Transcriptions

[churchmouse]

It should be added that Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite, readily available in a solo piano arrangement, transfers extremely well to the organ and the ability to take some of the left hand parts in the pedals overcomes a lot of the technical challenges making most of it a lot more straightforward than it at first appears. The one exception is Bransles, which is a sod. Certain movements (particularly Pieds en l'Air) are absolutely ravishing with a nice thick 16 8 4 flutey registration, the Sw 2' peeping out from behind the shutters. The second movement (Pavane) is very effective with the left hand taking the 'drum' part on a nice fat Claribel Flute and also handling the inner melody for the second half. Both the first and last movements can be very exciting if the wind starts to get a bit unstable, which it does. Ahem, I wonder if there are any recordings of this shortly to become available...?

um, yes, Martin Setchell put the Basse Danse and the Pieds en L'Air on his "A Taste of Shropshire" cd released earlier this year...

 

The Edward German dances from Henry VIII on the same disc have become favourites for me...

churchmouse

[MusingMuso]

Huge fan that I am of transcriptions (hence the thread in the first place), I find myslef asking why Beethoven symphonies? TH is a great player and a real showman (technique to match) and he gave a great recital at my old place. But why the Beethoven symphonies? Am I missing something here?

 

Agree about the registration issues. My two biggies (Lemare/Carmen and Die Fled/me) cry out for so much colour and I don't think I could do them effectively without generals (or long awkward pauses in between sections)

 

Anyone currently working on anything new? I've got about half way through Bernstein's Candide having heard one of the big Americans doing it.

 

 

=======================

 

 

I don't know if my latest jazz version of "Jeepers Creepers" counts....but I thought I'd just mention it.

 

More interestingly....Beethoven.

 

I have two rather ancient books of Beethoven Symphonies transcribed to Piano, but the rub is, these books are so old they are "almost" contemporary with Beethoven himself.

 

I used to play them on the piano when I had nothing beter to do, but the fragility of the paper rather prevents this nowadays.

 

I think the date is around 1840-ish.....I'd have to check.

 

They may be worth something!

 

MM

[AJJ]

Huge fan that I am of transcriptions (hence the thread in the first place), I find myslef asking why Beethoven symphonies? TH is a great player and a real showman (technique to match) and he gave a great recital at my old place. But why the Beethoven symphonies? Am I missing something here?

 

Agree about the registration issues. My two biggies (Lemare/Carmen and Die Fled/me) cry out for so much colour and I don't think I could do them effectively without generals (or long awkward pauses in between sections)

 

Anyone currently working on anything new? I've got about half way through Bernstein's Candide having heard one of the big Americans doing it.

 

There's a rather lovely version of the Adagio from Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony done by Jeffrey Smith of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco - he recorded it on the Schoenstein at St Paul's K Street in Washington when he was DOM there.

 

AJJ

 

PS The CD concerned also has some fantastic choral singing - scroll down here to take a look - the disc title is 'Show Yourself Joyful'.

[Peter Clark]

Ok, here goes, sorry not all the transcribers are there...

 

Danse Macabre - Saint-Saëns

 

P.

 

 

Paul which transcription is this? Jane is holding me to ransom of a sort unless I promise to put DM in my next recital - I see that you can get a book of transcriptions which includes the "first section" of Danse Macabre, but the only one I have is Liszt's piano transcription.

 

Thanks

 

Peter

[mrbouffant]

Paul which transcription is this? Jane is holding me to ransom of a sort unless I promise to put DM in my next recital - I see that you can get a book of transcriptions which includes the "first section" of Danse Macabre, but the only one I have is Liszt's piano transcription.

 

Thanks

 

Peter

I do know you can get DM in Lemare's transcription, published by Wayne Leupold. I rang a nice lady in the US and she sent it over fairly swiftly. It ain't easy!!

[Peter Clark]

I do know you can get DM in Lemare's transcription, published by Wayne Leupold. I rang a nice lady in the US and she sent it over fairly swiftly. It ain't easy!!

