Jeremey McMillan wrote:

>As far as I'm concerned, some pieces do not need a change in
>instrumentation.

'Way back in the good old days, before phonographs, radio, mp3, movies,
and bingo, there was parlor music.  You had sheet-music, and you gathered
around and played music on whatever instrument you had.  You knew how to
read music, and you sang part songs for fun.  Sometimes it was good, and
most of the time it was amateurish (in every sense of the word) but that
was probably the only way you'd get to know the symphony, the opera, the
operetta, the oratorio, or even the nocturne and etude unless you lived in
a big city.  Even if you DID live in the big city, you'd probably only hear
the major works once or twice in your life.

When I was growing up, I'd get together with pals and read through
all the music we'd find in the Philadelphia Public Library.  We did not
discriminate.  I was a violist, but I learned how to read violin and cello
parts on my instrument, transposing up or down an octave when necessary,
and filling in missing stuff.  When my cousin took up the trumpet, I
learned how to transpose for THAT too, after some disasterous duets ...
sometimes we'd invite people to dinner just BECAUSE they played a
particular instrument, but sometimes we'd just have to do without that
instrument, so we'd play the piece anyway.  We would play parts of
symphonies, fillet of concerto (the parts that we could play) and we'd
strive to be better.  We learned which substitutions would work and which
would have us rolling on the floor in helpless laughter.

I've arranged Bach organ trio sonatas for string trio -- two violins and
viola OR violin, viola and cello, OR two violins and cello, just to make
sure we could do it any time we wanted.  Flute could substitute for violin
I, and if a pianist was around, the trios could be played by violin and
piano.  That was before I discovered that Mendelssohn had beat me to the
arranging punch.  We played the Art of the Fugue for String Quartet (in a
Roy Harris arrangement) and it was much better than sitting on our hands
listening to OTHER people do it and having all the fun!

I have even played the Brahms sextets and Mendelsson and other octets
with bassoon replacing one of the Cello parts.  Plucked parts sounded
very funny, and made us laugh, but it worked!  It was much better than
not playing those pieces at all (although we COULD have done viola quintets
and sent the poor bassoon player out for pizza).

I also once found myself in charge of a chambermusic class (for a whole
semester!) with two celli, a bunch of recorders and a french horn, a few
beginning fiddle players and a pianist who only knew the right hand.  I
managed to write several derangements for them to play.  Corelli was
probably spinning in his grave, but we had fun, and we learned something.

Mimi Ezust <[log in to unmask]>