conductors, with several
electric metronomes beating before their eyes the principal beats of the
bar.

And now,--should the orchestral conductor give the time standing or
sitting down?

If, in theatres where they perform scores of immense length, it is very
difficult to endure the fatigue of remaining on foot the whole evening,
it is none the less true that the orchestral conductor, when seated,
loses a portion of his power, and cannot give free course to his
animation, if he possess any.

Then, should he conduct reading from a full score, or from a first
violin part (leader's copy), as is customary in some theatres? It is
evident that he should have before him a full score. Conducting by means
of a part containing only the principal instrumental cues, the bass and
the melody, demands a needless effort of memory from a conductor; and
moreover, if he happens to tell one of the performers, whose part he
cannot examine, that he is wrong, exposes him to the chance of the
reply: "How do you know?"

The disposal and grouping of the players and chorus-singers come also
within the province of the orchestral conductor; particularly for
concerts. It is impossible to indicate arbitrarily the best method of
grouping the performers in a theatre or concert-room; the shape and
arrangement of the interior of these places necessarily influence the
course to be taken in such a case. Let us add, that it depends, moreover,
upon the number of performers requiring to be grouped; and, on some
occasions, upon the style of composition adopted by the author whose
work is to be performed.

In general, for concerts, the following disposal of the orchestra seems
best:--An amphitheatre of eight, or at least, five rows is indispensable.
The semicircular form is the best for the amphitheatre. If it is large
enough to contain the whole orchestra, the entire mass of instrumentalists
can be disposed of along these rows; the first violins in front on the
right, facing the public; the second violins in front on the left; the
violas, in the middle, between the two groups of violins; the flutes,
hautboys, clarinets, horns, and bassoons behind the first violins; a
double rank of violoncellos and double-basses behind the second violins;
the trumpets, cornets, trombones, and tubas behind the violas; the rest
of the violoncellos and double-basses behind the wooden wind instruments;
the harps in the foreground, close to the orchestral conductor; the
kettl