My ballet, 'Apollo Musagetes', was given in Washington for the first time on April 27, with Adolphe Bolm’s choreography. As I was not there I cannot say anything about it. What interested me far more was its first performance in Paris at Diaghileff’s theatre, inasmuch as I was myself to conduct the music. My orchestra was so small that I was able without difficulty to have four rehearsals. This gave me a chance to make a close study of the score with the musicians recruited from the great symphonic orchestras of Paris, whom I knew well, as I had frequently worked with them. / As I have already mentioned, ‘Apollo’ was composed for string orchestra. My music demanded six groups instead of the quartet as it is usually called, but, to be more exact, “quintet,” of the ordinary orchestra, which is composed of first and second violins violas, violoncellos, and double bass. I therefore added to the regular ensemble a sixth group, which was to be of second violoncellos. I thus formed an instrumental sextet, each group of which had a strictly defined part. This required the establishment of a well-proportioned gradation in the matter of the number of instruments for each group. << less