 

 

Thank you! Will investigate.

 

Peter

[Paul Carr]

Paul which transcription is this? Jane is holding me to ransom of a sort unless I promise to put DM in my next recital - I see that you can get a book of transcriptions which includes the "first section" of Danse Macabre, but the only one I have is Liszt's piano transcription.

 

Thanks

 

Peter

 

It's the Lemare, published by Wayne Leupold Volume IX of the Complete Lemare.

It's not easy, Thomas Trotter plays it very, very cleanly - I confess to relying on a touch of acoustic camouflage, especially where there are rapid chromatic scales, etc. For that reason I've chickened out of playing it at Blenheim next April as the acoustic there is pretty much non-existent, it was in on the original programme drafts, but I'm playing a (little) safer. Cor, now we really are confessing all!

[Peter Allison]

Yes, he does. Incidentally, have you noticed him actually changing any of the registrations himself? I haven't!

 

I have not watched that closely, but it seems that his "lovely" wife seems to use a sequencer button, but what an beast of an instrument, its huge

regards

Peter

[MAB]

OK, now I am really going to blow all of my serious music credentials.

 

A few years ago, friends of mine got married and asked me to play. They are both discerning musicians - one of them is a noted organ builder, now working freelance - but also they were both passionate fans of Star Wars.

 

After some discussions, it was agreed that they would walk out to the Finale of Vierne I, but the bride would walk in to the Throne Room March from Star Wars.

 

My 6 year old has just discovered Star Wars, with the result that I have watched the film about 37 times this month (and am bound to say that it just gets better each time). However, for those of you with not such a detailed recall, this is the big march from the penultimate scene when our heroes walk the entire distance of the throne room to receive their medals from the alliance leader, having destroyed the Dark Star and (temporarily) wiped out the threat of the Empire. I digress.

 

I got hold of the piano score and made a transcription, and although it was a swine to play, it worked very effectively. Most people did not recognise the piece and just commented on what a splendid march it was ; a few others got the joke, which only added to their pleasure.

 

Anyway, back to the film. The score is fantastic and there are a number of scenes I would like to transcribe ; the opening fanfare and credits sequence would work well, as too would the cantina band music.

 

I know there is an American CD of an organist playing a Star Wars Suite, and when I think no - one is looking I have even had a furtive look on the internet to see if I could find a score.

 

Does anyone else share this guilty secret ?

 

M

[Peter Clark]

OK, now I am really going to blow all of my serious music credentials.

 

A few years ago, friends of mine got married and asked me to play. They are both discerning musicians - one of them is a noted organ builder, now working freelance - but also they were both passionate fans of Star Wars.

 

After some discussions, it was agreed that they would walk out to the Finale of Vierne I, but the bride would walk in to the Throne Room March from Star Wars.

 

My 6 year old has just discovered Star Wars, with the result that I have watched the film about 37 times this month (and am bound to say that it just gets better each time). However, for those of you with not such a detailed recall, this is the big march from the penultimate scene when our heroes walk the entire distance of the throne room to receive their medals from the alliance leader, having destroyed the Dark Star and (temporarily) wiped out the threat of the Empire. I digress.

 

I got hold of the piano score and made a transcription, and although it was a swine to play, it worked very effectively. Most people did not recognise the piece and just commented on what a splendid march it was ; a few others got the joke, which only added to their pleasure.

 

Anyway, back to the film. The score is fantastic and there are a number of scenes I would like to transcribe ; the opening fanfare and credits sequence would work well, as too would the cantina band music.

 

I know there is an American CD of an organist playing a Star Wars Suite, and when I think no - one is looking I have even had a furtive look on the internet to see if I could find a score.

 

Does anyone else share this guilty secret ?

 

M

 

Well I once played at a wedding where bride and father were Star Trek fans (as am I); she came in to Deep Space 9 and bride and groom left to Voyager. BTW, M, I'm working up Thunderbirds for the first recital of the new year. I think I've got it registered rather nicely, with the Zimbelstern coming in on the last chord!

