Brahms Symphony No.2 in D transcribed for organ by David Briggs

[Keraulophone]

Maybe what I wanted to say, without listing a whole list of composers, is that there is an awful lot of decidedly third-rate music which routinely finds its way into recital programmes. Rheinberger springs to mind, pedagogic and stodgy. I’m no fan of any of the Mendelssohn Sonatas, he wrote so much more that is way ahead in terms of quality. A few one - hit ‘not’ wonders, Britten Vittoria for instance. I could go on but I’ve sat through so many dull-as-dishwater recitals over the years that I became very choosy about attending- especially as so many fail to publish programmes in advance. Perhaps the most comatose was one given by an ex cathedral organist who programmed the entire Elgar Vesper Voluntaries...

I agree with your every word. We could add Tippett's Monteverdi Vespers Prelude to the Britten 'one-hit wonders why'. They must both have regarded the organ as innately unmusical vehicle for their compositions, which is a reasonable viewpoint when compared to the piano, violin or theramin.

[Pulcinella]

I agree with your every word. We could add Tippett's Monteverdi Vespers Prelude to the Britten 'one-hit wonders why'. They must both have regarded the organ as innately unmusical vehicle for their compositions, which is a reasonable viewpoint when compared to the piano, violin or theramin.

Britten uses the organ in St Nicolas and the War Requiem.

[Keraulophone]

Britten uses the organ in St Nicolas and the War Requiem.

...and in many other accompanimental roles, most brilliantly in Rejoice in the Lamb. But the Vittoria piece is the only one he wrote for organ solo that is ever played. There are in fact three other short pieces of Britten organ music, two of which were provided for a West End play. Of the Vittoria Prelude, The Times concluded that it was 'a contrived attempt to make bricks without straw' presumably referring to the nine notes of rather dull plainsong on which it is based.

[Braunschlag]

No worries: but the confusion also arose because you too seem not in favour of transcriptions whereas I don't think he is agin them per se!
:

But, are they transcriptions or mere arrangements?

[Pulcinella]

But, are they transcriptions or mere arrangements?

You might have to defer to the arranger/transcriber to get their answer to that.

[Keraulophone]

But, are they transcriptions or mere arrangements?

Something like the Goldberg Variations payed by a chamber group is an ‘arrangement’ in which all the notes Bach wrote are played, though not in the way he intended. Or maybe this is also a ‘transcription’ in which the various musical lines have been transcribed to different instruments/players? Other arrangements can be a further development of the original, such as Britten’s arrangement of the National Anthem. This isn’t a ‘mere’ arrangement, but in this case a very effective version of the original. Briggs says he has ‘transcribed’ the Brahms Symphony for organ from the full orchestral score. It’s the complete work, but playable by one person on a huge instrument of tremendous dynamic and tonal range, but not what Brahms had in mind.