Transcribing Nutcracker suite, running into difficulties
Obviously, going from an orchestral score to a piano duet score is hard in general. But I am running into some difficulties with transposition. 2 instruments I am transposing are Bb clarinet and A trumpet. Usually, this isn't hard. But I have run into a spot where it differs a lot depending on whether or not it is down a third or down 3 notes on the scale. The Bb clarinet note looks like a D so I know it is C. The A trumpet note looks like a D as well. Usually, I would transpose it to B, down a third. But this leads to a minor second. This isn't so bad in an orchestral texture. But in a piano duet, it is quite noticeable and quite dissonant.
Here is the chord I am going to get if I go with my usual transposition:
C
B
F#
B
D#
As you can see, the bottom 4 notes are a B major chord. But it has a C mixed in with it. This not only makes there be a second interval between the C and the B, but also between the C and the D#(thankfully, these notes are several octaves away so the second won't be noticeably dissonant, the top B though is only 1 octave away so it will be noticeably dissonant), and a tritone between the C and the F#. I think that the tritone will be very noticeably dissonant, even with the F# being 3 octaves away from the C.
If I go with a 3 notes down the scale transposition, the top B becomes an A. Same dissonance level but with different notes(2 seconds and 1 tritone). I don't think I want this level of dissonance in a piano duet. But if I change the top note, it won't go to F# as it is supposed to before the A section starting with the G major chord comes back.
Now what? If changing the transposition of the A trumpet line won't work and I can't change the notes in the Bb clarinet line, how am I going to avoid the mixed major/diminished sound from the tritone with the top note and the major chord? How else can I make it not so dissonant, especially since the chord has 2 seconds along with the tritone? Or will the tritone not be noticeably dissonant with the F# being 3 octaves away from the C and thus I won't get much of a diminished sound?
Here is the score I am transcribing. Measure 22 on page 26 is where I am getting trouble related to dissonance.
ks4.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/8/83/IMSLP263374-PMLP03607-The_Nutcracker_Suite.pdf
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How does it come that you encounter this problem of dissonnance only in bar 22? How did you transcribe the first bars at the beginning of the secound part?
The solution is very simple: in the 1st movement the clarinet parts are set for Bb clarinet, in the 2nd movement they have to use A clarinets. That means: in the 2nd movement both instruments (clar. & trp.) play the same voice.
Comment to your answers below:
Are you doing the transcription with a computer program a) or by hand b) ? In the first case it must have sounded the same dissonant as in bar 22 if you did it correct (considering there were Bb clarinets, as the clar, and trp). Play in unison from the beginning ... and as you transposed the Bb clar. a secound up and the A trp. a small third up there must always have been a small second. the C played by a Bb clarinet doesn‘t sound as a B it is actually a Bb (flat)
I‘ve googled this site in imslp: you‘ll find several arrangements for four hands or 2 pianos and also for only 1 piano:https://imslp.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker_(suite),Op.71a(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)
I‘ve downloaded now the transcription for four hands from imslp. I think they are both useful.
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