# Requesting Orchestra Score to Piano Transposition



## 1701matteoyoon (Oct 24, 2018)

Hello,
I am a cellist currently playing a contemporary piece of music called the Ostinato Cello Concerto by Yasushi Akutagawa. Problem is that I don’t have a full orchestra to utilize, and I need a piano accompaniment. Furthermore, this piece is a very obscure piece and there IS no piano accompaniment version, only the full orchestra score.
Is there anyone who would be able to transcribe this for me? The orchestra score to a piano accompaniment.
As for cost of labor, I actually don’t know how much these things cost, so whatever works works.
Thanks,
Matt


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

First, you need copyright clearance to do this. They're going to charge you. Can we assume that if you're studying this music that you're at a serious music school somewhere? In that case, take the score to a piano instructor who heads up pianists who want to be accompanists. This person should have good score reading skills and be able to play an orchestral score on the piano. He/she will know how to write idiomatically for the keyboard. There are music services in places like New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere that do this - and it won't come cheap!


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

You face two challenges, Matt.

First, if the piece is copyrighted (and there's a decent chance it is and a 100% chance if it's published) you must first gain the permission in writing from the copyright owner (composer's estate, as I see he's dead, or if published, from the publisher). And when you request it; there's one of three possible replies (1) No (2) Yes (3) Yes, but only if you pay $$$$

Second, unless this is a very short piece duration-wise, the amount of work to reduce an orchestral score to piano will take a lot of time which means the transcriber will have to charge a decent amount. There's a ton of creative thinking that would be involved; it just can't be whipped off in a few hours.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

mbhaub said:


> In that case, take the score to a piano instructor who heads up pianists who want to be accompanists. This person should have good score reading skills and be able to play an orchestral score on the piano. He/she will know how to write idiomatically for the keyboard.


It's quite limited in the number of pianists who can do that, but certainly they exist. But it is far easier for those who can, to do so off a tonal score. If this concerto does not deal with key signatures, the task becomes much harder if the score is transposed.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

There is another route - enter the entire score into Finale. Yes, it's going to take a lot of time. But MakeMusic also has a wonderful companion tool called SmartMusic which can play a Finale score along with you.


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## 1701matteoyoon (Oct 24, 2018)

Hi, thanks,
I'm a student at the Juilliard Precollege, and I have already gone through the painstaking copyright whatever process... could you tell me the names of the establishment in New York?


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Maybe this company can or can not (they do lots of things), although they would know who if they can't

https://www.nycmusicservices.com


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

That particular score is a Zen-On and is handled by Hal Leonard. That's where I'd start.


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