 

On a different note, what about piano transcriptions of organ works? I seem to recall having (though never learning) a transcription of the 565 by Karl Tausig, a Lisztian character by all accounts who was a pal of Wagner and smoked all his cigars. His most famous work I think is probably the Ghost Ship Ballade which was originaly an orchestral work but then transcribed by the composer for piano.

 

Peter

[AJJ]

OK, now I am really going to blow all of my serious music credentials.

 

A few years ago, friends of mine got married and asked me to play. They are both discerning musicians - one of them is a noted organ builder, now working freelance - but also they were both passionate fans of Star Wars.

 

After some discussions, it was agreed that they would walk out to the Finale of Vierne I, but the bride would walk in to the Throne Room March from Star Wars.

 

My 6 year old has just discovered Star Wars, with the result that I have watched the film about 37 times this month (and am bound to say that it just gets better each time). However, for those of you with not such a detailed recall, this is the big march from the penultimate scene when our heroes walk the entire distance of the throne room to receive their medals from the alliance leader, having destroyed the Dark Star and (temporarily) wiped out the threat of the Empire. I digress.

 

I got hold of the piano score and made a transcription, and although it was a swine to play, it worked very effectively. Most people did not recognise the piece and just commented on what a splendid march it was ; a few others got the joke, which only added to their pleasure.

 

Anyway, back to the film. The score is fantastic and there are a number of scenes I would like to transcribe ; the opening fanfare and credits sequence would work well, as too would the cantina band music.

 

I know there is an American CD of an organist playing a Star Wars Suite, and when I think no - one is looking I have even had a furtive look on the internet to see if I could find a score.

 

Does anyone else share this guilty secret ?

 

M

 

I've used the main theme a few times - Parade of the Ewoks works well - 'sounds a bit like some of music from those OUP 20th Century Organ Music albums - Princess Leia's Theme went down quite well during an over long communion. My 7 and 8 year olds are both girls and so far (apart from Dr Who and Harry Potter) seem more interesed in High School Musical (don't even go there!) than anything approaching Star Wars.

 

AJJ

[pwhodges]

On a different note, what about piano transcriptions of organ works?

Lesser-known ones:

 

Bartok: Bach's Trio Sonata No. 6 in G major, BWV 530, transcribed for piano [EMB]. Liberal use of octaves makes it look heavy-handed on the page - but accounts of his playing indicate that he could bring off things like this with unexpected lightness.

 

In 1932 twelve leading British composers published a volume of rather literal transcriptions as A Bach Book for Harriet Cohen (many of which are organ pieces), and I understand that she herself published some Bach transcriptions (incidentally, the last six pieces in Bartok's Mikrokosmos are dedicated to her). This volume inspired my son to commission Bach transcriptions from a number of British composers in the 1990s, some of which are of organ pieces; they were never published as a volume, because of contract difficulties, though he broadcast them as a set with the composers explaining their thought before each piece - they were generally "compositions inspired by" rather than literal transcriptions like the Harriet Cohen volume. Judith Weir's (actually the most literal) is certainly published (from a cantata movement: "Roll off the ragged rocks of sin").

 

Paul

[andyorgan]

OK, now I am really going to blow all of my serious music credentials.

 

A few years ago, friends of mine got married and asked me to play. They are both discerning musicians - one of them is a noted organ builder, now working freelance - but also they were both passionate fans of Star Wars.

 

After some discussions, it was agreed that they would walk out to the Finale of Vierne I, but the bride would walk in to the Throne Room March from Star Wars.

 

My 6 year old has just discovered Star Wars, with the result that I have watched the film about 37 times this month (and am bound to say that it just gets better each time). However, for those of you with not such a detailed recall, this is the big march from the penultimate scene when our heroes walk the entire distance of the throne room to receive their medals from the alliance leader, having destroyed the Dark Star and (temporarily) wiped out the threat of the Empire. I digress.

