Arrangement - Hubert Parry
The next Parry article is on “Arrangement” or “Adaption.” Parry introduces the topic through a really cool analogy and then follows up with some history and musical examples. The analogy is so cool and eye-opening and sums up the main point of the article better than I can, so I am just going to quote it and follow up with some thoughts.
ARRANGEMENT, or ADAPTATION, is the musical counterpart of literary translation. Voices or instruments are as languages by which the thoughts or emotions of composers are made known to the world; and the object of arrangement is to make that which was written in one musical language intelligible in another.
The functions of the arranger and translator are similar; for instruments, like languages, are characterized by peculiar idioms and special aptitudes and deficiencies which call for critical ability and knowledge of corresponding modes of expression in dealing with them. But more than all, the most indispensable quality to both is a capacity to understand the work they have to deal with. For it is not enough to put note for note or word for word or even to find corresponding idioms. The meanings and values of words and notes are variable with their relative positions, and the choice of them demands appreciation of the work generally, as well as of the details of the materials of which it is composed. It demands, in fact, a certain correspondence of feeling with the original author in the mind of the arranger or translator. Authors have often been fortunate in having other great authors for their translators, but few have written their own works in more languages than one. Music has had the advantage of not only having arrangements by the greatest masters, but arrangements by them of their own works. Such cases ought to be the highest order of their kind, and if there are any things worth noting in the comparison between arrangements and originals they ought to be found there.
Two conclusions (for me) can be drawn from this: one, that studying and understanding the idioms of each instrument is vital in expanding and growing as a composer, and two, that arrangement is an excellent way of practicing writing for an instrument and solidifying its basic principles and idioms gathered through arrangement of my own, studies of scores, orchestration treatises, instrumentation treatises, and listening, of course.
One last interesting thing: I remember watching a BBC documentary on Holst and RVW where they mentioned (early on, I believe) that music written by German-speaking composers heavily dominated England’s concert halls and musical academia during the 19th century. And that composers like Holst and RVW (maybe Elgar, too) were trying to escape that and create uniquely British music. Anyway, the musical examples that Parry chooses after his linguistics analogy all come from German-speaking composers: Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms. It is also important to note that Parry heavily encouraged Holst and RVW to create a new British sound. It is interesting to see Parry simultaneously heavily influenced by German/Austrian music while gazing into the future of British music through Holst and RVW.
New Terms:
Conspicuous: standing out so as to be clearly visible or attracting notice or attention.
Diametric or Diametrically: completely opposed or characterized by opposite extremes.
Indispensable: absolutely necessary.
Bravura: great technical skill and brilliance shown in a performance or activity.
