equently happens in the ancient
masterpieces, written at a period when the metronome was not
invented,--he has no other guide than the vague terms employed to
designate the time to be taken, and his own instinct, his feeling--more
or less distinguishing, more or less just--of the author's style. We are
compelled to admit that these guides are too often insufficient and
delusive. Of this we have proof in seeing how old operas are given in
towns where the traditional mode of performance no longer exists. In
ten different kinds of time, there will always be at least four taken
wrongly. I once heard a chorus of _Iphigenia in Tauride_ performed in
a German theatre _allegro assai, two in the bar_, instead of _allegro
non troppo, four in the bar_; that is to say, exactly twice too fast.
Examples might be multiplied of such disasters, occasioned either by
the ignorance or the carelessness of conductors of orchestras; or else
by the real difficulty which exists for even the best-gifted and most
careful men to discover the precise meaning of the Italian terms used as
indications of the time to be taken. Of course, no one can be at a loss
to distinguish a Largo from a Presto. If the Presto be two in a bar,
a tolerably sagacious conductor, from inspection of the passages and
melodic designs contained in the piece, will be able to discern the
degree of quickness intended by the author. But if the Largo be four in
a bar, of simple melodic structure, and containing but few notes in each
bar, what means has the hapless conductor of discovering the true time?
And in how many ways might he not be deceived? The different degrees of
slowness that might be assigned to the performance of such a Largo are
very numerous; the individual feeling of the orchestral conductor must
then become the sole authority; and, after all, it is the author's
feeling, not his, which is in question. Composers therefore ought not
to neglect placing metronome indications in their works; and orchestral
conductors are bound to study them closely. The neglect of this study on
the part of the latter, is an act of dishonesty.

I will now suppose the conductor to be perfectly well acquainted with
the times of the different movements in the work of which he is about
to conduct the performance or rehearsals; he wishes to impart to the
musicians acting under his orders the rhythmical feeling within him, to
decide the duration of each bar, and to cause the uniform observance