Karl Miller responded to Virginia Knight:
>>... There's a distinction
>>to be made (with a fuzzy area in the middle) between a composer's own
>>variations on/exploration of a theme by another, and a more straightforward
>>arrangement/re-orchestration/transcription of someone else's piece.
>
>It is difficult for me to make a distinction. For example, the Foss
>Baroque Variations...as far as I recall, he doesn't really change the
>notes, hence, they weren't exactly variations...yet one can find some
>of the "arrangement" done by Berio...or a work like Ludwig van by Kagel.
>The Kagel work is a collage of themes written by Beethoven. As far as
>I know Kagel did not change any notes.
Just to throw one more potential "variation" in there, there are some
pieces that were simply influenced by a specific piece of an another
composer. I just happened to be listening to the Dutton release of John
McCabe's Sonata on a Motet (1976). To quote from McCabe's own liner
notes:
"(The work) ... derives from Tallis' great 40-part motet "Spem
in Alium". However, this derivation is unlikely to be heard,
since the motet provides simply the major source of inspiration
for this piece, which is not a set of variations in the usual
sense."
Here's another that might qualify: Dello Joio's Variants on a Mediaeval
Tune for Wind Orchestra (1963).
>In short, I am looking to open it up, but don't want to open the door to
>works that are clearly Variations...why? I am not sure...perhaps because I
>see it would have the potential to make for a VERY long list.
And how about concert paraphrases or other reworking of pieces. I was
going to ask "where do I upload the database to?". The list of Liszt
alone is fairly extensive. :-)
FWIW, this may be a complete list of the Bach transcriptions of works
by other composers:
BWV 592 J.E. von Sachen-Weimar (Violin Concerto)
BWV 592a J.E. von Sachen-Weimar (Piano work?)
BWV 593 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 522, Op. 3/8)
BWV 594 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 208)
BWV 595 J.E. von Sachen-Weimar (?)
BWV 596 Vivaldi (2 Violin Concerto RV 565, Op. 3/11)
BWV 597 Unknown composer
BWV 972 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 230, Op. 3/9)
BWV 973 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 299, Op. 7/8)
BWV 975 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 316, lost)
BWV 976 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 265, Op. 3/12)
BWV 978 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 310, Op. 3/3)
BWV 980 Vivaldi (Violin Concerto RV 381)
BWV 1065 Vivaldi (4 Violin Concerto RV 580, Op. 3/10)
Dave
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