ch more likely to succeed in holding the interest
of his chorus throughout the "sing."

Let him be sure that a skilful accompanist is at hand to play the
piano, perhaps even going to the trouble of meeting the accompanist
beforehand and going through all material to be used so as to insure a
mutual understanding upon such matters as tempo, _et cetera_. In
out-of-door group singing a brass quartet (consisting of two cornets
and two trombones, or two cornets, a trombone, and a baritone) is more
effective than a piano, but if this is to be done be sure to find
players who can transpose, or else write out the parts in the proper
transposed keys. When such an accompaniment is to be used, the leader
should have at least one rehearsal with the quartet in order that
there may be no hitches.

[Sidenote: THE MEETING PLACE]

If possible, let the "sing" be held, in some hall not connected with
any particular group of people, so that all may feel equally at home
(there are decided objections to using either a church or a lodge
room); and, in giving the invitation for the first meeting, make sure
that no group of people shall have any ground whatsoever for feeling
slighted, even in the smallest degree.

Granting the various factors that we have been recommending, and, most
important of all, having provided the right type of leader to take
charge of the "sings," the enterprise cannot but have significant
results along both musical and sociological lines.

CHAPTER X

THE ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTOR

[Sidenote: DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN CONDUCTING A LARGE ORCHESTRA]

Conducting an orchestra from full score is a vastly more complicated
matter than directing a chorus singing four-part music, and the
training necessary in order to prepare one for this task is long and
complicated. In addition to the points already rehearsed as necessary
for the conductor in general, the leader of an orchestra must in the
first place know at least superficially the method of playing the
chief orchestral instruments, the advantages and disadvantages
involved in using their various registers, the difficulties of certain
kinds of execution, and other similar matters which are often referred
to by the term _instrumentation_. In the second place, he must
understand the combinations of these various instruments that are most
effective, and also what registers in certain instruments blend well
with others; in other words, he must be familiar with the sci