37? . A / g / J

A t o , / £ 5 " ^

A C O M P A R A T I V E A N A L Y S I S O F S E L E C T E D KEYBOARD

C O M P O S I T I O N S O F C H O P I N , B R A H M S , AND F R A N C K

A S T R A N S C R I B E D FOR T H E M A R I M B A BY CLAIR

OMAR M U S S E R , E A R L H A T C H , AND FRANK

MAC C A L L U M T O G E T H E R WITH T H R E E

R E C I T A L S O F W O R K S BY B A R T O K ,

C R U M B , M I Y O S H I , K R A F T

AND O T H E R S

D I S S E R T A T I O N

P r e s e n t e d to the G r a d u a t e Counc i l of the

N o r t h T e x a s S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y in P a r t i a l

F u l f i l l m e n t of t h e R e q u i r e m e n t s

F o r the D e g r e e of

D o c t o r of M u s i c a l A r t s

R o b e r t E . H o u s t o n , B . A . , M . M

Den ton , T e x a s

D e c e m b e r , 1980

Houston, Rober t E . , J r . , A C o m p a r a t i v e A n a l y s i s of

S e l e c t e d Keyboard Compos i t i ons of Chopin , B r a h m s , and F r a n c k

a s T r a n s c r i b e d f o r the M a r i m b a by C l a i r O m a r M u s s e r , E a r l

Ha tch , and F r a n k Mac C a l l u m T o g e t h e r with T h r e e Rec i t a l s of

Works by B a r t o k , C r u m b , Miyosh i , Kra f t and O t h e r s . Doctor of

Mus ica l A r t s , D e c e m b e r , 1980, 53 p p . , 14 i l l u s t r a t i o n s , b i b l i -

o g r a p h y , 27 t i t l e s .

T h i s s tudy i s an examina t ion of E a r l Hatch and C l a i r

M u s s e r ' s t r a n s c r i p t i o n s f o r m a r i m b a of Chop in ' s Wa l t z , Opus 64

No. 1, M u s s e r ' s a r r a n g e m e n t of Chop in ' s M a z u r k a , Opus 17 No. 4 ,

H a t c h ' s se t t ing of B r a h m s ' Hungar ian Dance No. 5 , and F r a n k

Mac C a l l u m ' s t r e a t m e n t of F r a n c k ' s " C h o r a l e " f r o m the P r e l u d e ,

C h o r a l e and F u g u e .

Addi t iona l ly , the ro l e of the t r a n s c r i p t i o n dur ing the

Romant i c P e r i o d , the h i s t o r i c a l deve lopment of the m a r i m b a t r a n -

s c r i p t i o n , and p e r f o r m a n c e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s of the s p e c i f i c w o r k s

p r e s e n t e d a r e d i s c u s s e d .

S o m e of the m o s t s u c c e s s f u l m a r i m b a t r a n s c r i p t i o n s a r e

f o r the m a r i m b a o r m a l l e t e n s e m b l e . Today w r i t e r s a r e m o r e

jud ic ious in t h e i r cho ice of sub j ec t m a t t e r f o r e n s e m b l e t r a n s c r i p -

t ion , d rawing upon a v a r i e t y of m u s i c a l s t y l e s f r o m d i f f e r i ng

m u s i c a l p e r i o d s .

Solo t e chn iques , m a r i m b a e n s e m b l e s , and i n s t r u m e n t

cons t ruc t i on have al l s e e n ex t ens ive r ev i t a l i za t ion throughout the

l a s t twenty y e a r s . P e r h a p s if the so lo t r a n s c r i p t i o n w e r e to be

r e v i t a l i z e d , m o r e s ign i f i can t con t r ibu t ions to the m a r i m b a r e p e r -

t o i r e would be m a d e .

T h e t r a n s c r i p t i o n ha s con t r ibu ted a popula r body of l i t e r a -

t u r e to the m a r i m b a . Howeve r , it m u s t cont inue to r e f l e c t the

g rowth , deve lopmen t , and m a t u r i t y of th is i n s t r u m e n t if it i s to

r e m a i n a s ign i f i can t p a r t of the m a r i m b a r e p e r t o i r e .

T a p e r e c o r d i n g s of al l p e r f o r m a n c e s submi t t ed a s the

d i s s e r t a t i o n a r e on depos i t a t the North T e x a s S t a t e Un ive r s i t y

L i b r a r y .

T a p e r e c o r d i n g s of a l l p e r f o r m a n c e s s u b m i t t e d a s d i s s e r t a t i o n

r e q u i r e m e n t s a r e on d e p o s i t in t h e N o r t h T e x a s S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

L i b r a r y .

i n

C O N T E N T S

P a g e

T A B L E O F E X A M P L E S ix

C h a p t e r

I. INTRODUCTION 1

I I . H I S T O R I C A L O V E R V I E W 2

T h e R o m a n t i c T r a n s c r i p t i o n M a r i m b a T r a n s c r i p t i o n s — H i s t o r i c a l D e v e l o p -

m e n t

III . A N A L Y S I S O F S E L E C T E D KEYBOARD W O R K S O F C H O P I N , B R A H M S , AND F R A N C K . . . . 15

W a l t z , Opus 6 4 No . 1, Chop in M a z u r k a , Opus 17 N o . 4 , Chop in H u n g a r i a n D a n c e No . 5 , B r a h m s " C h o r a l e " f r o m P r e l u d e , C h o r a l e and F u g u e ,

F r a n c k

IV . P E R F O R M A N C E C O N S I D E R A T I O N S 37

V . C O N C L U S I O N S 46

B I B L I O G R A P H Y 49

I V

North Texas State University School of Music

presents

ROBERT E. HOUSTON

in a

Graduate Percussion Recital assisted by

Carol Houston, piano Cwen Bauschka, piano John Rice, percussion

Monday, March 7,1977 5:00 p.m. Music Recital Hall

Program

Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) 1974 George Crumb Nocturnal Sounds (The Awakening) Wanderer - Fantasy Advent

"Hymn for the Nativity of the Star Child" Myth Music of the Starry Night

"Five Fold Galactic Bells" "Song of Reconciliation"

Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (1942) Bela Bartok Assai Lento, Allegro Molto Lento, ma non troppo Allegro non troppo

Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts

NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY PRINTING OFFICE. DENTON, TEXAS

V

North Texas State University School of Music '

presents

ROBERT E. HOUSTON

ma

Graduate Percussion Recital

Monday, August 8,1977 8:15 p.m. Music Recital Hall

Program Sonata No. 1 in C Minor

Adagio Fuga Siciliano Presto

Four Pieces for Timpani (1966) Improvisation Saeta Canto March

Three Pieces for Marimba (1976)

English Suite (1973) Prelude Allemande Courant Sarabande Bourse I Bourse II Gigue

J.S. Bach

Elliott Carter

Murray Houliff

William Kraft

V I

North Texas State University School of Music

presents

Bob Houston, percussion DMA Recital

assisted by

Carol Houston, piano Conrad Bauschka, trumpet Dr. James Deaton, clarinet

Dr. Neill Humfeld, trombone

Monday, April 7,1980

Jose Gonzales

Newel l Kay Brown

Akira Miyoshi

Karl Kroeger

5:00 p.m. Recital Hall

Mutables (1975) Sonorities Accents Resonances Pizzicati

Anagrams (1977) Invention Etchings Circles March

Conversation Suite for Mar imba (1978) Tender Talk So Nice it Was ... Repeatedly Lingering Chagrin Again the Hazy Answer A Lame Excuse

Toccata for Clarinet, Trombone, and Percussion (1969)

This program is presented in partial fulfillment for the requirements of Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

V l l

North Texas State University School of Music

presents

Bob Houston, percussion

DMA Lecture Recital

A comparative analysis of selected keyboard compositions of Chopin, Brahms and Franck as

transcribed for the marimba by Clair Omar Musser, Earl Hatch and Frank MacCallum

assisted by

Carol Houston, piano Jon Wacker, marimba

Genaro Gonzales, bass marimba

Monday, July 7,1980 6:30 p.m. Recital Hall

Frederick Chopin/Hatch Valse, Op. 64 No. 1

Frederick Chopin/Musser Mazurka, Op. 17 No. 4

Johannes Brahms/Hatch Hungarian Dance No. 5

Cesar Franck/MacCallum Chorale from Prelude, Chorale and Fugue

This program is presented in partial fulfillment for the requirements of Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

v m

T A B L E OF E X A M P L E S m

E x a m p l e P a g e

1. F r e d e r i c k Chop in , Opus 64 No. 1, m . 1 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . , (b) M u s s e r and (c ) Hatch t r a n s ' 16

2 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 64 No. 1, m . 10 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and the (b) M u s s e r t r a n s . . 17

3 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 64 No. 1, m m . 37 to 40 of the ( a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and the (b) M u s s e r t r a n s 19

4 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 64 No. 1, m m . 54 to 57 of the ( a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and the (b) M u s s e r t r a n s 20

5 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 64 No. 1, m m . 120 to 125 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . , the (b) M u s s e r and the two ( c ) , (d) Hatch t r a n s 21

6 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 14 to 17 of the piano p a r t of the M u s s e r t r a n s 23

7 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 43 to 44 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . , and (b) M u s s e r t r a n s 24

8 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 17 No. 4 , m . 47 of the M u s s e r t r a n s 24

9 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 117 to 120 of the ( a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and the (b) M u s s e r t r a n s 26

10. F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 129 to 132 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and (b) m m . 129 to 133 of the M u s s e r t r a n s 27

ix

Example Page

11. Johannes Brahms, Hungarian Dance No. 5 , m m . 69 to 72 of the (a) co l lected works and (b) Hatch trans 30

12. Johannes Brahms , Hungarian Dance No. 5 , m m . 109 to 110 of the (a) col lected works and 125 to 126 of the (b) Hatch trans 31

13. Cesar Franck, Pre lude , Chorale and Fugue, "Chorale," m m . 21 to 23 of the (a) origiraal piano part and (b) Mac Callum trans 34

• 14. C e s a r Franck, Pre lude , Chorale and Fugue,

"Chorale," m m . 44 to 45 of the (a) original piano part and (b) Mac Callum trans . . 36

x

C h a p t e r I

INTRODUCTION

T h e m a r i m b a t r a n s c r i p t i o n s of C l a i r O m a r M u s s e r , E a r l

Ha tch , and F r a n k Mac Ca l lum provide an impor t an t addit ion to

m a r i m b a l i t e r a t u r e . S o u r c e s of s o m e of t h e i r m o r e s u c c e s s f u l

t r a n s c r i p t i o n s a r e of piano w o r k s of F r e d e r i c k Chopin , J o h a n n e s

B r a h m s , and C e s a r F r a n c k . T h e p u r p o s e of t h i s s tudy i s to

e x a m i n e and c o m p a r e H a t c h ' s and M u s s e r ' s t r a n s c r i p t i o n s of

Chop in ' s Wa l t z , Opus 64 No. 1, M u s s e r ' s a r r a n g e m e n t of Chop in ' s

M a z u r k a , Opus 17 No. 4 , H a t c h ' s s e t t i ng of B r a h m s ' Hungar ian

Dance No. 5 , and Mac C a l l u m ' s t r e a t m e n t of F r a n c k ' s " C h o r a l e "

f r o m the P r e l u d e , C h o r a l e and F u g u e .

