Transposing a hymn for five players: three errors in one rehearsal
A 4-period candidate arranges a 16-bar hymn tune in concert E-flat major for flute, B-flat clarinet, horn in F, cello and piano. The brief asks for a clear melodic line and contrasting textures. At the first rehearsal, the clarinettist’s part is at concert pitch and sounds a major second below the piano; the horn part has been transposed down a fifth, so its written F3–C4 sounds muddy and a ninth below the intended line; the cello part descends to a sounding B-flat 1, below the cello’s bottom C2. The pianist doubles the melody in every bar, and the flute is inaudible in the two loudest passages. The ensemble has one 45-minute rehearsal before internal assessment. The candidate has stable notation software but no extra players.
1. Diagnose each transposition error and give the correct written key and octave for the clarinet and horn.
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Concert key is E-flat. The B-flat clarinet sounds a major second lower than written, so its written key must be F major: write each note up a major second. A part copied at concert pitch therefore sounds a major second low, which explains the clash with the piano.
The horn in F sounds a perfect fifth lower than written, so the written key must be B-flat major: write each note up a perfect fifth. The candidate wrote the horn down a fifth; the instrument then transposed it down another fifth, producing a sounding line a ninth below the intended one. Correct the clarinet by up a major second, the horn by up a perfect fifth, and check every sounding pitch at the keyboard before the next rehearsal. Do not correct only the key signature; the octave displacement in the horn part is the more audible fault.
2. The horn written range F3–C4 is wrong. What written range would you use for the intended concert C4–G4 line, and is it playable for a school horn player?
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If the intended concert line is C4–G4, the correct horn written range is G4–D5, because horn in F sounds a perfect fifth lower: written G4 sounds C4, written D5 sounds G4. That is playable for a good school horn player, though written D5 is near the top of a cautious range; simplify the rhythm there and mark a breath.
Do not keep the erroneous written F3–C4: it sounds Bb2–F3, muddy and a ninth low. If the player cannot manage written D5 reliably, redistribute the top note to the clarinet or flute and give the horn a sustained inner line. Do not transpose the whole horn part down an octave, because written G3–D4 would sound C3–G3 and thicken the bass rather than clarify the melody.
3. How should the candidate fix balance and texture in 45 minutes without adding players?
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First 10 minutes: correct the transpositions and the cello’s sounding B-flat 1. The cello cannot play B-flat 1; its lowest note is C2. Rewrite that passage an octave higher as B-flat 2, or give the note to the piano’s left hand and keep the cello on a chord tone.
Next 15 minutes: remove the piano’s melody doubling in most bars. Let the piano provide off-beat chords or a single-line countermelody; give the melody to the flute in the loud passages; use clarinet and horn for sustained notes; keep the cello on a clear bass line. Last 20 minutes: rehearse two textures, full and reduced, record the ensemble, and check balance from the back of the room. The brief’s ‘contrasting textures’ is met by thinning the piano and varying who carries the tune, not by adding players.