, in the " British Military Journal" (1799). %
How the ordinary regiments of infantry and cavalry fared at this period, we know nothing definite, owing to the scarcity of precise data; but we may take it for granted that they would hardly be better equipped |
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