 

I got hold of the piano score and made a transcription, and although it was a swine to play, it worked very effectively. Most people did not recognise the piece and just commented on what a splendid march it was ; a few others got the joke, which only added to their pleasure.

 

Anyway, back to the film. The score is fantastic and there are a number of scenes I would like to transcribe ; the opening fanfare and credits sequence would work well, as too would the cantina band music.

 

I know there is an American CD of an organist playing a Star Wars Suite, and when I think no - one is looking I have even had a furtive look on the internet to see if I could find a score.

 

Does anyone else share this guilty secret ?

 

M

 

Yes, and I have that CD, played by Harold Feller, its actually quite good.

 

On the subject of transcriptions the other way, I think I may have mentioned this on another thread, but the Alison Balsom transcription of the Bach C major trio sonata for tpt, vln and continuo works really well.

[john carter]

On a different note, what about piano transcriptions of organ works?

Stephen Hough's transcription of César Franck's Troisieme Chorale, dedicated to Eric Chadwick, gives an interesting perspective on a familiar work.

JC

[MusingMuso]

All this talk of transcriptions I find quite amusing.

 

I wouldn't dream of playing anything other than transcriptions of baroque instrumental music on the classical organ. I find that it doesn't work, by and large, even if David Briggs did a fabulous "Wilt of the flowers" at Hereford.

 

Yet, if I dared to mention the fact that I would happily play transcriptions on a theatre organ, FOR WHICH THEY WERE DESIGNED, people would turn up their noses.

 

Can snobbery be transcribed, or is it usually only inverted?

 

 

MM

[gazman]

What about Town Hall organs then and other organs in secular buildings? Surely transcriptions were their raison d'etre!

[Guest Barry Williams]

Afte reading many posts I finally confess. I love Harry Wall's transcriptions of 'Old English' organ music and have huge fun playing them. Sorry!

 

Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. Hominus est errare.

 

Barry Williams

(Sinner and trangressor)

[heva]

What about Town Hall organs then and other organs in secular buildings? Surely transcriptions were their raison d'etre!

 

Sure! Get Thomas Trotter's disc on Birm TH's Hill organ; superb ...

[MusingMuso]

What about Town Hall organs then and other organs in secular buildings? Surely transcriptions were their raison d'etre!

 

 

======================

 

Yes, but that doesn't mean that they are terribly effective as orchestral synthesisers.

 

Perhaps we don't have the best examples of the theatre-organ in the UK, but some of the 40 rank + monsters in the US can get remarkably close to the orchestral effect, with multiple enclosures and some quite effective orchestral voices.

 

When you see 5 or 6 swell pedals and a general crescendo, sustainers, sofrazando controls, percussions and all the rest, they really do serve a purpose.

 

Sadly, I can only really think of two UK theatre-organists who ever really rose the challenge of proper orchestral transcription. One was Reginald Foorte, and the other is the excellent Simon Gledhill, who can produce the most magical sounds with astonishingly sensitive musicianship. (I never heard the stars of the 1930's, because I wasn't born, so I cannot say much beyond that). I feel sure that there were others, just as there were and are in America.

 

Of course, the alternative to the theatre organ are those wonderful period Skinner organs, and without doubt, the most superb symphonic organ which still remains as it was built, is that at Woolsey Hall, Yale University.

 

In the orchestral stakes, the Americans were way ahead of the UK, but of course, the organ-reform movement swept much of that away; leaving just a few instruments as they were, and many of the original theatre-organs intact and lovingly restored by enthusiasts.

 

MM

[Paul Carr]

OK, now I am really going to blow all of my serious music credentials.

 

A few years ago, friends of mine got married and asked me to play. They are both discerning musicians - one of them is a noted organ builder, now working freelance - but also they were both passionate fans of Star Wars.

 

After some discussions, it was agreed that they would walk out to the Finale of Vierne I, but the bride would walk in to the Throne Room March from Star Wars.

