John Weeks Moore

“ As the object of every musical accompaniment is to give effect to the principal part, the accompanist should always aim to support, and by no means to overpower and oppress it. Of all composers, Mozart, even in respect to the accompaniments, claims the first place, for the simplicity and beauty with which he amalgamates the leading and accompanying parts, through his unrivalled knowledge and excellent management of the parts for every individual instrument. The modern German composers excel in accompaniment. ”

“ Accompaniments must be executed with much skill and delicacy, and in such a manner as to fulfil not only the object of the composer, but to admit of the leader giving the full effect to the composition, which will otherwise make but a feeble impression, though in the most skilful hands. Accompaniments are in no degree susceptible of embellishment ; a circumstance which is too often overlooked. It is extremely difficult, without a previous knowledge of the composition in the person accompanying, to treat an accompaniment in a way which is at once judicious and pleasing. ”

“ The accompaniment is always a part or parts writ-ten for instruments which accompany, to make the music more full. The accompaniment often plays a very different part, or melody, from the song ; but authors are not agreed whether it was so or not among the ancients. An efficient accompaniment, well performed, is very pleasing to the ear. All music, says Addison, is to deduce its- laws and rules from the general sense and taste of mankind, and not from the principle; of the art itself ; or, in other words, the taste is not to conform to the art, but the art to the taste. ”