Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 229, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1913 — MADE RULES FOR COMPOSERS [ARTICLE]

MADE RULES FOR COMPOSERS

Frederick the Great, Talented Musician Himself, Laid Down Imperative Orders. Frederick the Great was the most distinguished musical amateur of his age, and his position gave him the power to regulate the style of composition employed by the musicians of his period. For Instance, he made the following rules to be followed by operatic composers: “All the principal singers must have big arias and different in character, as an adagio aria, which must be very cantabile to show off to good advantage the voice and delivery of the singer; in da capo the artist can then display her art in embellishing variations;, then there must be an allegro aria with brilliant passages, a gallant aria, a duet for the first male singer and the prima donna. In these pieces the big forms or measure must be used so as to give pathos to the tragedy; the smaller forms of time, such as two-four and three-eight, are for the secondary roles, and tor these a tempa minuetto can be written. There must be the necessary changes of time, but minor keys must bo avoided In the theater, because they are too mournful.”