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Re: Sharp key (or G-flat) band repertoire

Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-11-03 18:34

There are instances where band transcriptions of orchestral works are made easier and also made more difficult.

Couple of examples being a band arrangement of Shostakovich's 'Festive Overture' that has been transposed down to concert Ab which puts the clarinet solo in Bb (the orchestral version is in A and the clarinet solo when played on an A clarinet is in C) which makes it go below the break too often.

A band arrangement of Offenbach's 'Orpheus in the Underworld' is put up a semitone from the original G to Ab, but the oboe solo then ends up in Ab minor (and there haven't been any Db oboes made for decades now).

Borodin's 'Polovtsian Dances' has been put up a semitone but this too makes the clarinet solos hard work when the originals were played on Bb (so a B clarinet playing from the original part would be good here!)

I do find it odd that even if some orchestral works are in band-fiendly keys, arrangers will still find some bizarre need to transpose them further - take Elgar's 'Nimrod' (from 'Enigma Variations') - original key is Eb but band transcription is in Db. What was wrong with the original key of Eb when this is a sensible key for all wind instruments - both those at concert pitch and otherwise?

Fortunately there are works that do remain in the original key - Bernstein's 'Candide Overture' is one such piece, so there are some small victories.

The band arrangement of Hamish McCunn's 'The Land of the Mountain and the Flood' has been put up a semitone from the orchestral original that starts in D Major and finishes in B Major, so that makes the oboe parts (now playing in Eb and C) much easier than the orchestral version.

There are loads of band pieces that do go into sharp keys for some sections (putting the clarinets in keys of B or F# Major) but they don't stick hard and fast as why anyone would want to be running around in five or more sharps is beyond anyone's guess.

If there was a lot of band arrangements in sharp keys for everyone and everyone had trouble playing them, then they would just collect dust in libraries and waste time and money being printed, and having them transposed into a more manageable key could breach copyright.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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