Transcription or Arrangement
Both terms, 'transcription' and 'arrangement,' are used to adapt a musical work or part of a musical work into a new composition. The term 'orchestration' is used for adapting a work for orchestra. One well-known example is Anton Webern's orchestration of Bach's Ricercar from the Musical Offering. The terms 'transcription', 'arrangement', 'reworking', or in German 'bearbeitung' are often used interchangeably without a clear distinction. According to Grove Music Online, the difference between an arrangement and a transcription is not universally accepted.1 There are two articles providing definitions for the terms 'arrangement' and 'transcription'. 'Transcription' refers to the process of copying a musical work with a change in notation, for example, from tablature to staff notation. In ethnomusicological transcription, music is transcribed from a live or recorded performance or transferred from sound to a written form. An example of ethnomusicological transcription is the process of converting Bartók's field recordings of Eastern European folk music into staff notation. The term 'transcription' may also refer to an arrangement, particularly one that involves a change of medium.2 The definition of 'arrangement' confirms this and refers to the copying of a musical work with a change of medium, such as from orchestra to piano. Additionally, the term 'arrangement' can be applied to any piece of music that is based on or incorporates pre-existing material.3 The purpose of this research is to translate Béla Bartók's Six Dances for Bulgarian Rhythm from its original instrumentation, the piano, to a new arrangement for violin and classical guitar. As this constitutes a change in medium, the appropriate term regarding the two articles from Grove Music Online would be 'arrangement'. However, in the article Arrangements and Transcriptions by Evlyn Howard-Jones, published in the leading international journal of musical scholarship, Music & Letters, a transcription is defined as a recreation or making-over with regard to its imaginative and creative content.4 The term 'arrangement' is defined similarly to Grove Music, as playing the notes in another medium. So regarding this definition an 'arrangement' is a more literal adaptation than a transcription. When examining the most well-known adaptations in the classical music history, the term 'transcription' is most often used. Examples of such a famous transcriptions include the music of Bach transcribed by Busoni or Max Reger, as well as transcriptions by Liszt from works by Wagner, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Many well-known adaptations for classical guitar are also referred to as ‘transcriptions’. An example of this is the collection of transcriptions published by Schott and transcribed by Andrés Segovia. Due to the term's frequent usage throughout history, I have chosen 'transcription' as the term for this research on Bartok's six dances.
Reflection
The realization that transcribing from one instrument to another always adds a personal touch was a surprise to me. At first, I wanted to transcribe the original score as literally as possible, without researching the piece too much. I thought this was the way to stay as close as possible to the original style of the piece. However, this way the transcription was authentic to the original instrumentation, the piano, but not necessarily authentic to the style of the music, and not at all to the chosen instrumentation, the violin and the guitar. As I researched the piece, my understanding of the style and the historical context evolved. I realized that much of the transcription was unconvincing because it was so difficult to perform. With the backpack of knowledge I gained, I started from scratch, consciously deciding where to transcribe literally from the piano part and where to make some parts more authentic to the idioms of the instruments and the style of the music. As Yang says, it is impossible to objectively translate the essence of music. Therefore, the attitude of consciously developing a deep understanding of the music and a clear musical idea should be the first step in the transcription process. Since it will largely determine the transcription, it is crucial to actively work on this first step.
How to begin transcribing?
How to start transcribing? What is the right way? What are the main problems or issues to deal with? Two theses deal specifically with the making of guitar transcriptions. Internationally acclaimed guitarist Carlo Fierens wrote a dissertation on transcribing for classical guitar as part of his doctoral studies at Indiana University. He writes: “The pre-condition of every attempt of transcription is the perfect knowledge of the technical characteristics (and limitations) of the destination instrument. In the case of the guitar, this means a complete awareness of the fretboard, of the individual technique of left and right hand, and of the peculiarities of its writing.” He continues: “A different set of expertise is required when it comes to evaluate the original piece with its musical and technical demands. One should always ask if an arrangement would contribute to the literature of the guitar by keeping the spirit or at least some of the characteristics of the original version. This implies a pre-evaluation that should even precede the act of transcribing which is an act that varies a lot according to the instrument the original piece is written for.” 5 Walter Clark, classical guitarist, doctor and professor of musicology at the University of California, also begins his article, Francisco Tarrega and the Art of Transcription, by saying that one must come to terms with the different strengths and weaknesses of the instruments. These determine to a large extent what kind of music is suitable for transcription and how to go about it.6 They all go on to list the most common problems or crucial decisions: key signature, whether to add or omit notes, thinking about register, whether to change rhythms and how to adapt articulation.