Addi t iona l ly , the ro l e of the t r a n s c r i p t i o n dur ing the

Romant ic P e r i o d , the h i s t o r i c a l deve lopment of the m a r i m b a t r a n -

s c r i p t i o n , and p e r f o r m a n c e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s of the s p e c i f i c w o r k s

p r e s e n t e d a r e d i s c u s s e d .

Chapter II

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

The most extens ive practice of transcribing occurred

throughout the nineteenth century. One of the most common tran-

scription procedures was to alternate the so lo part in a duo from

one instrument to another. S o m e t i m e s s ing le movement works

would evolve as portions of larger f o r m s . Transcr ipt ions of whole

sonata movements provided yet another s o u r c e , and arrangements

•f

were a l so made to revive interest in works of the past . Personal

interpretation of musical f o r m s was encouraged, and consequently

all types of mus ic became subject to arrangement . For example ,

smal l character p ieces for piano were often scored for symphony

orches tra and vocal ensembles were arranged f o r bizarre combina-

tions of instruments . L i sz t , perhaps the most competent ins tru-

mental arranger of the century, was so confident of h i s piano

transcription technique that he "boasted he could make the piano

reproduce any ef fect whatsoever . " Mendelssohn countered with

"Let me hear the f i r s t m e a s u r e s of Mozart's G minor Symphony,

with the broken triads in the v i o l a s , played on the piano s o that they

1. William S . Newman, The Sonata S ince Beethoven (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina P r e s s , 1969), 102.

will sound a s they do in the o r c h e s t r a , and I will be l ieve in your

p

bus iness of transcr ipt ion ."

Because the scope of the transcription in the Romantic

Period is s o Vast, it will s e r v e to res tr ic t the present d iscuss ion to

those examples which have a c l o s e connection to the c o m p o s e r s

whose works will be observed later in this presentation.

One of the best known works from the romantic repertoire i s

Chopin's Marche funebre, which was composed in 1837 and included

in 1839 a s the third movement of the B- f la t Sonata, Opus 3 5 . Th i s

piece appeared subsequently a s an arrangement for the following

instruments: piano and organ, harmonium, z i ther , mandolin, two

pianos , harmonium and v io l in , c e l l o , mandolin and piano, f lute and

piano, cornet and piano, and additional combinations up to the full Q

orches t ra . Thankfully, to date this work appears to have been

spared arrangement for marimba! Financial considerat ions often

surpassed esthet ic va lues a s motivation, as the aforementioned

combinations c lear ly e s tab l i sh .

Duets proved to be one of the most popular and s imple s t

methods of transcript ion. For example , in Franck's Sonata for

2 . Frederick Dorian, The History of Music in Performance (New York: Norton, 1941), 265 .

3 . Newman, The Sonata S ince Beethoven, 81 .

Violin and Piano, range ad jus tments were the only a l t e ra t ions made

to conver t the violin pa r t f o r ce l lo . T h i s piece has a lso been t r a n -

sc r ibed f o r wind combinations such a s al to saxophone and piano, and

f lute and piano. B r a h m s , in his two Sonatas f o r Cla r ine t and Piano,

Opus 120, a l te red deta i l s of s l u r r i n g and r e s t s to accommodate

idiomatic cons idera t ions when he t r ansc r ibed viola p a r t s f r o m the

c la r ine t p a r t s . 4 B r a h m s ' Sonata in f , Opus 34b, f o r two pianos,was

eventually incorporated into h is Piano Quintet in f , Opus 34 .

Even the m a s t e r w o r k s of previous mus ic per iods became

"romant ic ized" by the n ine teenth-century c o m p o s e r s . T h e s e include

Schumann ' s piano accompaniments to al l s ix unaccompanied violin

pa r t i t a s and sona tas by Bach, Gr ieg ' s four vo lumes of second piano

p a r t s to accompany Moza r t ' s piano s o n a t a s , 5 and the f inale f r o m

Beethoven's Sonata in a . Opus 23, f o r piano and viol in , a s a wind

quar te t t r ansc r ibed by Edward E l g a r . 6

The t ranscr ip t ion p r o c e s s continued into the e a r l y twentieth

century in much the s a m e manner a s had exis ted throughout the

4 . Newman, The Sonata Since Beethoven, 102.

5 . T h e s e and many of the Chopin Marche funebre t r ansc r ip t ions a r e included in Franz P a z d i r e k ' s Universal-Handbuch d e r Musik l i t -e r a t u r a l l e r Zeiten and Volke r , 34 v o l s . (Vienna: P a z d i r e k , 1904-10). A repr in t of the se t is avai lable by Fr i t z Knuf ( H i l v e r s u m , Hol land, 1967).

6 . P e r c y M. Young, E l g a r , P . M . : A Study of a Musician (London: Col l ins , 1955), 402-403.

Romantic Per iod, however the emotional impulses which prompted

many nineteenth-century arrangements gave way to more es thet ic

cons iderat ions . The transcript ions of Bach's organ works by Busoni

i l lustrate the high state to which the art had developed. "That

Bach's chorale preludes now rece ive s o much attention from our

p ianis t - transcr ibers i s a s ignif icant s ign of the t i m e s , for the motive

to arrangement here can s c a r c e l y be other than a musical one .

It is heartening to s e e that scholarship and sens i t iv i ty to the c o m -

p o s e r s ' original intentions has replaced the egot i sm which pervaded

many of the nineteenth-century transcr ipt ions . The marimba tran-

scription has helped f i l l a void for worthwhile musical material;

a s interest in keyboard percuss ion continues , the quality of

editing must keep pace with the high performance standards .

The marimba transcription is but a fledgling in comparison

to transcript ions available for most other orchestra l instruments .

Under European influences for only s ixty or seventy y e a r s , it i s

surpris ing that the marimba, which has been part of soc ia l cul tures

s ince recorded history, has s een its greatest development in l e s s

than one hundred y e a r s . Performance techniques at the turn of the

twentieth century were comparatively rudimentary, and the available

7 . Leonard Borwick, "Arrangement, " Grove's Dictionary of Music and Music ians , 5th e d . , 10 v o l s . , ed . by Er ic Blom (London: Macmil lan, 1954-61) , I, 226 -228 .

l i t e r a t u r e r e f l e c t s t h i s m e t a m o r p h o s i s . T h e m a r i m b a f r o m 1910

to 1930 was c o n s i d e r e d a novel ty i n s t r u m e n t by m a n y , and the r e p e r -

t o i r e f o r it cons i s t ed l a r g e l y of s h o r t e n c o r e - l i k e p i e c e s which w e r e

usua l ly in f a s t t e m p i , des igned to d e m o n s t r a t e the p e r f o r m e r ' s

p r o w e s s with two m a l l e t s . T h e r e p e r t o i r e w a s drawn f r o m the p o p -

u l a r v i r t u o s i c p i e c e s which w e r e ava i l ab le f o r m o s t o r c h e s t r a l

i n s t r u m e n t s in the la te n ineteenth cen tu ry : C a r n i v a l of V e n i c e ,

Fl ight of the B u m b l e b e e , C z a r d a s , Hora S t a c c a t o , to ment ion a f e w .

B e c a u s e of a r t i s t s such a s T h o m a s M i l l s , George Hamil ton G r e e n ,

and A b r a h a m H i l d e b r a n d , 8 the popu la r i ty of the i n s t r u m e n t g r e w ,

c r ea t i ng a need f o r m o r e subs t an t ive l i t e r a t u r e . F r o m 1930 to 1945

a c o n s i d e r a b l e n u m b e r of t r a n s c r i p t i o n s w e r e m a d e ava i l ab le by

such t r a n s c r i b e r s a s A r t J o l l e f f , M . E d w a r d s , and J . B . Quick .

At the f o r e f r o n t of th i s deve lopment was C l a i r O m a r M u s s e r .

T o d a y the m a r i m b a i s e s t a b l i s h e d a s a c o n c e r t i n s t r u m e n t

capab le of provid ing m a t u r e m u s i c a l e x p r e s s i o n , and p e r c u s s i o n p r o -

g r a m s in u n i v e r s i t i e s have helped to p r o m o t e g r e a t e r v a r i e t y in

m u s i c a l s c o r e s . W h e r e a s t h i r t y y e a r s ago the l i t e r a t u r e e m a n a t e d

p r i m a r i l y f r o m one h i s t o r i c a l p e r i o d , t r a n s c r i b e r s a r e now b e g i n -

ning to d r a w f r o m al l p e r i o d s of m u s i c f o r l i t e r a t u r e .

8 . M a r j H o l m g r e n , " C l a i r O m a r M u s s e r and the M a r i m b a S y m -phony O r c h e s t r a , " P e r c u s s i v e No te s , XVI ( S p r i n g - S u m m e r , 1978), 2 0 .

7

Surpr is ing ly , f rom all of the marimba s o l o s and e n s e m b l e s

that have been transcribed to date, there are virtual ly no tran-

scr ipt ions available of composit ions written prior to 1550. The

only so lo p i eces l isted in the So lo and Ensemble Literature for

Percuss ion^ i s Adoramus T e by Pales tr ina , transcribed by J a m e s

Dutton. This work actually is derived from a motet by Francesco

10

Rose l l i , but i s widely believed to have been original ly

Pa le s tr ina ' s . The only other works which appear to be available

are contained in The So lo Marimbist , a two-volume col lect ion of

short study p ieces compiled by Linda Lorren Pimentel and J a m e s

L. Moore . ^ In this source are included an es tampie from the

thirteenth century and "Mit Ganczem Willen" from Pauman's

Fundamentum Qrganisandi, 1.452. Gordon P e t e r s has i ssued a s ix

piece mallet ensemble based on an arrangement by John Boyd of

Lassus ' Matona, Mia Cara . Th i s work dates from 1581 and was

contained a s part of a col lect ion of v i l l ane l l e , m o r e s c h e , and

9 . F . Michael Combs , e d . , Solo and Ensemble Literature for Percuss ion (Knoxvil le , Tennes see : P e r c u s s i v e Arts Soc i e ty , 1978).

10. Gustave R e e s e , Music in the Renaissance , rev . ed . (New York: Norton, 1959), 469 .

11. Linda Lorren Pimentel and J a m e s L. Moore , The So lo Marimbist , 2 v o l s . (Columbus, Ohio: P e r m u s Publications, 1976).

1 p

a l t r e c a n z o n t .

M a r i m b a t r a n s c r i p t i o n s f r o m the Baroque c o m p o s e r s a r e

p lent i fu l and r e f l e c t d i v e r s e m u s i c a l s t y l e s . T h e kinet ic r h y t h m s ,

indica t ive of the B a r o q u e s t y l e , a r e id iomat i ca l ly wel l su i t ed to

the tonal c h a r a c t e r of the m a r i m b a . T h e con t rapun ta l c h o r a l e s

make exce l l en t educa t iona l s t u d i e s f o r m a l l e t e n s e m b l e s , p rovid ing

good m u s i c while a t the s a m e t i m e s t imu la t ing techn ica l p r o f i c i e n c y .

