Posted by Jay Bertolet on December 03, 2001 at 17:03:50:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Romantic era Solos posted by Sean Chisham on December 03, 2001 at 10:09:12:
Sorry I misunderstood your original post, I though you were advocating learning to transpose at any interval, much like a trumpet player learns to do.
I couldn't agree more about your observations regarding arrangements. So often, those original works are butchered in the process. Anytime I perform a piece that is transcribed, I get my hands on a copy of the original and see how they line up. That way, I have a better chance at seeing what the composer's original intent was.
I almost included in my earlier post an argument for the lack of necessity to learn hardcore transposition techniques. With the advances in recent years of desktop publishing technology, I have to wonder if musicians will ever have to transpose anything ever again, except out of tradition. Even now, we have computers that can take sound input, and convert it into notation which can then be manipulated. How long will it be before we're all reading a computer screen (portable, of course) with the notes on it instead of the paper parts we currently have? The Metropolitan Opera is already using small monitors mounted on the backs of chairs during their performances to show audience members the subtitles to their productions rather than projecting them above the stage. As modern technology is applied to the art, there are some exciting possibilities for improvements in our environment, improvements that could lead to substantial improvements in the quality of our performances.
My opinion for what it's worth...