Classical Considerations: Beyond the Orchestra
“Regarding the Bombardone, kindly learn from the theater the name of the instrument they use for a cannon, i.e. the large suspended drum which is beaten like a gran cassa. If it has no name, and I’m actually mistaken in calling this thing a bombardon, then instead of Bombardone in the score, put Canon, or Colpi di Canone, or Canons, or Coups de canons, or in Russian cannon… not a real cannon, but a drum.”1
This is not to say that, had Tchaikovsky intended it, the inclusion of an actual cannon would’ve been completely unheard of. Cannon fire has been used in operatic scoring since at least the 1700s and Beethoven’s Battle Symphony (1812) calls for a veritable battalion of artillery effects including the use of a musket.2
In addition to the firearms to which you would’ve had to endure as a symphony-goer of the 19th century there were a variety of other frightfully inventive inclusions to the orchestra: Leopold Mozart’s Jagdsinfonie includes the intermittent yelping of hounds, Wagner’s Das Rheingold calls for “18 anvils of varying sizes (tuned to 3 octaves of F#)” to be struck with a hammer, and Mahler’s Sixth Symphony calls for something affectionately known as the “mahler hammer” which is supposed to sound something like “the fall of an ax.”
Audiences through the ages have responded to these alternative instrumental choices in a variety of ways. Giuseppe Sarti’s Russian Oratorio, which calls for cannon fire, was greeted with critical acclaim for its celebration of the Russian capture of Ochakov in 1788.3 In contrast Mahler, for the inclusion of his hammer, was broadly ridiculed by critics of the day.4
Mahler was roundly jeered for the inclusion of “non-instruments”
Audiences have always had mixed reactions to these unconventional instruments, but there’s more to consider than just the sound they make. When we hear a harp along with the sound of the strings vibrating, we hear the echoes of all the images that come with it. Harp music doesn’t just produce sound; it also brings to mind angels, heaven’s gates, and a touch of the divine. Similarly, an organ carries with it the cavern of a church, a pan flute summons the image of a shepherd on a hillside, and a cowbell calls for, well, cows.
With that in mind, what truly counts as an instrument? If L. Mozart wants us to feel like we’re on a hunt, and he’s already using the horns and drums to set the scene, doesn’t it make sense to toss in the hounds and musket fire, too? If the composer intends to transport us, than the more tools they have at their disposal the better, right? And if Beethoven is trying to immerse us in the Battle of Vitoria with a massive 100-piece orchestra, perhaps we should be upset if he decides to skip the cannon and give us a quieter, less exciting version of the fight?
On the flip side, it’s hard not to feel for the concertgoer who just wants a clean evening of beautiful music. After all, isn’t the magic of a composer’s craft in how they create vivid scenes and emotions using nothing but conventional instruments? If you have to leave a concert with gunpowder in your hair, maybe that’s taking things a bit too far.
– Matthew Young
Many of the composers referenced above including Leopold Mozart, Richard Wagner, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky are featured this fall on TheClassicalStation.org, so please take a look at our Fall 2024 Highlights to see when to tune in, or request a piece directly via one of our Request Programs!