T h e m o s t t r a n s c r i b e d c o m p o s e r is J . S . B a c h . S o m e of the m o s t

p r o l i f i c m a r i m b a t r a n s c r i b e r s of B a c h ' s m u s i c include E a r l Ha tch ,

F r a n k Mac C a l l u m , David Vincen t , J a m e s M o o r e , and Ron F ink .

The t r a n s c r i p t i o n s tend to a d h e r e c lo se ly to the o r ig ina l s c o r e s ,

making changes only in r e g i s t r a t i o n in o r d e r to a c c o m m o d a t e p r o p e r

r a n g e s . Much of B a c h ' s m u s i c i s p layable without making a l t e r a -

t i o n s . T h e unaccompanied viol in s o n a t a s and p a r t i t a s need v i r t u a l l y

no a l t e r a t i o n , a s s u m i n g the technica l and m u s i c a l f ac i l i t y of the

p e r f o r m e r i s c o n s i d e r a b l e .

O t h e r Baroque c o m p o s e r s whose w o r k s have been t r a n s c r i b e d

f o r m a r i m b a s o l o s and e n s e m b l e s include Buxtehude , S c h u t z ,

Hande l , R a m e a u , T e l e m a n n , C o r e l l i , and P a c h e l b e l . It should be

noted that the m a j o r i t y of the so lo t r a n s c r i p t i o n s a r e devoid of

12. Or lando di L a s s u s , L ib ro de v i l l a n e l l e , m o r e s c h e , et a l t r e c anzon i , a 4 / 5 / 6 / e t 8 voci ( P a r i s : Adr i an le Roy and Rober t B a l l a r d , 1581).

a c c o m p a n i m e n t , which s u g g e s t s to s o m e d e g r e e the r e l u c t a n c e on

the p a r t of the t r a n s c r i b e r to tackle the p r o b l e m of f i gu red b a s s .

The m o s t popula r m e d i u m s f o r the e n s e m b l e t r a n s c r i p t i o n s a r e

t h r e e and f o u r vo ice fugal w o r k s and f o u r vo ice c h o r a l e s .

M a r i m b a t r a n s c r i p t i o n s f r o m c o m p o s e r s of the C l a s s i c a l

P e r i o d a r e f ew when c o m p a r e d to t r a n s c r i p t i o n s of Baroque w o r k s .

T h e tendency has been to r e p r o d u c e popula r e x c e r p t s f r o m the w o r k s

of M o z a r t and Haydn, and many of t h e s e s e t t i n g s fa l l into a c a t e g o r y

of e l e m e n t a r y teaching p i e c e s . Two chal lenging w o r k s a r e the

Mac Ca l lum t r a n s c r i p t i o n s f o r m a r i m b a and piano of M o z a r t ' s

o v e r t u r e s to T h e M a r r i a g e of F i g a r o and The Magic F l u t e .

M a r i m b i s t s f r e q u e n t l y consu l t p e r f o r m i n g ed i t ions of the

c l a s s i c c o m p o s e r s and p r e p a r e t r a n s c r i p t i o n s of w o r k s o r i g i n a l l y

wr i t t en f o r viol in o r f lu te o r o b o e . A va luab le addi t ion to the l i t e r a -

t u r e ha s r e c e n t l y been m a d e by Karen E r w i n , a c o n c e r t p e r c u s -

s i o n i s t , who has t r a n s c r i b e d t h r e e s o n a t a s by Domenico S c a r l a t t i :

A l l eg ro Mode ra to ( Longo 404) , Minuet (Longo 82) , and Al l eg ro

(Longo 428) . Each of t hese t r a n s c r i p t i o n s i n c o r p o r a t e s r e c e n t

t echnica l deve lopmen t s and p rov ides the m a t u r e p e r f o r m e r a w o r t h -

1 S while m u s i c a l e x p e r i e n c e .

13. Domenico S c a r l a t t i , T h r e e S c a r l a t t i S o n a t a s , e d . by Karen E r w i n ( N o r t h r i d g e , C a l i f o r n i a : S tud io F o u r P r o d u c t i o n s , 1978).

10

Literature for the mallet ensemble is more plentiful than

so lo l i terature . S o m e of the best c l a s s i c transcriptions include the

Overture to Iphegenia in Aulis by Gluck, transcribed by Ron Fink,

the Symphony No. 40: Minuet and Tr io of Mozart , transcribed by

David Vincent, and the Haydn Trio Sonata No. 1, arranged by J a m e s

Moore . Most of the Fink transcript ions cal l for four p e r f o r m e r s ,

each requiring a standard foui—octave instrument. The Vincent

arrangements , however, are usually written for seven p e r f o r m e r s

using be l l s , xylophone, four standard four-octave mar imbas , and

string b a s s . The Mozart-Moore trio requires three mar imbas .

Most of the repertoire of the marimba so lo and ensemble

transcript ions was se lec ted from the mus ic of the nineteenth c e n -

tury. The preponderance of this l i terature i s based on w e l l - r e c o g -

nized melodies from operatic over tures , a r i a s , piano sonatas and

descript ive character p i e c e s for piano. S o m e of the more s u c c e s s -

ful transcriptions have been prepared from composit ions of

Beethoven, Weber, Schubert , Chopin, Brahms, S a i n t - S a e n s ,

Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky.

There appears to be a consistency in approach common to

the majority of these transcript ions . Typical ly the subject matter

has been drawn from piano l i terature which maintains melodic

interest in the right hand. These melodic l ines are lifted a lmost

verbatim from the original s c o r e s , and piano accompaniments (if

11

written at a l l ) are s impl i f ied arrangements of the original mater ia l .

The standard procedure s e e m s to have been doubling the bass notes

in oc taves for the left hand while the right hand fu l f i l l s the harmonic

respons ib i l i t i e s . In most of these transcript ions the marimba parts

were intended for two mal l e t s . Many of the transcript ions of Earl

Hatch and J o s e Bethancourt, however , require three and four

ma l l e t s . Leigh Howard Stevens ' recent transcription of eight s e l e c -

tions from Tchaikovsky's Album for the Young, Opus 3 9 , 1 4 i s a

we lcome addition to four mallet reperto ire . An edition of s o m e of

Schumann's piano works i s underway by S t e v e n s , and these two

col lect ions will no doubt st imulate further act iv i ty .

If one were to s e l e c t a group of p i e c e s which c l ear ly i l l u s -

trate the best in traditional marimba transcr ipt ions , perhaps

M u s s e r ' s Masterworks for the M a r i m b a ^ would be the most s u i t -

able cho ice . In 1940 Musser i ssued this col lect ion of Chopin's

Nocturnes , Etudes , V a l s e s , Mazurkas , and Fantas ias , thereby

upgrading the lamentable quality of marimba m u s i c . Although his

choice of p ieces was based on popularity, the col lect ion offered

14. P e t e r Ilyich Tschaikovsky , Se lec t ions from Album for the Young, ed . by Leigh Howard Stevens (Northridge, California: Studio Four Productions, 1979).

15. Frederick Chopin, Masterworks for the Marimba, ed . by Clair Omar Musser (Chicago, Illinois: Fors ter Music Pub-l i s h e r s , 1940).

12

c o n s i d e r a b l e m u s i c a l and t echn ica l c h a l l e n g e s .

As in the R e n a i s s a n c e , voca l f o r m s once again in the

Romant ic P e r i o d b e c a m e s u b j e c t s f o r t r a n s c r i p t i o n . F r a n k

Mac C a l l u m ' s penchant was f o r m a r i m b a a r r a n g e m e n t s c e n t e r e d on

l y r i c a l a r i a s f r o m o p e r a s of Be l l in i , Donize t t i , and Del ibes .^®

Mac C a l l u m ' s t r a n s c r i p t i o n s m o r e cons i s t en t l y r e f l e c t the o r ig ina l

me lod ic m a t e r i a l than M u s s e r ' s .

P e r h a p s the m o s t p r o l i f i c con t r i bu to r of Romant i c t r a n -

s c r i p t i o n s has been E a r l Ha tch . His ca ta logue con ta ins o v e r f i f t y

t i t l e s f o r m a r i m b a so lo and e n s e m b l e f r o m the Romant i c P e r i o d .

T h e s e e x a m p l e s fu l f i l l the need f o r t r a in ing p i e c e s f o r the young

ma l l e t p e r f o r m e r a s well a s p rov ide a s o u r c e of chal lenging r e p e r -

t o i r e f o r the m o r e advanced s t u d e n t . T h e p r i m a r y e m p h a s i s in the

Hatch t r a n s c r i p t i o n s is the m a r i m b a , w h e r e a s in the Mac Ca l lum

and M u s s e r a r r a n g e m e n t s , a m o r e equal ba l ance e x i s t s between

piano and m a r i m b a . Many of the Hatch t r a n s c r i p t i o n s have no piano

a c c o m p a n i m e n t s , and in those that do , the piano of ten p r o v i d e s l i t t l e

m o r e than a r u d i m e n t a r y h a r m o n i c background .

Although the amoun t of publ ished t r a n s c r i p t i o n s f o r m a r i m b a

e n s e m b l e f r o m the Romant i c P e r i o d does not begin to app roach the

16. Bel l ini a p p e a r s to have been Mac C a l l u m ' s f a v o r i t e , f o r he t r a n s c r i b e d a r i a s f r o m N o r m a , I P u r i t a n i di S c o z i a , and La S o n n a m b u l a . He a l s o made a r r a n g e m e n t s of a r i a s f r o m De l ibes ' Lakme ' and Donize t t i ' s Luc ia di L a m m e r m o o r .

13

n u m b e r of ava i l ab l e sol© a r r a n g e m e n t s , t h e r e a r e s e v e r a l w o r k s

wor thy of s t u d y . S o m e of t h e s e include T c h a i k o v s k y ' s " S c h e r z o "

f r o m Symphony No. 4 , a r r a n g e d f o r s even p e r f o r m e r s by Gordon

P e t e r s , t he " I n t e r m e z z o " f r o m C a v a l l e r i a Rus t i cana by M a s c a g n i ,

a r r a n g e d by David Vincent f o r s e v e n , and J a m e s M o o r e ' s t r a n s c r i p -

t ion of H u m p e r d i n c k ' s "Evening P r a y e r " f r o m Hansel and G r e t e l ,

f o r m a r i m b a q u a r t e t .

As ide f r o m one o r two e x a m p l e s , m u s i c f r o m the twent ie th

c e n t u r y h a s yet to be a popu la r s o u r c e f o r m a r i m b a so lo and

e n s e m b l e t r a n s c r i p t i o n . T h e two m o s t in tense a r e a s of i n t e r e s t

cont inue to be o r i g ina l c o m p o s i t i o n s and t r a n s c r i p t i o n s f r o m p r e -

v ious m u s i c a l p e r i o d s . T h e only c o m p o s e r f r o m t h i s c e n t u r y

s ign i f i can t ly r e p r e s e n t e d in t r a n s c r i p t i o n s is D e b u s s y . T o date

t h e r e a r e e n s e m b l e s of Gol l iwog 's Cakewalk by Vincen t , R e v e r i e ,

a r r a n g e d by Sch ins t e in , and so lo a r r a n g e m e n t s of La f i l l e aux

cheveux de I in , C l a i r de lune , and Dancing Faune by Ha tch , M . E .

