One of my all-time goals was to make a brass ensemble arrangement/transcription sound as impressive as a string ensemble. In my opinion, it was accomplished with this work by G.F. Handel.
We all would (should) admit that there is nothing as rich and warm as a string ensemble and to expect brass instruments to even come close to this wonderful sound would be impossible. As you listen to my recording, realize that even though I am satisfied with the results, there is still room for improvement.
You might wonder why I am so excited about this combination of instruments and the final result of my project. I would first like to explain, then have you listen to the recording to see if you agree with me on my excitement.
To attempt this project, you must first start with a quality example of music and few can match the mastery of harmony, counterpoint and strong, flowing independent melodies created by Handel.
His beautiful composition of “Rinaldo, Cara sposa, amante cara, dove sei” (Rinaldo, dear bride, dear lover, where are you?) is a fantastic framework to work with. Each of the parts (with the exception of the second violin) is a study in graceful melodic creation. As you listen to each instrument, you have the feeling that every note needs to have its own articulation and dynamic level and still create a flow of ensemble unity. I found myself playing each part separately while I conducted the finesse of each note passing through the score. It was like directing slow moving traffic on a congested downtown street. Each motion of my hand accomplished the result with each note on the page. Seldom do I get this wrapped up in a piece of music but that was how I felt as I conducted away, all alone in my office.
Strings have many advantages over brass instruments such as starting a pitch with a less explosive attack at a very soft dynamic level. Strings are also able to sustain the softest dynamic with pure and steady consistency. As you will realize when listening to the recording, strings are capable of playing for more extended periods of time than a brass player. Where Brass players need to breath to keep a melody sustained, the string player needs only to move the bow in the opposite direction. Because of these and many additional reasons, I have been searching for something as close as possible to the gap between fine string ensemble sounds and the brass ensemble rendition.
The instrumentation I chose to work with was my attempt to narrow this gap. I chose two trumpets (cornets), and two flugel horns with the bass part covered by a cello. The solo part was a very obvious selection and the additional flugel was used to bridge the pointed sound of the trumpet (cornet) with that of the cello.
As I repeatedly listened to the final product, the only element I was not completely satisfied with was the gap between notes by the brass instruments. If I were to redo the recording, I would have made use of many slurred passages. In the score I indicted that each player should play in a “molto sostenuto” manner which could have been improved with the connected slurs more effectively.
Now that I have filled in the spaces, it is now time to listen to the product. I would be very interested in your opinion of the piece and your ideas as to the effectiveness of the transcription.
Thank you for your time and I hope you find this piece as enjoyable as I have.
Let’s hear it for Handel!
