Selection: Classical Transcriptions for Concert Band

By Mike Pearce

Despite the abundance of high quality, original band literature available for bands to play, there may be occasions when your band will rehearse and perform orchestral transcriptions. If you choose music from the Classical Period, encompassing the years from the mid-l8th through the early l9th centuries, and if your band is to accurately play transcriptions of works by Mozart, Pergolesi, Haydn, early Beethoven, or others from the period, there are important considerations to be addressed to assist your contemporary concert band in faithfully reproducing the unique sounds of this period.

Conceptual Approach

Directions to take in having a concert band play classical transcriptions can generally be assigned to one of two broad categories: