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Transcriptions
As the adage goes, everything old becomes new again. Transcriptions are simultaneously retrospective and forward-looking, as the transcriber takes a gem of the past and re-imagines it into an entity that resonates with the present. The art of transcription used to flourish as an essential element of the pianist’s prowess, whether for purposes of modernization, virtuosic display, or as a conduit for large-scale ensemble works before the age of recording. The intricate process of transcription often determined the extent of the pianist's musical ingenuity and dexterity. As the formidable pianist – and prolific transcriber – Ferruccio Busoni pronounced:
Transcription occupies an important place in the literature of the piano; and looked at from a right point of view, every important piano piece is the reduction of a big thought to a practical instrument. But transcription has become an independent art; no matter whether the starting-point of a composition is original or unoriginal. Bach, Beethoven, Liszt, and Brahms were evidently all of the opinion that there is artistic value concealed in a pure transcription, for they all cultivated the art themselves, seriously and lovingly.
Anderson & Roe transcriptions honor this great tradition of infusing the old with a fresh and deeply personal perspective.
Many Anderson & Roe arrangements are available for sale. Buy the sheet music directly on the Composition Page!
