Charles Ives Sonata #2 for Violin

[AdaGio³]

My project for this year so far has been working on the rep. i'm doing with my teacher, but along with that i've been working on this side project since july. I've been working on a transcription of Charles Ives's 2nd violin sonata, just the 2nd movement. Ives is my favorite composer of all time, so it was one of my goals to try and perform one of his pieces before I graduate. I'm a junior now, but I figure that i'll be too busy with audition stuff next year so I'm trying to do it by febuaryish this year.

My question is if I should change the piece into a different more do-able key for bass. As of right now, i've been practicing it in the original key with octave changes all over the place. I'm questioning to bring the key down a couple of notches and play the octaves as they should be played, or to keep it in the original key and do the major octave changes when it is insanly high? sorry if that is phrased unclearly, i dont know of a better way to say it.

[jazzbassnerd]

IMHO change the key. I think it's better to keep the melody fluency than to keep it in the key.

[Cory Palmer]

If you are going to play a piece on an instrument other than the instrument originally intended for the piece you might as well change the key to make it playable. It's done with Bach all the time. I saw Ira Gold's recital at Peabody a few weeks ago. He played the 4th Cello Suite in D Major. The original key is E-flat Major. Changing the key made the suite much more playable. I think it's close to impossible to play on the bass in E-flat. At least the Prelude.

[dansolobass]

Playing transcriptions in different keys works well in music of early eras such as baroque and classical since tonality was not firmly set as a standard throughout the region. In Bach's time, tonality in one area would be totally different from another area. Also, composers would write many transcriptions of their own music in different keys for various instruments. For these reasons and more, most people feel free to transpose early works to fit the instrument. Later as tonality became standardized composers began to use specific keys as a strong foundation of the music, and essential to the integrity of the piece. I would be hesitant in transposing anything after around 1850. However, you should feel free to learn anything anyway you want. There is little that you would lose in an effort to learn a different piece how you see fit. I think it’s great to attempt these new things. I do myself, however, I’m cautious as to what I will perform because once you get it out in public and it’s susceptible to criticism it’s a different story. Good luck with the Ives!

[jazzbassnerd]

I've been thinkin....

Of all the composers pieces you could transpose, I really think that Ives would care the least, and might've even enjoyed his piece going from the violin to the bass in a different key.

Maybe the pianist should stay in the violin key actually.

[AdaGio³]

Originally Posted by jazzbassnerd

I've been thinkin....

Of all the composers pieces you could transpose, I really think that Ives would care the least, and might've even enjoyed his piece going from the violin to the bass in a different key.

Maybe the pianist should stay in the violin key actually.

haha! Ives would like it that way. But this movement is mostly tonal, so I'll try and keep it that way lol

[jonas43]

Hi!
It's a long time since you wrote this, but... If you finished the transcription it would be really interesting to see or hear how it turned out!
Jonas