A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Score, Arranging from
SCORE, ARRANGING FROM. An Orchestral Composition is said to be 'arranged from the Score,' when its principal features are adapted, by a judicious process of condensation, to the capabilities of the Organ, Pianoforte, or any other Keyed or Solo Instrument.
The successful performance of this operation demands a thorough knowledge of the laws of Harmony and Composition; and the principles and practice of Instrumentation;[1] a perfect command of the particular Instrument for which the arrangement is intended; sound judgment, and long experience. Were it possible to transfer Orchestral passages to the keyboard notatim, the task of arranging would be a very simple one; but it would be a great mistake to suppose that the most literal transcription from the Score is invariably the best, or the most effective one. Many complicated passages need extensive simplification, in order to bring them within the compass even of four hands upon the Pianoforte; while the execution of many Violin passages is absolutely impossible upon Keyed Instruments. Liszt himself could not play the following passage from the Overture to 'Der Freischütz,' at anything like the required pace:—
This passage has been 'arranged' in several different ways, two of which we subjoin. The first, at (a), was sanctioned by Weber himself, in an arrangement published in 'The Harmonicon,' No. xxi. Sept. 1824. The second, at (b), is the inspiration of a later arranger, who, in the hope of attaining brilliancy, has distorted the rhythm of the passage, beyond all possibility of recognition, at the expense of an entire bar.
Great ingenuity on the part of the arranger is frequently demanded, in the case of passages in which several solo instruments are employed simultaneously; particularly should any of the parts be obbligato. Long-sustained notes also frequently need very careful management; and there is often great difficulty in the simplification of very elaborate accompaniments, which, if arranged as they stand in the score would present unconquerable difficulties to the performer, while, if injudiciously adapted to the keyboard they either weaken the harmony irreparably or produce an effect quite different from that intended by the composer. Again, it is sometimes all but impossible to give a literal rendering of passages the complications of which are increased by the crossing of the Parts; as in the following phrase from the Overture to 'Die Zauberflöte':—
In modern arrangements, this passage is frequently rendered as at (a); but, this literal transcription is not often very effectively played. In Mozart's own time, it was arranged as at (b), where many important features of the Score are omitted, for the sake of producing a light and graceful Pianoforte passage.
But nowhere is the arranger's responsibility so grave, as in passages in which it is necessary to alter the exact notes of the Score, in order to produce the exact effect intended by the Composer. A remarkable instance of this is mentioned by H. Dora, who tells us that Mendelssohn, in accompanying the Duet 'O namenlose Freude,' in Fidelio, once endeavoured to reproduce a peculiarly grand Orchestral effect, by playing the Violoncello and Double Bass Parts two Octaves apart. [See vol. ii. p. 257a.] A glance at the passage will show the immense dignity with which the entrance of the Double Bass is invested by this thoughtful arrangement.