P e t e r s o n , and J a m e s Dut ton, r e s p e c t i v e l y .

E a r l Ha tch , F r a n k Mac C a l l u m , and C l a i r M u s s e r each have

provided input to the deve lopment of the m a r i m b a . Each has

viewed the i n s t r u m e n t f r o m d i f f e r e n t van tage po in t s , yet they s h a r e

c o m m o n bonds . T h e s e t h r e e a r e p e r h a p s the cu lmina t ion of the

f i r s t gene ra t i on of A m e r i c a n m a r i m b a c o m p o s e r s and p e r f o r m e r s .

14

Having written and performed over the last forty or more y e a r s ,

they have consc ious ly and unconsciously had great bearing on the

physical development of the marimba, the available l i terature , and

performance techniques . It i s for this reason that it i s appropriate

to investigate the marimba transcription viewed through se lec ted

examples by these contributors.

15

C h a p t e r III

ANALYSIS OF S E L E C T E D KEYBOARD WORKS OF

CHOPIN, BRAHMS, AND FRANCK

T h e Waltz in D- f l a t M a j o r is the f i r s t of t h r e e w a l t z e s that

c o m p r i s e Opus 6 4 , by Chopin (1846-1847) . "Nicknamed the 'Minute

Wal tz ' due no doubt , to the ch i ld i sh ambi t ion of s o m e piano g y m -

17

n a s t , " the work has been t r a n s c r i b e d f o r the m a r i m b a both by

C l a i r M u s s e r and by E a r l Ha tch . T h e M u s s e r a r r a n g e m e n t w a s

comple ted in 1940 f o r m a r i m b a and p iano . E a r l Hatch i s sued two

v e r s i o n s of the work in 1955, one f o r so lo m a r i m b a and piano and

the o t h e r f o r m a r i m b a t r i o . In making c o m p a r i s o n s of t h e s e t r a n -

s c r i p t i o n s the f i r s t point of d e p a r t u r e w a s to consu l t the P a d e r e w s k i

edi t ion of Chop in ' s Col lec ted W o r k s . T h i s edi t ion v a r i e s only 19

s l igh t ly f r o m the o r i g ina l F r e n c h and G e r m a n pub l i ca t ions , and al l

17. Pau l H a m b u r g e r , " M a z u r k a s , Wal t zes and P o l o n a i s e s , " T h e Chopin Compan ion , e d . by Alan Walke r (New York: Nor ton , 1966), 94 .

18. F r e d e r i c k Chop in , " W a l t z e s , " Chop in ' s S e l e c t e d W o r k s , 10th e d . , V o l . IX, e d . by I . J . P a d e r e w s k i , L . B r o n a r s k i , J . T u r c z y n s k i ( W a r s a w , Poland: F r e d e r i c k Chopin Ins t i t u t e , 1971), 4 7 .

19. S e e the o r ig ina l F r e n c h edi t ion f r o m B r a n d i s , P a r i s No. 4 7 4 3 - 1 , and the G e r m a n publ icat ion f r o m Brei tkopf and H a r t e l , Le ipz ig , No. 9619 .

16

d i s c r e p a n c i e s a r e included within the c r i t i c a l c o m m e n t a r y t e r m i n a t -

ing the v o l u m e .

T h e m o s t obvious a l t e r a t i o n is the key t r a n s p o s i t i o n f r o m

D-f l a t m a j o r to D m a j o r . One can only s p e c u l a t e that the t r a n s p o s i -

t ion w a s made in o r d e r to e f f e c t a m o r e id iomat ic a r r a n g e m e n t . T h e

me lod ic l ine a d h e r e s l e s s c lo se ly to the o r ig ina l than the Hatch

v e r s i o n . F o r e x a m p l e , in the f i r s t note of each s o u r c e , the a r t i c u -

lat ion is d i f f e r e n t ( E x a m p l e 1).

E x a m p l e 1. F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 64 No. 1, m . 1 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . , (b) M u s s e r and (c ) Hatch t r a n s .

i / I U K A r rrri inn

, A <-•

>

i n

fa H q • { 1 > J - -

f t

I

k i

\ I

fa H q • { 1 > J - -

f t

T h e notated t r i l l in P a d e r e w s k i ' s edi t ion a p p e a r s to have

been added l a t e r . In the copy of M a d a m e Dubois , Chop in ' s pupi l ,

a t r i l l s ign i s added in penci l with an i n s c r i p t i o n , " f o r f o u r

17

PO

m e a s u r e s . " Musser s imply places an accent , expecting the

tempo to be establ ished with the f i r s t beat . Hatch al lows for wider

interpretation by the inclusion of a f ermata . The next variance

appears in m . 10 (Example 2) .

Example 2 . Frederick Chopin, Opus 64 No. 1, m . 10 of the (a) Paderewski ed. and the (b) M u s s e r trans .

y

21

Here , M u s s e r not only changes the mordent to a grace note, but

he adds a lower vo ice in parallel thirds to the melodic l ine , which

continues for three m e a s u r e s . T h e s e thirds reappear at each s u b -

sequent statement of this melodic mater ia l . The Hatch transcription

re f lec t s the original at this point. Throughout this th ir ty-s ix

20 . Chopin, "Waltzes ," Chopin's Collected Works, Vol . IX, 117.

21 . John Petr ie Dunn, Ornamentation In The Works of Frederick Chopin, (London: Novel lo , 1921), 87 . Dunn sugges t s the mordent be replaced with an appoggiatura.

18

m e a s u r e A s e c t i o n , the piano t r a n s c r i p t i o n s of Hatch and M u s s e r

a r e i den t i ca l , and they v a r y in f r equen t ly with the o r ig ina l l e f t hand

piano l i n e . T h e only a l t e r a t i o n s conce rn revoic ing of c h o r d s :

r epea t ing t r i a d s in d i f f e r e n t i n v e r s i o n s . Hatch t a k e s c o n s i d e r a b l e

l i b e r t i e s p a r t i c u l a r l y with the b a s s m a r i m b a p a r t in the e n s e m b l e

t r a n s c r i p t i o n . He f r e q u e n t l y r o t a t e s the I , V , I tones in the

piano p a r t with V , I , V in the b a s s m a r i m b a p a r t . Addi t ional ly ,

he o f ten a s s i g n s to the b a s s m a r i m b a the V of the I c h o r d , when

in t he piano a c c o m p a n i m e n t the s a m e note i s the t h i rd of I . In the

m a r i m b a I p a r t the vo ic ings d i f f e r f r o m the piano a c c o m p a n i m e n t

on occas ion but funct ion throughout a s in the o r i g i n a l . It should be

noted tha t the so lo m a r i m b a p a r t s of both Hatch t r a n s c r i p t i o n s a r e

i den t i ca l .

In the Hatch t r a n s c r i p t i o n the B s e c t i o n , c o m m e n c i n g in m .

3 7 , i s an exac t dupl ica t ion of the o r ig ina l l ine except ing the o r n a -

m e n t s a t m . 50 , w h e r e a m o r d e n t r e p l a c e s the o r ig ina l t r i l l s i g n .

T h e m o s t s u b s t a n t i a l a l t e r a t i o n s a p p e a r in M u s s e r ' s t r a n -

s c r i p t i o n of t h i s sec t ion ( E x a m p l e 3 ) .

T h e M u s s e r inclus ion of the an t ic ipa t ion in the l ower vo ice

t ends to r educe the h a r m o n i c t ens ion of the t h i rd b e a t . In m . 45

M u s s e r a l t e r s the o r i g ina l quadrup le t f i g u r e by including a r a l l e n -

tando and changing the note v a l u e s to two q u a r t e r s and two e i g h t h s .

19

E x a m p l e 3 . F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 64 No. 1, m m . 37 to 40 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and the (b) M u s s e r t r a n s .

L. <A

3 3

M u s s e r r e c o m p o s e s Chop in ' s me lod ic l ine and a s s i g n s to the

a c c o m p a n i m e n t t he o r i g ina l so lo l i n e , whi le he invents a v a r i a t i o n

of the t h e m a t i c mot ive of t he B sec t ion f o r the m a r i m b a so lo

( E x a m p l e 4 ) . Throughou t the B s e c t i o n , the Hatch piano and

e n s e m b l e a c c o m p a n i m e n t s i n c o r p o r a t e the s a m e h a r m o n i e s a s in

the M u s s e r and o r ig ina l f o r m s , but in m o r e open p o s i t i o n s .

20

Example 4 . Frederick Chopin, Opus 64 No. 1, m m . 54 to 57 of the (a) Paderewski ed . and the (b) M u s s e r t rans .

JLKJ} T»s ?-

' b

p a tempo A

p a tempo

i isr m

j:!

Lfc

m. P

£ £

The recapitulation returns at m . 70 with a duplication of the

f i r s t statement in its ent irety , excepting the coda sect ion compris ing

the last four m e a s u r e s . In each of the transcriptions the only v a r -

iation occurs during these closing m e a s u r e s (Example 5) .

Variations in chord voic ings are common to all three t ran-

scr ipt ions , but it i s perhaps Hatch's performance instructions,

dictating accelerandi and rallentandi, that confl ict most with the

or ig ina l , a s Chopin's suggest ions concern only dynamics .

21

Example 5 . Frederick Chopin, Opus 64 No. 1, m m . 120 to 125 of the (a) Paderewski e d . , the (b) M u s s e r and the two (c ) , (d) Hatch trans .

j " i - l '• : " ' ' J T T i t f i

STSLowcy - Qcctu. « . (lf\LL fclT ~ Temp Pjflwo OfC

h J- i V i

mrt:. 1

j i ' i i ; i " j j ' f

- 1 1 | V ) | ] t T :j ' 5 .1*

22

The freedom with which Musser treated the Waltz, Opus 64

No. 1, i s character i s t ic of most of the transcript ions of Chopin's

mus ic that compri se The Masterworks for the Marimba. Chopin's

Mazurka, Opus 17 No. 4 , although s i m i l a r in length and formal

design to the Waltz, o f f er s quite a contrast in mood, l y r i c i s m , and

transcription procedures . Completed in 1834, this a - m i n o r

Mazurka was transcribed in the original key for marimba and piano

by Clair Musser in 1940.

A four -measure introduction is ass igned to the piano a lone.

From the entrance of the marimba in mm. 4 to 20 , the so lo l ine i s a

virtual duplication of the o r i g i n a l , ^ with one exception ( m . 20);

T T - T

the rhythmic structure of the original i s a s opposed to

r i i

» • • in M u s s e r ' s transcript ion. The piano accompaniment

throughout these m e a s u r e s maintains Chopin's harmonic s t ruc tures ,

but he a s s i g n s the original left hand parts to the right hand and adds

s ingle bass notes on the second and third beats from m m . 6 to 12.

Later Musser returns the original chordal line to the left hand and

inser t s a free ly-composed obligato based on the initial so lo motive

(Example 6 ) .

22 . Frederick Chopin, "Mazurkas," Chopin's Se lec ted Works, 10th e d . , Vol . X , ed . by I. J . Paderewski , L. Bronarski , J . Turczynski (Warsaw, Poland: Frederick Chopin Institute, 1971), 3 2 .

