John Smyth writes:

>Is there objective evidence available that would suggest that composers
>would have a posthumous disposition towards our contemporary "improved"
>instruments?

I think you only have to ask yourself: Are there composers today who
constantly smite their brows in frustration over the limitations of
today's instruments?

>I would be interested in the following:
>
>1) Documentation or hearsay from composers indicating frustration,
>(requests to instrument makers, discussions with expert players, journal
>entries)

It may be possible to come up with instances of this sort of thing, but
they could never mean that ALL composers were so frustrated.

>2) Indirect actions or behavior by composers, (dicarded orchestral
>passages, re-written passages, high or low notes in parenthesis)

I understand Richard Strauss wrote an E below the g-string in Heldenleben
for the violins.  Does this mean then that all violins--to hell with
Stradivarius--should have their lower register stretched down a minor
third?

>3) Looking at composers whose creative activity encompassed periods of
>marked instrumental improvements.  (Composers who have revised older works
>with the advent of certain instrumental improvements.)

Many composers wrote in times of instrumental "improvements".  Perhaps one
could argue that they all did.  Many composers also revised their works.
I can't think of any who made revisions for the reasons specified.  But
what if some did? What would it prove?

Composers in the past and composers today write for what they know.  They
tend to write for specific occasions, commissions or performers.  The glib
assumption that composers of the past would surely have embraced modern
instruments with tears of joy seems to have given some musicians some kind
of license to do what they like with a piece.  ("After all, Beethoven would
have wanted it that way.") The fact is, although Beethoven (why do we
always pick on him?) would have written for modern instruments, we would
no longer have Beethoven as we know him.  Why on earth would he stop at
the niggling little "improvements" which we love to make to his music?
It would be a whole new ball game.

Eric James