# Great arrangers



## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

*Who are the best arrangers?*

Some of the best arrangements I've heard by classical composers include

*Ravel* (Mussorgsky: _Pictures at an Exhibition_),

*Sarasate* (_Carmen Fantasy _after Bizet) and

*Schoenberg* (Brahms: _Piano Quintet_)

Others actually specialised in making arrangements, like *Leopold Stokowski *(many transcriptions, esp. of Wagner and Bach) and *Robert Russel Bennett *(_Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture _after Gershwin).

In the lighter/popular classical domain, there was *Ronnie Binge*, who devised the cascading strings sound for *Mantovani* in the 1940's and 50's. You may cringe that I include him on this list, but I think that sound of strings which sounds like an orchestra playing in a cathedral, was very skilfully done and distinct (although it has been copied so much now it's like just another cliche).

I'm interested in other good arrangers people know, whether it be for orchestra or smaller groups.


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Nelson Riddle?
Quincy Jones?
Chic O'Farrel?


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## Lisztfreak (Jan 4, 2007)

*Rudolf Barshai *(Shostakovich's Quartets 3 & 8; also produced a completion of Mahler's Tenth, which I haven't heard)

*George Enescu *(orchestrated Albéniz's Rapsodia Espanola)


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Sorry Barshai but arranging srting quartets for string orchestra isn't much of a arduduous task. I've played both of the Shostakovich arrangements and there is veer little difference from the original except for a bass part. There really are transcriptions, not arrangements.


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## Lisztfreak (Jan 4, 2007)

But isn't there a version with woodwinds and things of the 3rd quartet?


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Both the versions I played were string orchestra only. There may be, however, other versions.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

post-minimalist said:


> Sorry Barshai but arranging srting quartets for string orchestra isn't much of a arduduous task. I've played both of the Shostakovich arrangements and there is veer little difference from the original except for a bass part. There really are transcriptions, not arrangements.


*Barshai* has also arranged other pieces, such as Prokofiev's _Visions Fugitives _(it was originally a solo piano piece).

I also forget to mention some of the prominent *folk song arrangers*, like Bartok and Kodaly (and Vaughan Williams and Britten, if I am not mistaken).

& I am also interested in examples of composers arranging their own works, such as *Beethoven*'s piano transcription of his _Violin Concerto_.


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Respighi's Ucelli and Stavinsky's Pulcinella have to be two of the finest 'arrangements' in the classical rep.

Dean Martin once said while introducing a song, 'here's an arrangement I just made with my wife, she sleeps in the house and I sleep in the garage. It's not a great arrangement but it works!'


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## YsayeOp.27#6 (Dec 7, 2007)

Andre said:


> *Sarasate* (_Carmen Fantasy _after Bizet)


I wouldn't quote that work as an arrangement, as it is a concert piece based on themes from the opera.

I would propose Ferde Groffe, for his work on Rhapsody in Blue.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I also forgot to mention *Mahler*'s arrangement of *Schubert*'s _String Quartet No. 14 'Death & the Maiden.'_ I think that Mahler also arranged some of Schumann's & von Weber's works.


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## andruini (Apr 14, 2009)

how about Percy Grainger? he also did a lot of arrangements of folk songs, and both his arrangements for Debussy's Pagodes and Ravel's La Vallée des Cloches are quite good..


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## Lisztfreak (Jan 4, 2007)

I've only recently learned that Shostakovich made a re-orchestration of Schumann's Cello Concerto! A very interesting fact, I think. Would like to hear it.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Andre said:


> Who are the best arrangers?


No one has mentioned Liszt's arrangements of Beethoven's Symphonies: My fingers thrive on them!



Andre said:


> *Ravel* (Mussorgsky: _Pictures at an Exhibition_)


Ravel also arranged many of his own piano compositions: Le Tombeau de Couperin, Valses nobles et sentimentales, Pavane for un infante defunte, Miroirs, and Ma mere l'oye.


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## Aggelos (May 29, 2009)

Andre said:


> Others actually specialised in making arrangements, like *Leopold Stokowski *(many transcriptions, esp. of Wagner and Bach) and *Robert Russel Bennett *(_Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture _after Gershwin).


Leopold Stokowski was a prolific orchestrator.
Here you can see a list of his symphonic transcriptions (allthough the list is not 100% accurate)
http://www.mola-inc.org/Stokowskicatalog.htm

Also Sir Henry Wood was an brilliant orchestrator as well.
http://www.lyrita.co.uk/cgi-bin/lyrita_build.pl?filename=SRCD0216.txt
http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHSA 5030

Both Stokowski and Wood were adepts of grand orchestration. They wanted rich orchestral sonorities and gargantuan/sumptuos/voluptuous orchestral sound.

Some brilliant orchestrations can be found here as well.
http://www.chandos.net/details06.asp?CNumber=CHAN 9835


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

Andre Caplet was also a great arranger. He arranged many pieces most notably Claude Debussy. His arrangement of "Children's Corner" is exquisite.


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## Aggelos (May 29, 2009)

Mirror Image said:


> Andre Caplet was also a great arranger. He arranged many pieces most notably Claude Debussy. His arrangement of "Children's Corner" is exquisite.


