symphonic forms," and the study of "all the orchestral and other
instruments, considered collectively and individually," together with
demonstrations of their "technique, possibilities, and limitations."

At the end of the second year an assistant was appointed--a gentleman
who had been a student in the department. To him were entrusted the
classes in rudimentary harmony, dictation, and chord-analysis: and to
this extent he relieved MacDowell until the latter had his sabbatical
vacation in 1902-03; he then took over the classes in strict
counterpoint; but all the more advanced courses were discontinued
until MacDowell's return. Even with an assistant, however, MacDowell
found his labours very far from being light. In his third year
(1898-99) he still gave five courses of two hours a week each, with
the exception of a single one-hour course. For these no less than
eighty-six students were registered; and in the following year,
fifty-two students were registered in one of the courses. In 1901-02
he gave six courses: a general course in musical culture, for which he
had thirty-seven students; an advanced course in musical culture, for
which he had fourteen students; a course in counterpoint, twelve
students; in orchestration, twelve students; in practical composition,
thirteen students; in free compositions, two students. This continued
to be, in general, his work until he resigned in 1904. To these
labours he added the appalling drudgery of correcting examination
books and exercises--a task which he performed with unflagging
patience and invariable thoroughness. Some of his friends remember
seeing him at this particular labour, and they recall "the weary,
tired, though interested face; the patient trying-over and
annotating." In addition to his regular duties, he devoted every
Sunday morning to receiving students in the more advanced courses who
were invited to come to him for help in their composition and piano