23

Example 6 . Frederick Chopin, Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 14 to 17 of the piano part of the Musser trans .

t j i T n * f

r

Although Musser m i r r o r s the original melodic l ine from

m m . 22 to 3 5 , he s e t s it one octave lower . Commencing this

phrase ( m . 21) , however, Musser s tar ts on d rather than the b a

minor third lower . The accompaniment l ine of the original i s

doubled in both hands through m . 28 and in m . 30 he repeats the

obligato a s s e e n previously ( s e e Example 6) .

The next phrase i s transposed again, but this t i m e , an

octave higher. The accompaniment here ev idences thicker texture

a s the harmonies are f i l led out and bass notes are doubled at the

oc tave .

The so lo returns to the original r e g i s t e r , however the

arranger s c o r e s the marimba in double s tops . The accompaniment

doubles the inner line in octaves from Chopin's original (Example 7) .

24

Example 7 . Frederick Chopin, Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 43 to 44 of the (a) Paderewski e d . , and (b) Musser t rans .

I

f iT*r^

P

The musical material from m m . 45 to 60 duplicates the

original melodic l ine , except in m . 47 , when Musser includes an

ascending s c a l a r pattern (Example 8) .

Example 8 . Frederick Chopin, Opus 17 No. 4 , m . 47 of the M u s s e r trans .

Again M u s s e r makes a change in r e g i s t e r , and places m m .

49 to 52 an octave higher. The triplet rhythms witnessed in m . 20

25

appear again in m . 53 , but from this point until the c los ing of the A

sec t ion , s o m e seven m e a s u r e s la ter , M u s s e r duplicates Chopin's

music exact ly .

In the "poco animato" sect ion the melodic line i s unaltered,

however , M u s s e r wri tes a new inner vo ice which employs material

f rom the left hand line of the or ig inal . The accompaniment i s

strengthened by judicious doubling of chordal tones throughout this

s i x t e e n - m e a s u r e s e g m e n t .

With m . 77 Musser c o m p o s e s a new obligato line that s e r v e s

to embel l i sh the original melodic material that has been scored for

the right hand of the piano accompaniment . T h i s f r e e material

continues until the marimba takes over the original l ine an octave

higher. The transition back to the recapitualation is ef fected by

the piano a lone , just a s in the introduction.

The octave transposit ion which charac ter i zes this adaptation

of Chopin's original i s incorporated once again in the final thematic

s tatement . An e r r o r appears in the transcription at m . 97; the

melodic line should be F- sharp a s opposed to F which is indicated.

The ninth measure of the recapitulation returns to the original

notation, and it remains s o until m . 104, when Musser again in ter -

j ec t s the motive s e e n before in m m . 16, 32 , and 56 .

Throughout these two Chopin transcript ions M u s s e r has

added double s tops to the so lo l ine . In the c los ing m e a s u r e s of the

26

M a z u r k a , h o w e v e r , he r e m o v e s the double s t o p s in the m e l o d i c l ine

f r o m m m . 107 to 116, inc luding t h e m o n c e aga in a t m . 123 ( l ike

Chop in ) . Oc tave d i s p l a c e m e n t o c c u r s t h roughou t t he c l o s i n g

m a t e r i a l ( E x a m p l e 9 ) .

E x a m p l e 9 . F r e d e r i c k C h o p i n , Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 117 to 120 of t h e ( a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and the (b) M u s s e r t r a n s .

•b

at

I \

<5^-- t — + -

sotto mrr

F = =

m

: 4

£

l&L

* — # •

0-.1" • J * . _ _

Vr-" * — V 1 £

•> _ 4 .

i f f ttff J t u

. r? • :±=£^=.._z

i J- 3 :

A

i : z p ^ - - ^ = r

4

5 ' - :

>

J?«—J-

r

M u s s e r a l t e r s the l a s t f e w m e a s u r e s f o r he a d d s not only

m e l o d i c m a t e r i a l to the m a r i m b a p a r t , but e x p a n d s t he h a r m o n i c

27

t e x t u r e a s well ( E x a m p l e 10).

E x a m p l e 10. F r e d e r i c k Chopin , Opus 17 No. 4 , m m . 129 to 132 of the (a ) P a d e r e w s k i e d . and (b) m m . 129 to 133 of the M u s s e r t r a n s .

perrft'H(fr>si

n

f f

Whether o r not M u s s e r ' s l i c ense in a r r a n g i n g i s to be c o n -

demned o r sanc t ioned is not a t i s s u e h e r e . What is r e l evan t is

tha t he was one of many who fe l t it was p e r m i s s i b l e to a l t e r o r ig ina l

w o r k s a c c o r d i n g to h i s own w h i m . M u s s e r ' s t e chn iques r e p r e s e n t

the n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y t r a n s c r i p t i o n p r o c e d u r e s . Many m u s i c i a n s

28

took considerably more l ibert ies with transcript ions than did Clair

M u s s e r . Perhaps contemporary thought i s inclined to v i e w such

freedom with a jaundiced e y e , but the fact remains that these t e c h -

niques were widely accepted in their day, and more importantly,

transcript ions such a s these were frequently the only s o u r c e s for

s e r i o u s mus ic l i terature .

It will be s een in the two works yet to be d i scussed that both

Earl Hatch and Frank Mac Cal lum, for reasons perhaps best known

only to them, found that original m a t e r i a l s , if worthy of t ranscr ip -

t ion, could be done with a minimum of alterat ion.

In the s u m m e r of 1868 Brahms completed the f i r s t two books

of Ungarische Tanze (Hungarian Dances) for piano duet. Seven

y e a r s later he issued the second se t of two books, and these four

vo lumes represent one of his f i r s t departures into the f ie ld of

23

national folk m u s i c . T h e s e works , without opus numbers , were

scored for one piano, four hands, and have proven to be s o m e of

Brahms' most popular compos i t ions . The universal popularity of

these robust melodies has no doubt prompted numerous t ranscr ip -

t ions .

The Hungarian Dance No. 5 , based on Bartfai Emlek o r

23 . Walter Niemann, Brahms, t rans , by Catherine All ison Phil l ips (New York: Cooper Square Publ i shers , 1969), 204 .

29

Remini scences of B a r t f a i , 2 4 i s perhaps the most popular of all the

dances of the f i r s t two books, and has been published for marimba

on at l eas t two o c c a s i o n s . The f i r s t transcription appeared in 1935

for marimba or xylophone and piano by John B. Quick. In order to

accommodate the range of the xylophone, it was n e c e s s a r y to t r a n s -

pose the piece from F- sharp minor to g minor . Aside from se l ec t i ve

voicing adjustments and an additional repeat of the last s ix teen

m e a s u r e s , the Quick transcription fo l lows Brahms1 original a lmost

exact ly . The piano accompaniment, prepared by E . De Lamater ,

although utilizing different vo ic ings , maintains Brahms' harmonic

s tructures throughout.

Subsequently Earl Hatch made an arrangement of the work,

and l ike Quick, transposed it to g minor . Hatch, however , deleted

the second piano part , and the transcription then only represented

the treble piano part. Comparison of the Hatch transcription with

25

the s c o r e from the col lected works revea ls d ispari t ies in tempo

indications. The original indicates "allegro" while Hatch s u g g e s t s

"moderato-passionato. " The melodic line is doubled exact ly until

m . 11, where Hatch deletes the chord tones contained in the or ig inal .

24 . Edwin Evans , Handbook to the Pianoforte Works of Brahms (London: William R e e v e s , 1936), 270 .

25 . Johannes Brahms , Samtl iche Werke, Vo l . XIX, ed . by Eusebius Mandyczewski, Hans Gdl (Leipzig: Breitkopf and Harte l , 1926-27), 27 .

30

T h e m e l o d i c l ine i s r e p r o d u c e d an o c t a v e l o w e r f r o m m m . 26 to 3 3 .

T h r o u g h o u t the r e m a i n d e r of t h e m i n o r s e c t i o n , the only s i g n i f i c a n t

d e p a r t u r e , a s i d e f r o m vo ic ing a l t e r a t i o n s , c o n c e r n s t e m p o

m a r k i n g s .

In the G m a j o r s e c t i o n Hatch doub les the r ight hand l ine of

the o r i g i n a l , de le t ing a l t o g e t h e r the l e f t hand p a t t e r n . One of t h e

m o r e no t i ceab l e v a r i a t i o n s a p p e a r s in t h e midd le of t h i s s e c t i o n .

( E x a m p l e 11).

E x a m p l e 11. J o h a n n e s B r a h m s , Hungar i an Dance No. 5 , m m . 69 to 72 of the ( a ) co l l ec t ed w o r k s and (b) Hatch t r a n s .

poco f t . . 8:-"

_ m tempo r J jtr

b ( Qcwfeio

© OLLE. 6 g o

0-*-

// ~arat * m - # — » -

7 mf

Not on ly does Hatch add h a r m o n i c s u b s t a n c e to t h e m a r i m b a

l ine by adding the s i x t h , he s i m u l a t e s t h e m i s s i n g l e f t hand c h o r d s

31

by assigning accen ts in place of the a rpegg ios . Unlike B r a h m s , Hatch

repea t s this en t i r e sect ion once again before returning to the f inal 9

minor recapi tula t ion. Hatch t r a n s c r i b e s th is f inal sect ion a s before

including his f i r s t a l te ra t ion at m . 93 of the o r ig ina l . H e r e , he

s lows the tempo sl ightly and includes a repeat s ign . As be fo re ,

Hatch draws the melody out ( m m . 117 to 120) in o r d e r to make a

m o r e exciting re turn to the repea t ( m . 109). The closing two m e a s -

u r e s of the work a r e revoiced f r o m the or iginal in the following

manner (Example 12).

Example 12. Johannes B r a h m s , Hungarian Dance No. 5 , (a) m m . 109-110 of the collected works and (b) m m . 125-126 of the Hatch t r a n s .

* m ¥

32

It i s somewha t s u r p r i s i n g that Hatch ha s not t r e a t e d th i s

work f o r m a r i m b a e n s e m b l e , a s it would p e r h a p s in s o m e r e s p e c t s

be m o r e su i t ab l e than the t r a n s c r i p t i o n of Chop in ' s Minute W a l t z .

What i s notably lacking is the second piano p a r t , and th i s o m i s s i o n

t ends to r educe the qual i ty of th i s t r a n s c r i p t i o n . P e r h a p s f o r p e r -

f o r m a n c e p u r p o s e s one should i n c o r p o r a t e t he piano a r r a n g e m e n t of

the Quick t r a n s c r i p t i o n , t h e r e b y providing a m o r e r e a l i s t i c i n t e r -

p re ta t ion of B r a h m s ' o r ig ina l c o m p o s i t i o n .

T h e f ina l w o r k chosen f o r p r e s e n t a t i o n i s the " C h o r a l e "

f r o m P r e l u d e , C h o r a l e and F u g u e , composed by C e s a r F r a n c k in

1884, and t r a n s c r i b e d f o r m a r i m b a and piano by F r a n k Mac C a l l u m .

T h e p r i m a r y r e a s o n f o r including th i s e x a m p l e i s tha t it i s one of

the f ew t r a n s c r i p t i o n s of r o m a n t i c m u s i c f o r f o u r m a l l e t s and is

idea l ly su i t ed to r e p r e s e n t Mac C a l l u m ' s t r a n s c r i p t i o n t e c h n i q u e s .