Add Henri Busser, Percy Grainger, Gleichmann, Moulinari, Mouton.
Many marvellous orchestrations for Debussy works are featured in the following 2 CDs.
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/oct00/debussyengulfed.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/oct00/Debussynight.htm

I cannot deny the fact that I enjoyed the Andre Caplet orchestrations very much.


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## bdelykleon (May 21, 2009)

Two great arrangers: Webern (Bach Ricercare a Sei Voci, for me the best orchestration i've heard), Mozart (Messiah and other Handel oratorios).


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## Aggelos (May 29, 2009)

Amazing orchestrators

Mussorgsky/ Leonidas Leonardi: Pictures at an Exhibition
Rachmaninoff/ Leonidas Leonardi: Chanson Georgienne, Op.4 No.4
Rachmaninov / Lucien Cailliet : Prelude Op. 23 No 5 in G Minor
Rachmaninoff / Lucien Cailliet: Prelude Op. 32 No 5 in G Major
Debussy / Lucien Cailliet: Clair De Lune 
Mussorgsky / Lucien Cailliet: Pictures at an Exhibition
Bach/ Fabien Sevitzky: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Bach/ Rene Leibowitz: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Bach / Lucien Cailliet: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Bach / Leonidas Leonardi: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Bach/ Alois Melichar: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Bach/ Leopold Damrosch : Gavotte from Cello Suite No. 6
Bach/ Frederick Stock : Prelude and Fugue in Eb Major ("St. Anne"), BWV 552
Bach / Charles O'Connell: Chorale, "Herzliebster Jesu" from the St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Bach/ Lucien CAILLIET: Fugue in G Minor ("Little"), BWV 578
Bach/ Riccardo PICK-MANGIAGALLI: Preludio from Partita No. 3 in E Major for Unaccompanied Violin, BWV 1006

Bach/ Vittorio Gui: Chorale Prelude, "O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde gross," BWV 622
Bach/ Vittorio Gui: Chorale Prelude, "In dir ist Freude," BWV 615
Bach/ hans SCHMIDT-ISSERSTEDT: Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971
Bach/ Otto KLEMPERER: Chorale Prelude, "Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland," BWV 599
Bach/ Otto KLEMPERER: Trio Sonata in E flat major, BWV. 525
Bach/ Heinrich ESSER: Toccata in F Major, BWV 540
Brahms / Luciano Berio: Op. 120 No. 1 for Clarinet and Orchestra
Brahms/ Arnold Schoenberg: Piano Quartet in G minor, Op 25


Mussorgsky/ Walter Goehr: Pictures from Crimea
Mussorgsky/ Hans Kindler: A Tear-Drop ( Une Larme)
Debussy/ Percy Grainger: Pagodes (from Estampes)


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## Kuntster (Jun 8, 2009)

Rimsky-Korsakov, Ravel, and Respighi


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

How about Nelson Riddle? He's not classical, of course, but his work with Frank on Capitol is pretty astounding.


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

BuddhaBandit said:


> How about Nelson Riddle? He's not classical, of course, but his work with Frank on Capitol is pretty astounding.


No, this thread is about classical music arrangers, not jazz.


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

Mirror Image said:


> No, this thread is about classical music arrangers, not jazz.


Yes, MI, I can read. But I don't see any harm in mentioning an arranger that I particularly admire. And it seems to me that if this thread was devoted *exclusively* to classical music, the term "orchestrator" would have been used. But that's just my opinion.


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## Aggelos (May 29, 2009)

Kuntster said:


> Rimsky-Korsakov, Ravel, and Respighi


Bach/ Ottorino Respighi: Passacaglia and Fugue BWV 582 is stupendous! 
An orchestration that manages to balance grandeur and delicacy!....

Also great orchestrations:
Bach/ Edward Elgar: Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537
Bach/ Joachim Raff: Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Bach/ Arnold Schoenberg: Prelude and Fugue in E flat major 'St Anne', BWV 552
Bach/ Arthur Honnegger: Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 545
Bach/ Stanislaw Skrowaczewski: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Bach / Sir Henry Wood: Suite No. 6 for Full Orchestra
Bach / Sir Malcolm Sargent: Air on the G String
Bach/ Sir John Barbirolli: Sheep May Safely Graze
Bach/ Vittorio Gui: Ich ruf' zu, dir, Herr Jesu Christ
Bach/ Dimitri Mitropoulos: Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542
Grainger/ Peter Sculthorpe: Beautiful Fresh Flower
Saint-Saens/ Alexandre Luigini: Samson and Delilah - Grand Fantasy
Ravel/ Percy Grainger: Valley of the Bells (from Miroirs)


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## Mirror Image (Apr 20, 2009)

BuddhaBandit said:


> Yes, MI, I can read. But I don't see any harm in mentioning an arranger that I particularly admire. And it seems to me that if this thread was devoted *exclusively* to classical music, the term "orchestrator" would have been used. But that's just my opinion.


Yes, but this thread is under the "Classical Music Discussion" section of this forum.