Mastering and knowing the technical aspects of the instrument seems logical. A professional guitarist is able to understand the limitations and qualities of the instrument. It is evident that the key signature is important because not every note has the same colour, resonance and ease of play as on the piano. When transcribing from piano scores, it is important to rethink the register and be aware of the resonance of each register. The fact that notes will be added or omitted is self-evident. Regarding C. Fierens' quote that one should always judge the original piece by its contribution to guitar literature. As this is a very subjective and complex question, it is perhaps more important to clearly define one's personal motives and intentions for transcribing a particular piece. The clearer the intentions, the easier it is to find the concrete requirements and characteristics of the transcription. This step preceeds the act of transcribing and belongs to process of selecting repertoire. If the chosen repertoire includes already a part of the proposed requirements and characteristics, the transcription process will be easier. For example, if the goal is to highlight the percussive elements of the violin, it is easier to choose a piece that is very rhythmic.
In a conversation with Raaf Hekkema, the importance of the reason for transcribing a particular piece came up several times.7 Raaf Hekkema made an international career performing and recording his own transcriptions. Not only has he arranged hundreds of pieces for solo saxophone, but he has also created a completely new repertoire of hundreds of transcriptions for his reed quintet Calefax. Before this quintet existed, there was no single piece written for this particular combination of instruments: alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon and hobo. Now they are enjoying a successful career with concerts on the world's biggest stages. More importantly, many reed quintets are being formed all over the world. This proves that his transcriptions are very effective and therefore well received all over the world. When I asked him about the ideal procedure for making a transcription, he immediately said that the first question to ask is: "Why do I want to arrange this work? The clearer the goal, the quicker you get to it, but that doesn't mean you get to a completely different place. The composer starts with an abstract idea and then writes it for the instruments he has at hand. As a transcriber, you have to peel it back until you get to the abstract idea, and then you can rebuild the idea for the chosen instrumentation. You can go in different directions when you build it up. You can be very faithful to the original and distance yourself from the chosen instrumentation, or you can deviate from the abstract idea." 8
Authenticity in Transcribing
By prioritising different aspects of the original work, the composer, the transcriber or the chosen instrumentation, the overall look and feel of the transcription will be shaped. All of these aspects could be considered a form of authenticity: being authentic to
-the sonic possibilities of the chosen instrumentation
-the sound of the original instrument(s) chosen by the composer
-the general style of the composer and/or the piece
-one’s own musical context, space, audience
-the technical abilities of the players
-the composer's general context: country, political situation, artistic environment
Consequently, the choice of what the transcription is authentic to shapes the interpretation. For example, by being authentic to the original style of the work, the transcriber will stay true to the articulations and write them down as accurately as possible. In this way, the performer has less artistic freedom in terms of articulation. So instead of thinking that interpretation is a part of the performance stage, it is also a part of the transcription process. In fact, it is the first step of the transcription process and the most important one.
Classical guitarist Xuefei Yang is one of the world's top classical guitarists and performs her own arrangements of Chinese folk music all over the world. In an interview about transcribing, she says: 'To capture the essence of the original work, you have to add something from your own instrument.9 She is clearly transcribing to be authentic to the idioms of her instrument, but also to the style of the original work. The quote explains that an objective translation of the original work is impossible. One always adds a personal touch. Going back to the example of articulations, this quote shows that it is actually impossible to achieve exactly the same effect with articulations on the piano as on the violin, for example. Therefor the transcriber has to consider carefully how to recreate the same effect on the violin as on the piano with the articulations.