F r a n c k composed the " C h o r a l e " a s a l ink between the

" P r e l u d e " and " F u g u e . " Accord ing to Norman Demuth , the work

in i t s f o r m a t i v e s t a g e s lacked " someth ing ' c a n t a b i l e , ' s o m e s u s -

ta ined melody which would r e l i e v e the onward r u s h of the

' P r e l u d i ' . " 2 6

In t h r e e p a r t s , the " C h o r a l e " is s ix ty m e a s u r e s in l eng th ,

26 . N o r m a n Demuth , C ^ s a r F r a n c k (New York: Ph i losoph ica l L i b r a r y , 1949), 145.

33

and Mac Ca l lum c o m m e n c e s h is t r a n s c r i p t i o n with the concluding

two m e a s u r e s of the " P r e l u d e . " In t he se two m e a s u r e s the piano

Q"7

a c c o m p a n i m e n t is a l m o s t exac t ly the s a m e a s the o r i g i n a l . T h e

f i r s t d i s c r e p a n c y a p p e a r s in m e a s u r e two . In the o r ig ina l the

chord is spe l l ed F—sharp, A , D—sharp, and Mac C a l l u m ' s r e a d s

F - s h a r p , B , D - s h a r p . It a p p e a r s that the chord should funct ion a s

an inve r s ion of the f i r s t chord in the m e a s u r e , and t h e r e f o r e should

conta in an A ins tead of B a s in Mac C a l l u m ' s v e r s i o n .

T h e m a r i m b a e n t e r s on the l a s t bea t of m e a s u r e two, and

throughout the e n t i r e " C h o r a l e , " the i nne r m a l l e t in the r ight hand

p e r f o r m s the me lod ic l i ne , even though on occas ion the melody i s

doubled a t the oc tave with both r ight m a l l e t s .

In the opening m e a s u r e s Mac Ca l lum v i r t u a l l y doubles the

o r ig ina l notat ion f o r the m a r i m b a and p iano . T h e piano a c c o m p a n i -

ment p r o v i d e s the b a s s line and doubles the me lod ic l ine in the

r igh t hand . F r o m m m . 8 to 11, h o w e v e r , the doubling c e a s e s in

the piano a c c o m p a n i m e n t . As ide f r o m voic ing a l t e r a t i o n s , the

ensuing eight m e a s u r e s a r e v i r t u a l l y ident ical with the o r i g i n a l .

Mac Ca l lum r e t u r n s to the doubling p r o c e d u r e that he used in the

opening m e a s u r e s dur ing m m . 21 to 26 , however t h e r e a p p e a r s to

be a m i s t a k e in m . 21 ( E x a m p l e 13).

27 . C e s a r F r a n c k , P r a e l u d i u m , C h o r a l und F u g u e , e d . by E m i l von S a u e r (New York : C . F . P e t e r s C o r p . , n . d . ) , 8 .

34

Example 13. C e s a r Franck, Pre lude , Chorale and Fugue, "Chorale" m m . 21 to 23 of (a) original piano part and (b) Mac Callum trans .

w

Q-

•3

hJ'J.-J'J1 3

JTj f Tf

/ !

3 i qj i

1 Z 0L

U-n ri JT-1 i r ̂

t t -iz b *

9 f r ^ mi |T !

-rMh Efct=i=— h ^ _

—Za « • -g bnr

35

The g in the lowest vo i ce of the marimba transcription on

beat four of m . 21 should be an A- f la t . There are a l so other

instances of conflicting notes between the transcription and the

or ig inal . In m . 22 on the second beat the marimba arrangement

reads E - f l a t , G, C, whereas the original reads E - f l a t , G-f la t , C .

In m . 23 Mac Callum has added a C-sharp in the lowest v o i c e ,

which doubles the D-f lat in the bass l ine . Why did he not s imply

write D-f lat? T h i s kind of enharmonic spel l ing a l so appears in

m . 42 where Mac Callum s c o r e s a B with a C- f la t in the piano part.

From m m . 26 to 34 Mac Callum continues to use the s a m e

transcription procedures seen in m m . 13 to 21 . The only notable

variance with the original s c o r e occurs at m . 31 , where he includes

an alternative part for the left hand accompaniment: a tremolo

between octave D-f la t ' s for three beats . T h i s rolling device a l so

i s included later in the right hand piano line (Example 14).

Numerous e r r o r s in copying ex i s t throughout both parts .

Mac Callum failed to include accidental s igns for the lowest

vo ice in the marimba part on beats one and two in m . 44 ( s e e

Example 14). The lowest marimba vo ice in m . 54 should be A-f la t

as opposed to G-f la t .

36

Example 14. Cesar Franck, Prelude, Chorale and Fugue, "Chorale" mm. 44 to 45 of (a) the original piano part and (b)

Mac Callum trans.

4 t J. \^largarricntc e forte

Ira - «

I

b. Pi i. n rp n D it a # m-

& t "f ^ f v $ .» • LLB f

FFe 5̂ s 7-jh>C . br̂J 4w

37

Chapter IV

PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS

These t r ansc r ip t ions under d iscuss ion a r e , by and l a r g e ,

idiomatical ly wel l -sui ted fo r the m a r i m b a . The overr id ing c h a l -

lenge in the i r p e r f o r m a n c e concerns musical in terpre ta t ion a s

opposed to technical cons idera t ions . The t r io a r r angemen t of the

Chopin Waltz , Opus 64 No. 1, p r e sen t s the g rea t e s t ensemble d i f f i -

cul t ies due p r ima r i l y to the fact that s ix hands mus t replace two.

The f i r s t decision to be made in pe r fo rming this work is how to

employ the bass m a r i m b a p a r t . The ensembles of E a r l Hatch f r e -

quently necess i t a te a bass m a r i m b a that sounds two octaves below

middle C . Because no manufac tu re r is cu r ren t ly producing these

i n s t r u m e n t s , ad jus tmen t s must be made to accommodate the lower

p i tches . Hatch is aware that bass m a r i m b a s a r e few and indicates

in his s c o r e s that a subst i tu te ins t rument such a s a s t r ing o r

e l ec t r i c b a s s , bassoon, o r even a piano may be used to r ea l i ze

the p a r t . In his a r r a n g e m e n t of The Mar r i age of F igaro O v e r t u r e ,

he r equ i r e s s ix p e r f o r m e r s divided among two four -oc tave

m a r i m b a s and two bass m a r i m b a s . The f i r s t and third m a r i m b a

p a r t s a r e played on one four -oc tave ins t rumen t , and the second

and four th p a r t s on ano the r . The f i r s t bass m a r i m b a par t

38

may be performed on a four and one-half octave Kelon marimba

which has a low F . The second bass marimba part requires an

instrument with an extended range.

The bass marimba part of the Minute Waltz i s s cored in

oc taves throughout, and if only the top note i s played, the part may

be performed on a four and one—third octave marimba. The kind

of bas s marimba constructed by Frank Mac Callum would normally

be required for parts such as these . He built his own instruments

and constructed one with a range encompass ing three and one-half

oc taves from AAA to C 2 . One of these instruments i s currently

the property of the North T e x a s State University School of Music ,

and i s employed in the performance of this work. It would appear

that if bass marimba parts cannot be played on conventional ins tru-

ments , the most suitable alternative is the str ing or e l e c t r i c b a s s ,

depending on the length of the individual notes and the s ty l i s t i c

requirements a s w e l l .

The solo marimba part of Hatch's Minute Waltz i s wel l

marked with respect to articulation. The melodic l ine l i e s in the

middle and upper range of the instrument, and, as usual , Hatch

indicates his sticking p r e f e r e n c e s . The work requires very little

double sticking and i s best performed with two m a l l e t s , as most of

the passages are diatonic. During the s l o w e r sec t ions the half notes

should be rol led, but not a lways at the s a m e speed . The proper

39

ph ra s ing of the half no tes is enhanced by v a r y i n g the speed of the

r o l l s . One m u s t choose a ma l l e t that is capab le of provid ing a

b r i g h t , c l ean sound in the uppe r r e g i s t e r , but not s o b r igh t a s to

p roduce u n d e s i r a b l e o v e r t o n e s . F o r th i s p e r f o r m a n c e Leigh

Howard S t e v e n s ' N u m b e r E igh t s a r e u s e d .

T h e r e a r e c u r r e n t l y n u m e r o u s c o m p a n i e s which s p e c i a l i z e

in the manufac tu r ing of m a r i m b a m a l l e t s . Mos t c o m p a n i e s u t i l i ze

e i t h e r a s e m i - r i g i d b i r c h dowel o r a m o r e f l ex ib le r a t t an s h a f t

f o r the handles of the m a l l e t s . T h e t r end i s toward the m o r e r igid

s h a f t b e c a u s e a c c u r a c y i s i m p r o v e d . T h e m a l l e t heads a r e usua l ly

c o n s t r u c t e d of va ry ing d e n s i t i e s of r u b b e r , with the s o f t r u b b e r bal l

provid ing the s o f t e s t a t t a c k , and the h a r d e r o n e s c r e a t i n g a m o r e

b r i t t l e and p i e r c ing qual i ty of s o u n d . Most m a r i m b a m a l l e t s a r e

wrapped with l a y e r s of y a r n which s o f t e n s the impac t of the m a l l e t

on the b a r . T h e m a l l e t s a r e n u m b e r e d acco rd ing to the h a r d n e s s of

the b a l l , with the s o f t e s t m a l l e t s having the l ower n u m b e r s and the

h a r d e s t t he h ighe r n u m b e r s . F o r th i s p e r f o r m a n c e Leigh Howard

S t e v e n s ' m a l l e t s a r e e m p l o y e d . They have the r ig id b i r ch s h a f t ,

and the h e a d s a r e e i t h e r s o f t r u b b e r ba l l s wrapped with white y a r n

o r ha rd r u b b e r ba l l s which have a band of r u b b e r s u r g i c a l tubing

placed on the s t r i k e zone of the m a l l e t . T h e white y a r n w r a p sui

rounds th i s combina t ion . S t e v e n s ' N u m b e r Eight p r o v i d e s a

b r i g h t e r sound than the s o f t e r N u m b e r S ix o r N u m b e r F o u r m a l l e t s .

40

The most difficult aspect of the solo part involves the p e r -

formance of dynamic contrasts and tempo f lexibi l i ty . The pianiss imo

sec t ions must be exaggerated in order to promote greater e x c i t e -

ment during the for t i s s imo s e c t i o n s . The so lo i s t must be respon-

s ib le for the tempo a l terat ions , and the speed must not be s o fast

that c larity of the melodic line is l o s t .

The marimba I i s responsible for the harmonic support, and

the part i s s cored for three mal le ts throughout. The vo ic ings are

relat ively c lo se and remain in the middle range of the instrument.

This part is s tr i c t ly supportive, and therefore mallet choice should

be based with this in mind. Perhaps the most e f fec t ive solution

would be to uti l ize mal le t s l ike or s i m i l a r to the Leigh Howard

Stevens ' Number S i x s . Others would be Baiter Number Thirteen ,

Musser Number Eight, and perhaps Vic Firth ye l low "Mushroom"

mal l e t s . T h e s e would o f f er enough resonance while at the s a m e

t ime produce a c l ear s tr ike sound. The bass marimba part should

be performed with v e r y soft mal le ts in order to provide the greatest

amount of resonance .