Anyway, I made my point.


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## Yosser (May 29, 2009)

Lisztfreak said:


> I've only recently learned that Shostakovich made a re-orchestration of Schumann's Cello Concerto! A very interesting fact, I think. Would like to hear it.


You're right! Was news to me. D'you know why Shos committed this gross offense? Was he broke, and someone begged?


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

Andre said:


> I also forgot to mention *Mahler*'s arrangement of *Schubert*'s _String Quartet No. 14 'Death & the Maiden.'_ I think that Mahler also arranged some of Schumann's & von Weber's works.


I dont approve of straight forward string orchestra arrangements of string quartet literature - if you want to hear a work in a more epic and dramatic idiom you might aswell do a full orchestration and do a proper job of rearranging the voices to make an orchestration a work in its own right -

Mahlers arrangement of Death and the maiden gives a mushy and less intense version of the striking sound of the original quartet yet a full orchestation might bring new sounds to the work that doesnt detract from original. id be excitied to hear Death and the maiden in a dramatic contrasting orchestration - doing it justice


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Shchedrin for his reworking of Carmen, if that counts


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## Aggelos (May 29, 2009)

More fabulous orchestrations

Bach/ Fabien Sevitzky : Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
Bach/ Fabien Sevitzky : Christ, der du bist der helle Tag
Bach/ Fabien Sevitzky : Komm, süsser Tod
Bach/ Fabien Sevitzky : Fantasie und Fuge, BWV 542
Bach/ Fabien Sevitzky : Herzlich tut mich verlangen
Pogojeff-Sevitzky: Prelude
Kreisler Fritz/ Fabien Sevitzky: Präludium und Allegro
Handel/ Hans Kindler: Concerti grossi, op. 3. No. 5 
Frescobaldi/ Hans Kindler: Toccata
Liszt/ Hans Kindler: Hungarian Rhapsody No 6
Bach/ Rene Leibowitz: Passacaglia & Fugue BWV 582 
Lecuona/ Morton Gould : Andalucia
Dvorak/ Lucien Cailliet : Humoresque, Op. 101. No. 7
Schubert/ Lucien Cailliet : Moment musicaux. No. 3
Butexhude/ Leonidas Leonardi : Prelude BuxWV 142 In E minor
Bach/ Leonidas Leonardi: Präludium und Fuge, BWV 533
Bach/ Leonidas Leonardi: Overture from Cantata XXVI, Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig
Bach/ Leonidas Leonardi: Toccata & Fugue BWV 565
Scheidt Samuel/ Leonidas Leonardi : Cantiones sacrae. Vater unser im Himmelreich


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## Aggelos (May 29, 2009)

One more beauteous orchestration 

Sgambati / Fabien Sevitzky : Vecchio Minuetto


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## Aggelos (May 29, 2009)

I really liked these 2 orchestrations:

Ravel / Christopher Palmer : Five O'clock Fox-Trot
Ravel / Arthur Hoérée : Pièce en forme de Habañera


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## kg4fxg (May 24, 2009)

*The Little Match Girl Passion*

I am not really sure if this counts but I have really enjoyed "The Little Match Girl Passion" by David Lang.

David Lang

Born: 1957

"There is no name yet for this kind of music," writes Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed about the Pulitzer Prize winning American composer David Lang, but audiences around the globe are hearing more and more of his work: in performances by such organizations as the Santa Fe Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Kronos Quartet; at Tanglewood, the BBC Proms, The Munich Biennale, the Settembre Musica Festival, the Sidney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival and the Almeida, Holland, Berlin, Strasbourg and Huddersfield Festivals; in theater productions in New York, San Francisco and London; in the choreography of Twyla Tharp, La La La Human Steps, The Nederlands Dans Theater and the Royal Ballet; and at Lincoln Center, the South Bank Centre, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Barbican Centre, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Recent projects include The Little Match Girl Passion, commissioned by Carnegie Hall for Paul Hillier's vocal ensemble Theater of Voices and for which Lang was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

It is an amazing piece....

David Lang, a New York-based composer, has won the Pulitzer Prize for music with his piece, The Little Match Girl Passion, based on the children's story by Hans Christian Andersen.

Lang's music makes a big impact with small forces. The piece is scored for only four voices and a few percussion instruments, played by the singers. They sing the sad story of a little girl who freezes to death selling matches on the street during a cold winter's night.

In notes Lang wrote to accompany the Carnegie Hall premiere last October, he says he was drawn to Andersen's story because of how opposite aspects of the plot played off each other.

"The girl's bitter present is locked together with the sweetness of her past memories," Lang says. "Her poverty is always suffused with her hopefulness. There's a kind of naïve equilibrium between suffering and hope."

Lang was also intrigued by the religious allegory he saw beneath the surface of the story, and he found inspiration in the music of his favorite composer, J.S. Bach.

"Andersen tells this story as a kind of parable," Lang says, "drawing on a religious and moral equivalency between the suffering of the poor girl and the suffering of Jesus. I thought maybe I could take the story of Bach's St. Matthew Passion and take Jesus out, and plug this little girl's suffering in."


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