# Classical music-effectively arranged for unusual or atypical instruments



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I'm interested in this thread, in classical music that is typically played on the standard instruments of that genre, arranged for atypical or unusual instruments, in a manner you consider very effective and appealing to listen to.

An good example would be this slow and melodic Scarlatti sonata, k 208, with the melody played by the chromatic harmonica and the accompaniment played by the guitar.






And also for chromatic harmonica, a Mozart Oboe Quartet with the harmonica playing the melodic line.






So I guess that's the instrument I'll champion for this thread in the first post.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Debussy's Reverie sounds perfect on a Fender Rhodes


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

The toccata and fugue for flute.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

This is maybe more of a novelty, but on one of the more experimental new electronic keyboard type instruments, the Haken Continuum, this guy plays the melody of Eric Satie's Gnossiene no 3 with his left hand on the traditional keyboard:






Haken Continuums are designed so all possible microtones are available, hence "continuum."


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Oh cool, Bach on the Nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish "keyed fiddle"


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

And more Bach, on the EWI or EVI(Electronic Wind/Valve Instrument:


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

And this is actually historically correct in that people did play it this way , but we don't typically hear Beethoven on the clavichord these days. I think this is played very well and sounds lovely:






And taken even further by the same player, Chopin on the clavichord, sounds amazingly nice:


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

clavichorder said:


> This is maybe more of a novelty, but on one of the more experimental new electronic keyboard type instruments, the Haken Continuum, this guy plays the melody of Eric Satie's Gnossiene no 3 with his left hand on the traditional keyboard:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


haunting and eerie!

Stravinsky's Pastorale for a saw


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Ooh, Bach Cello Suit no 4 prelude for Concert Zither:






I really think this instrument is ingenious and potentially lovely, but the reason people don't play it so much is because it is so difficult to play virtuosically, requiring indoctrination from a very early age to be able to play to your satisfaction.

And it is here being used as continuo in Heinrich Schutz:


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Clavichorder is it possible to change the embedded videos in simple links? I have some troubles loading this page...


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

norman bates said:


> Clavichorder is it possible to change the embedded videos in simple links? I have some troubles loading this page...


I will edit to do that. I was worried about that, thanks for the feedback.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Bach Bouree in E minor on the Chapman stick, a finger tapping electric guitar type instrument, mellow sound:






And a Scarlatti sonata on that instrument as well:


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## stevens (Jun 23, 2014)

clavichorder said:


> Oh cool, Bach on the Nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish "keyed fiddle"


What?? Är du från Sverige? (are you from Sweden?)


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

stevens said:


> What?? Är du från Sverige? (are you from Sweden?)


No, sorry. I am just a relentless googler and youtuber. I am not knowledgeable about this instrument other than the few videos I've seen over the years.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

If we're talking about championing the Harmonica in classical music: I recommend the harmonica concertos of Villa-Lobos, Arnold and Spivakovsky! The Villa-Lobos one in particular is great.

There are also hundreds of electric guitar versions of classical works.. Most of them annoy me, but Vivaldi's simpler concertos occasionally yield some very interesting results. This Sonata is neat too:


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

There's a world of this is in brass music. Two interesting examples I recently came across: Mendelssohn Violin Concerto finale for Eb tenor horn and band and Bach Dm Toccata and Fugue for solo horn. Freakishly impressive and reasonably musically satisfying











Reduction is also awesome and, of course, presents very different challenges. You might wish to search out the Schoenberg/Berg/Webern reductions of Strauss waltzes for small groups - even rushing off stuff like that to make a crust, they're still consummate artists


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

study 3a of Conlon Nancarrow played with cello, bass, piano, percussions, electric guitar and clarinet.
It must be said that in this case the original instrument (the player piano) is more unusual than this chamber group.
Anyway it's very funny.


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2014)

I wish I knew more music for hardanger fiddle (...I only know Tveitt)

Perhaps there's some fun transcriptions?


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

Ah, another opportunity to push an ensemble I play in. Here's Handel's aria "Ah! Mio Cor!" from Alcina, arranged for theremin, strings, harps and vibraphone (I'm the vibist):


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## echo (Aug 15, 2014)

rrudolph said:


> Ah, another opportunity to push an ensemble I play in. Here's Handel's aria "Ah! Mio Cor!" from Alcina, arranged for theremin, strings, harps and vibraphone (I'm the vibist):


hey cool vibe dude - theremin guy looks kinda crazed though


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

And here is proof that you can play Bach on literally anything, and it still sounds good:


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

echo said:


> theremin guy looks kinda crazed though


Believe me, you have no idea...


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## psu (Sep 2, 2014)

Canon Rock.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

I would be interested in any other electric guitar recommendations. The Vivaldi trio sonata in D by NagualElias was wonderful.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I would simply offer the Mozart keyboard concertos played on a modern Steinway.

Completely foreign to Mozart's fortepiano-influenced ears.

Yet many people seem to like them performed that way, current poster excepted.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2014)

Well, I don't know how unusual it is, but I have a wonderful recording of Bach's Art of Fugue performed by a saxophone quartet.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2014)

Here is a great example - Mozart's "Die Hoelle Rache" aria from the Magic Flute sung by a cat being strangled.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Reverse transcription: Wagner supposedly claimed that Brahms shot cats with a crossbow given him by Dvorak, and then used the sounds they made as they died as material for his compositions. In fact Brahms never denied this...


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Sometimes it works, and sometimes it sputters. One must give each piece a dedicated listen.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

There are many of these on Pictures at an Exhibiton, for example:









Played on,
Maxim Tolstykh (balalaika) - a three stringed instrument with neck and triangular body.
Igor Ponomarenko (domra viola) - three stringed.
Artem Kuznetsov (bayan) - the accordion.
Stanislav Tishkevich (contrabass) - could be anything but sounds like stringed.

couple more:


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

a fragment from Schoenberg's Serenade played by the Four bags (accordion, clarinet, electric guitar and trombone)

http://thefourbags.bandcamp.com/track/lied-ohn-worte-from-the-serenade-op-24


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## Stavrogin (Apr 20, 2014)

echo said:


> hey cool vibe dude - theremin guy looks kinda crazed though


I guess you cannot play theremin if you're not a bit crazed, but that guy takes it to a different level ;D


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