Many thanks, Dave, for your reply to my recent posting on Ebenezer Prout.
I for one would love to get hold of a recording or the score of one of
his symphonies.  It would, no doubt, lack the inspiration of Brahms or
Beethoven but, judging by the meticulous attention to detail in his many
theoretical treatises, it would probably be a model of clarity of form and
content.

He certainly wasn't loath to criticise the Masters when he thought they had
gone wrong.  E.g. he didn't think Raff should have put the 2nd subject of
the opening movement of his 3rd symphony in the sub-dominant key instead
of the dominant.  Personally, I'm quite happy with the "Forrest Symphony"
as it stands but, then, I'm no expert.

A typical remark of his is seen on p 75 of The Orchestra Vol.  1:- "To show
the student how NOT to write for the harp, we quote an almost impossible
passage from the final scene of "Die Walkure"------------" He then goes on
in a footnote to mention the enormous difficulty that an eminent harpist of
his acquaintance told him he had with the quoted passage.

In his harmony textbook, he lambastes Scarlatti for his use of consecutive
5ths and octaves in one of his harpsichord sonatas.  One can just imagine
poor old Dominico cowering in the corner of Professor Prout's classroom
with a dunce's cap perched precariously on top of his wig.

Cheers,
John.