As mentioned previous ly , proper ensemble execution of the

accelerandi and rallentandi is crucial to the performance of the

work, and the responsibi l i ty for this s u c c e s s l i e s chief ly with the

bass mar imbis t , who must be adaptable to the changing pulse of the

s o l o i s t . By combining the two accompaniment parts into one , the

41

e n s e m b l e d i f f i c u l t i e s ar-e reduced c o n s i d e r a b l y . The parts

could be e f f e c t i v e l y p e r f o r m e d on one f o u r and o n e - t h i r d oc tave

m a r i m b a , and although this would r e q u i r e c o n s i d e r a b l y m o r e t e c h -

nical p r o f i c i e n c y , the combinat ion would be pract ica l w e r e a

b a s s m a r i m b a not a v a i l a b l e . The p e r f o r m a n c e of th is work wi l l

u t i l i ze t h r e e m a r i m b a s , and the Hatch a r r a n g e m e n t wi l l be p r e -

sented a s t r a n s c r i b e d .

T h e m a z u r k a t r a n s c r i p t i o n p o s e s d i f f eren t p e r f o r m a n c e p r o b -

l e m s . Shou ld the s o l o l ine sound a s much l ike a piano a s p o s s i b l e ?

How shou ld the long n o t e s be s u s t a i n e d ? What i s the p i a n i s t ' s ro l e

in t h i s type of t r a n s c r i p t i o n ? F i r s t , the m a r i m b a i s capab le of p r o -

ducing a beaut i ful tone in i t s own r i g h t , and although the p i e c e w a s

o r i g i n a l l y c o n c e i v e d f o r p iano , t h e r e i s no r e a s o n to a t t empt to

r e p r o d u c e a p i a n i s t i c sound . T h e m u s i c i t s e l f , and not the p e r -

f o r m a n c e m e d i u m should d ic tate p e r f o r m a n c e p r o c e d u r e s . T h r o u g h -

out the A s e c t i o n ( e x c e p t f o r the e m b e l l i s h m e n t s ) , the m e l o d i c l ine

should be a s l e g a t o a s p o s s i b l e . T h e r e f o r e m o s t n o t e s should be

r o l l e d , but in s u c h a way a s to not a l l o w any obv ious p u l s e in the

rol l i t s e l f . T h i s m a y be a c c o m p l i s h e d by ro l l ing rapid ly v e r y c l o s e

to the bar w h i l e us ing a m a l l e t with a f i r m c o r e wrapped with s o f t

yarn ( f o r e x a m p l e , S t e v e n s ' N u m b e r S i x ) . T h e n o t e s m u s t be held

f o r t h e i r fu l l l ength with no break be tween note c h a n g e s , p a r t i c u -

l a r l y dur ing the p h r a s e . P h r a s e e n d i n g s m a y be ar t i cu la ted by

42

s i n g l e n o t e s o r in s o m e i n s t a n c e s by s l o w i n g the p u l s e of the rol l

whi le moving toward the nodal p o i n t s . M o s t of the t r ip le t pat terns

and e m b e l l i s h m e n t s should be s t r o k e d s i n g l y , which wi l l prov ide

g r e a t e r c o n t r a s t to the l ega to s e c t i o n s whi l e enhancing the rhythmic

v i t a l i t y .

T h e "poco an imato" s e c t i o n might be p e r f o r m e d m o s t e f f e c -

t i v e l y by us ing a s i n g l e s t r o k e rol l on the long n o t e s whi le the

moving l i n e s a r e p layed without r o l l s . T h e s e long t o n e s a r e l o w

enough in the range to prov ide p r o p e r r e s o n a n c e with a m a l l e t s u c h

a s a S t e v e n ' s N u m b e r S i x . Al l n o t e s s h o r t e r than q u a r t e r s should

be played s i n g l y , whi l e q u a r t e r s o r l o n g e r n o t e s should be r o l l e d .

T h e p ian i s t and m a r i m b i s t should a t tempt to work a s o n e ,

f o r the piano part funct ions a s an integral part of the w h o l e , unl ike

the Minute W a l t z . T h e s o l o l i n e p r e d o m i n a t e s o v e r the piano and

should in t erweave d e l i c a t e l y to e s t a b l i s h a s e n s i t i v e ba lance

throughout . T h e w o r k i s r e s e r v e d , i n t r o s p e c t i v e , and o f f e r s a

w e l c o m e re l i e f f r o m the t r a n s c r i p t i o n s t y p i c a l l y a s s o c i a t e d with the

m a r i m b a .

Hungarian Dance N o . 5 r e p r e s e n t s what many b e l i e v e to be a

typical m a r i m b a t r a n s c r i p t i o n . T h e m e l o d y i s u n i v e r s a l l y popular ,

and the m u s i c a l content d i s p l a y s robust r h y t h m s and rapid s c a l a r

p a s s a g e s . T h i s kind of work adapts we l l f o r the m a l l e t i n s t r u m e n t s .

A s in the Minute Wal tz , the ar t i cu la t ion d i f f i c u l t i e s a r e m i n o r in

43

c o m p a r i s o n to the Mazurka . Hatch i s c a r e f u l to m a r k al l a r t i c u l a -

t ions throughout the t ranscr ip t ion , g e n e r a l l y indicat ing r o l l s f o r notes

a q u a r t e r note in length o r l o n g e r . T h e c h a r a c t e r of th i s p i e c e i s

a m e n a b l e to audible pulsat ion in r o l l s , which a l l o w s f o r a g r e a t e r

f l e x i b i l i t y in m a l l e t c h o i c e .

P r o p e r phras ing a p p e a r s to be the m o s t d i f f i cu l t a s p e c t of

t h i s w o r k , p a r t i c u l a r l y in the s l o w e r s e c t i o n s . Hatch has included

h i s s u g g e s t i o n s f o r phras ing throughout the t r a n s c r i p t i o n , and ,

although they a r e based on B r a h m s ' or ig ina l d i r e c t i o n s , g o e s into

m o r e d e t a i l , p a r t i c u l a r l y at the e n d s of p h r a s e s . T h e t ranscr ip t ion

funct ions a s a teaching p i e c e e v i d e n t l y , f o r he i n c l u d e s t r a n s l a t i o n s

of a l l the Ital ian t e m p o m a r k i n g s and c u r i o u s l y f a i l s to include a

t r a n s c r i p t i o n of the s e c o n d piano par t . F o r the p u r p o s e of th is

p r e s e n t a t i o n , the piano a r r a n g e m e n t of the John Quick t r a n s c r i p t i o n

wi l l be incorporated with the Hatch m a r i m b a t r a n s c r i p t i o n . T h e

p i e c e , o r i g i n a l l y wr i t ten a s a piano duo, l a c k s s p i r i t and dr ive

when on ly the f i r s t piano part i s p e r f o r m e d .

T h e dynamic c o n t r a s t s of the p i e c e requ ire a m a l l e t hard

enough to s p e a k c l e a r l y during the s o f t s e c t i o n , but not too hard a s

to a l l o w an unnatural sound in the l o w e r r e g i s t e r when playing f o r t e .

T h e r e f o r e a c o m p r o m i s e be tween the two e x t r e m e s might s u g g e s t a

B a i t e r N u m b e r T w e l v e . A s in the Minute Waltz the u s e of two m a l l e t s

a p p e a r s to be the m o s t p r a c t i c a l c h o i c e .

44

T h e inclusion of the Mac Cal lum transcript ion was based

pr imar i ly on the fact that it r epresent s one of the f e w four -mal l e t

transcr ipt ions from the nineteeth-oentury reper to i re . Additionally,

this p i ece prov ides a mus ica l and technical contrast to the Chopin

and Brahms compos i t ions .

A s would be expected , the top v o i c e contains the melodic

mater ia l throughout the "Chorale ." In order to project the top

l ine su f f i c i en t ly , the melodic l ine should be rea l ized with a mal let

harder than the mal l e t s negotiating the accompanying v o i c e s . As the

vo ic ings a r e c l o s e , the bottom v o i c e functions in the lower middle

r e g i s t e r , and the density of m a l l e t s for this v o i c e should be the

s a m e a s the two inner v o i c e s . Perhaps the bes t combination of

mal l e t s might be one S tevens ' Number Eight and three S tevens '

Number S i x s .

T h e piano frequently dupl icates the mar imba mater ia l , and

therefore should be subserv ient , part icularly during these doubled

s e c t i o n s . When playing counter l i n e s , however , a more equal

balance i s de s i rab le . Mac Cal lum de le te s articulation d irec t ions ,

but the s l o w tempo and character of the v o i c e leading strongly s u g -

g e s t s a legato l ine . The M u s s e r grip would a l low the inner mal let

of the right hand the most independence, and this mal let should

carry the melodic l ine . In those ins tances where four beaters are

required, the emphas i s can e a s i l y be shif ted to the outer right hand

45

m a l l e t . The only notes that a r e not to be ro l led a r e the tr ip le t

f i g u r e s and s ix teenth n o t e s . T h e tradit ional rol l a l l o w s f o r the

g r e a t e s t amount of f l ex ib i l i ty a s there a r e many s e c t i o n s which u s e

only t h r e e m a l l e t s . It should be noted that the n u m e r o u s e r r o r s in

the Mac Cal lum transcr ip t ion have been c o r r e c t e d . Other than t h e s e

c o r r e c t i o n s , the m u s i c f o r th is p e r f o r m a n c e i s una l tered .

46

Chapter V

CONCLUSIONS

From the early part of this century to the Second World War

the marimba transcription was employed on the concert stage and in

the teaching studio as wel l . Initially the performers turned to the

transcription as the major source for their repertoire. During this

time the credibility of the marimba as a serious musical instrument

was justifiably questioned, primarily because the literature

lacked substance. After the war the popularity of the instrument

dwindled to the point where some manufacturers ceased making them

altogether. Within the last twenty years , however, interest in the

marimba has been revived. Perhaps this can be attributed primarily

to the establishment of percussion programs on the university level .

Marimba instruction has become an integral part in many of these

institutions, and this development has prompted numerous original

compositions for the marimba soloist and mallet ensembles . In the

past few years four-mallet techniques have been developed to the

point where most of the significant marimba compositions incorpo

rate these techniques. The two-mallet repertoire is made up largely

of transcriptions. Where the transcription forty years ago comprised

the staple of the literature, today it is supplemental. Some per-

formers and educators have gone so far as to reject the transcription

47

t o t a l l y , r e ly ing s o l e l y on or ig ina l c o m p o s i t i o n s . Many have found,

h o w e v e r , that the t ranscr ip t ion f o r s o l o m a r i m b a i s e f f e c t i v e f o r

the d e v e l o p m e n t of s ight read ing , t echn ique , and genera l m u s i c i a n -

s h i p .