 

My 6 year old has just discovered Star Wars, with the result that I have watched the film about 37 times this month (and am bound to say that it just gets better each time). However, for those of you with not such a detailed recall, this is the big march from the penultimate scene when our heroes walk the entire distance of the throne room to receive their medals from the alliance leader, having destroyed the Dark Star and (temporarily) wiped out the threat of the Empire. I digress.

 

I got hold of the piano score and made a transcription, and although it was a swine to play, it worked very effectively. Most people did not recognise the piece and just commented on what a splendid march it was ; a few others got the joke, which only added to their pleasure.

 

Anyway, back to the film. The score is fantastic and there are a number of scenes I would like to transcribe ; the opening fanfare and credits sequence would work well, as too would the cantina band music.

 

I know there is an American CD of an organist playing a Star Wars Suite, and when I think no - one is looking I have even had a furtive look on the internet to see if I could find a score.

 

Does anyone else share this guilty secret ?

 

M

 

 

I've got that CD - it's amazing. Fantastic solo reed (chamade-like rather than Tuba-like) which always takes me by surprise in the fanfare sections!

 

There's a transcription/arrangement of the Star Wars Main Theme in "Music from the Movies: The Organist Entertains book 3" (Ooops have I confessed too much about the music I own?) I used it after the morning service the last time I played for Hereford Cathedral School in 1992.

 

(It was the last time because I'd finished there, not because of that piece )

[contrabordun]

Come on Paul, you've got a much better Star Wars anecdote than that, and I'm sure she doesn't read this board. Shame you registered under your own name though ... Google's a dangerous thing!

[MusingMuso]

I've got that CD - it's amazing. Fantastic solo reed (chamade-like rather than Tuba-like) which always takes me by surprise in the fanfare sections!

 

There's a transcription/arrangement of the Star Wars Main Theme in "Music from the Movies: The Organist Entertains book 3" (Ooops have I confessed too much about the music I own?) I used it after the morning service the last time I played for Hereford Cathedral School in 1992.

 

(It was the last time because I'd finished there, not because of that piece )

 

 

==========================

 

 

There are two "light" (hardly the right word) music-composers I admire tremendously; one of them being John Williams and the other being Billy Mayerl.

 

(One could never think of John Williams as a "light" composer after hearing the title-music to "Schindler's List")

 

There are two transcribers I admire tremendously; one of them being the American organist Lynn Larsen, and the other being Simon Gledhill of the UK.

 

Bring the music of the first to the talents of either of the latter, and you have magic.

 

I know that Lynn Larsen has played the "Star Wars" march and recorded it, and Simon Gledhill has done the whole of the "E.T." suite.

 

For anyone who wants to hear what PROPER transcription playing is all about, I would suggest a trawl among the sound archives of 'pipedreams" from Minnesota Public Radio, and further search under the names of Lynn Larsen and Simon Gledhill.

 

MM

[Paul Carr]

Come on Paul, you've got a much better Star Wars anecdote than that, and I'm sure she doesn't read this board. Shame you registered under your own name though ... Google's a dangerous thing!

 

 

Ah ha, that'd be the wedding I played for which featured a hidden, but not very hidden* to anyone who was really listening, Darth Vader theme during the improvisation just before the entrance of the bride.

Well, that's what someone, who was listening, told me it sounded like - I couldn't possibly comment on whether or not it was deliberate.

(Those of you who've twigged and know the bride will also know the answer to that one anyway!)

 

* infact, only slightly hidden - well, just about not UNISON!!!

 

Mmmm, don't think Google will pick up too much from that!

[Peter Clark]

Just bought Fricker's arrangement of Finlandia which I am looking forward to people looking forward to, two of which have told me they are.

 

Peter.

[AJJ]

Just bought Fricker's arrangement of Finlandia which I am looking forward to people looking forward to, two of which have told me they are.

 

Peter.

 

There is quite an effective recording of this arrangement played here by John Scott - an early Priory CD.

 

AJJ