ARRANGEMENT,or ADAPTATION, is the musical counterpart of literary translation.
Voices or instruments are as languages by which the thoughts or emotions of
composers are made known to the world; and the object of ARRANGEMENT is to make that which was written in one musical language intelligible in another. The functions of the arranger and translator are similar;for instruments,like languages, are characterised by peculiar idioms and special aptitudes and deficiencies which call for critical ability and knowledge of corresponding modes of expression in dealing with them. But more than all, the most indispensable quality to both is a capacity to understand the work they have to deal with. For it is not enough to put note for note or word for word or even to find corresponding idioms. The meanings and values of words and notes are variable with their relative positions, and the choice of them demands appreciation of the work generally, as well as of the details of the materials of which it is composed. It demands, in fact, a certain correspondence of feeling with the original author in the mind of the arranger or translator. Authors have often been fortunate in having other great authors for their translators, but few have written their own works in more languages than one. Music has had the advantage of not only having arrangements by the greatest masters, but arrangements by them of their own works. Such cases ought to be the highest order of their kind, and if there are any things worth noting in the comparison between arrangements and originals they ought to be found there.The earliest things which answered the purpose of arrangements were the publications of parts of early operas, such as the recitatives and airs with merely figured bass and occasional indications of a figure or a melody for the accompaniment. In this manner were published operas of LuUi and Handel, and many now forgotten composers for the stage of their time and before are not of a nature to arouse much interest.; but these The first arrangements which have any great artistic value are Bach's;and as they are many of them of his own works, there is, as has been before observed, especial reason for putting confidence in such conclusions as can be arrived at from the consideration of his mode of procedure. At the time when his attention was first strongly attracted to Italian instrumental music by the principles of form which their composers had originated,and worked with great skill,he arranged sixteen violin concertos of Vivaldi's for the clavier solo, and three of the same and a first movement for the organ.