S o m e of the m o s t s u c c e s s f u l m a r i m b a t r a n s c r i p t i o n s

a r e f o r the m a r i m b a o r m a l l e t e n s e m b l e . T h e s e groups o f f e r

f l e x i b i l i t y in tonal c o l o r and d y n a m i c r a n g e , and the amount of

l i t e r a t u r e s u i t a b l e f o r e n s e m b l e t ranscr ip t ion i s c o n s i d e r a b l e . T h e

m a r i m b a e n s e m b l e h a s s e e n re juvenat ion s i n c e the m i d - 1 9 5 0 ' s ,

main ly due to the e f f o r t s of Gordon P e t e r s and the E a s t m a n M a r i m b a

M a s t e r s .

T o d a y w r i t e r s a r e m o r e j u d i c i o u s in t h e i r c h o i c e of subjec t

m a t t e r f o r e n s e m b l e t r a n s c r i p t i o n , drawing upon a v a r i e t y of

m u s i c a l s t y l e s f r o m di f fer ing m u s i c a l p e r i o d s . P e r h a p s t h e s e

t r a n s c r i b e r s a r e a l s o m o r e a t tent ive to the m u s i c a l n e e d s of the

m a r i m b a e n s e m b l e , which a p p e a r s to be growing in popular i ty

throughout the United S t a t e s . T h e fu ture looks bright f o r th i s

in s t rumenta l m e d i u m and f o r the c o m p o s e r s and t r a n s c r i b e r s who

wi l l wr i t e f o r i t .

S o l o t e c h n i q u e s , m a r i m b a e n s e m b l e s , and ins trument c o n -

s t ruc t ion have a l l s e e n e x t e n s i v e rev i ta l i za t ion throughout the l a s t

twenty y e a r s . P e r h a p s if the s o l o t r a n s c r i p t i o n w e r e to be r e v i t a l -

i z e d , m o r e s i g n i f i c a n t contr ibut ions to the m a r i m b a r e p e r t o i r e

48

would be made. The Scarlatti and Tchaikovsky transcriptions by

Erwin and Stevens point in this direction. Other sources which

might provide a rich source of material would be the unmeasured

preludes of Couperin, guitar and lute pieces by Carruli and

Fernando S o r , vocal transcriptions of descriptive chansons such, as

La Guerre by Jannequin, and perhaps some of Gesualdo's madri-

gals . Compositions such as these , carefully prepared, not only

would provide f resh , viable music but would also extend the per im-

eters of our knowledge.

The transcription has contributed a popular body of l i tera-

ture to the marimba. However, it must continue to reflect the

growth, development, and maturity of this instrument if it i s to

remain a significant part of the marimba repertoire.

49

BIBLIOGRAPHY

B a r n e t t , W a l l a c e . T h e Mal le t P e r c u s s i o n s and How to Use T h e m . Chicago: J . C . Deagan C o m p a n y , 1964.

B l a d e s , J a m e s . P e r c u s s i o n I n s t r u m e n t s and T h e i r H i s t o r y . New York : F r e d e r i c k A . P r a e g e r , 1970.

B o r w i c k , L e o n a r d . " A r r a n g e m e n t . " G r o v e ' s Dic t iona ry of Music and M u s i c i a n s , 5th e d . , 10 v o l s . , e d . E r i c B l o m . London: M a c m i l l a n , 1954-1961, I , 226 -228 .

B r a h m s , J o h a n n e s . sKmt l i che Werke , 26 v o l s . , e d . E u s e b i u s Mandy-c z e w s k i , Hans G£l . Leipzig: Bre i tkopf and H a r t e l , 1926-1927.

C h a p m a n , C l i f fo rd K. "The Development of Mal le t Keyboard P e r c u s s i o n f r o m the Late 18th C e n t u r y T h r o u g h the E a r l y 20th C e n t u r y . " P e r c u s s i o n i s t , XI1/2 (1975), 5 2 - 6 2 .

Chop in , F r y d e r y k F r a n c i e z e d k . C o m p l e t e W o r k s , 27 v o l s . , e d . Igacy J . P a d e r e w s k i , L . B r o n a r s k i , J . T u r z y n s k i . W a r s a w : Fryderyk Chopin Ins t i tu t e , 1949.

Chopin , F r e d e r i c k . M a s t e r w o r k s f o r the M a r i m b a , e d . C l a i r O m a r M u s s e r . Chicago: F o r s t e r Mus ic P u b l i s h e r s , 1940.

C o m b s , F . M i c h a e l , e d . Solo and E n s e m b l e L i t e r a t u r e f o r P e r c u s s i o n . Knoxvil le: P e r c u s s i v e A r t s S o c i e t y , 1978.

Demuth , N o r m a n . C e s a r F r a n c k . London: Dennis Dobson, 1949.

Dor i an , F r e d e r i c k . T h e H i s t o r y of Mus ic in P e r f o r m a n c e . New York: Nor ton , 1942.

Dunn, John P e t r i e . Ornamen ta t ion in the Works of F r e d e r i c k Chopin . London: Novel l o , 1921.

E v a n s , Edwin . Handbook to the P i a n o f o r t e W o r k s of B r a h m s . London: Wi l l iam R e e v e s , 1936.

F r a n c k , C e s a r A u g u s t e . P r a e l u d i u m , C h o r a l und Fugue , e d . E m i l

5 0

v o n S a u e r . N e w Y o r k : P e t e r s , n . d .

G e i r i n g e r , K a r l . B r a h m s , H i s L i f e and W o r k , 2nd e d . N e w Y o r k :

O x f o r d , 1 9 4 7 .

G e r b e r , R u d o l f . " J o h a n n e s B r a h m s . " D i e M u s i k in G e s c h i c h t e und G e g e n w a r t j 14 v o l s . e d . F r i e d r i c h B l u m e . K a s s e l : B a r e n r e i t e r - V e r l a g , 1 9 4 9 - 1 9 6 8 , II , c o l s . 1 8 4 - 2 1 2 .

H a m b u r g e r , P a u l . " M a z u r k a s , W a l t z e s and P o l o n a i s e s , " Th®

C h o p i n C o m p a n i o n , e d . A l a n W a l k e r . N e w Y o r k : N o r t o n ,

1 9 6 6 , 8 0 - 9 8 .

H o l m g r e n , M a r j . " C l a i r O m a r M u s s e r and the M a r i m b a S y m p h o n y

O r c h e s t r a . " P e r c u s s i v e N o t e s , XVI ( S p r i n g , S u m m e r ,

1 9 7 8 ) , 2 0 - 2 1 .

Indy , V i n c e n t d \ C e s a r F r a n c k : A T r a n s l a t i o n f r o m the F r e n c h .

N e w Y o r k : D o v e r P u b l i c a t i o n s , 1 9 6 5 .

K a h l , W i l l i . " F r e d e r i c k F r a n c o i s C h o p i n , " D i e M u s i k in

G e s c h i c h t e und G e g e n w a r t , 14 v o l s . e d . F r i e d r i c h B l u m e .

K a s s e l : B a r e n r e i t e r - V e r l a g , 1 9 4 9 - 1 9 6 8 , II, c o l s . 1 2 1 8 -

1 2 3 0 .

K l e c z n y s k i , J e a n . F r e d e r i c k Chopin: An I n t e r p r e t a t i o n of H i s W o r k s . T r a n s , by K i r k l i n d e . P a l m a d e M a l l o r c a : M o s s e n

A l c o v e r , 1 9 7 0 . O r i g i n a l e d i t i o n , f r o m P a r i s : F e l i x

M a d c a r , 1880 .

M a c C a l l u m , F r a n k . T h e B o o k of the M a r i m b a . N e w Y o r k : C a r l -

ton P r e s s , 1 9 6 9 .

M a c o m b e r , F r a n k S . " B a c h ' s R e - U s e of H i s Own M u s i c : A S t u d y in T r a n s c r i p t i o n s . " U n p u b l i s h e d P h . D . D i s s e r t a t i o n , S y r a c u s e U n i v e r s i t y , 1 9 6 7 .

M o h r , W i l h e l m . " C e s a r A u q u s t e F r a n c k , " D ie M u s i c k in G e s c h i c h t e und G e g e n w a r t , 14 v o l s . e d . F r i e d r i c h B l u m e . K a s s e l : B a r e n r e i t e r - V e r l a g , 1949—1968, I V , c o l s .

6 3 7 - 6 5 3 .

M u r d o c h , W i l l i a m . B r a h m s , With an A n a l y t i c a l S t u d y of t h e C o m p l e t e P i a n o f o r t e W o r k s . London: R i c h and C o w a n , 1 9 3 8 .

51

N e w m a n , Wi l l iam S . Sonata in the Baroque , r e v . e d . Chapel Hill: T h e U n i v e r s i t y of North Caro l ina P r e s s , 1966.

. Sonata in the C l a s s i c E r a . Chapel Hill: T h e Univers i ty North Caro l ina P r e s s , 1963.

. T h e Sonata S i n c e Bee thoven . Chapel Hill: T h e U n i v e r s i t y of North Caro l ina P r e s s , 1969.

N iemann , Wal ter . B r a h m s , t r a n s , by Cather ine Al l i son P h i l l i p s . New York: Cooper S q u a r e P u b l i s h e r s , 1969.

P a z d i r e k , F r a n z . Universa l -Handbuch d e r Musik l i teratur a l ler . Ze i ten und V o l k e r , 3 4 v o l s . Vienna: P a z d i r e k , 1 9 0 4 - 1 9 1 0 .

P e t e r s , Gordon B . " T r e a t i s e on P e r c u s s i o n . " Unpublished M a s t e r s T h e s i s . Roches ter : E a s t m a n S c h o o l of M u s i c , 1962.

P i m e n t e l , Linda. "Evolving S o l o T e c h n i q u e s f o r the M a r i m b a , " P e r c u s s i o n i s t , X / 1 (1973), 1 9 - 2 1 .

"Evolving S o l o T e c h n i q u e s f o r the M a r i m b a , " P e r c u s -s' ionist , X / 4 (1973), 1 0 7 - 1 1 0 .

. "Evolving S o l o T e c h n i q u e s f o r the M a r i m b a , " P e r c u s -s i o n i s t , X / 2 (1974), 7 7 - 8 1 .

P i m e n t e l , Linda and J a m e s L . M o o r e . T h e S o l o M a r i m b i s t , 2 v o l s . C o l u m b u s , Ohio: P e r m u s P u b l i c a t i o n s , 1976.

R e e s e , Gustave . Mus ic in the R e n a i s s a n c e , r e v . e d . New York: Norton, 1959.

Re id , E v e r e t t Chip . " P e r c u s s i o n Bib l iography . " Unpublished document on depos i t at North T e x a s S ta te U n i v e r s i t y , S p r i n g , 1977.

S c a r l a t t i , D o m e n i c o . T h r e e Scar la t t i S o n a t a s , e d . Karen E r w i n . Northr idge , Cal i fornia: Studio Four P r o d u c t i o n s , 1978.

T s c h a i k o v s k y , P e t e r I ly ich . S e l e c t i o n s f r o m Album f o r the Young, e d . Leigh Howard S t e v e n . Nor thr idge , Cal i fornia: Studio Four P r o d u c t i o n s , 1979.

52

Westberg, Susan K . , ed . International Percuss ion Reference Library, Tempe: A r i z o n a State Univers i ty , 1979.

Young, P e r c y M. E lgar , P . M . : A Study of a Musician. London: Col l ins , 1955.