Orchestration (Mendelssohn)

Hello

On this occasion, and to increase my skills with regard to brass instruments, I have orchestrated a song by Mendelssohn, Op. 19 No. 3 (Hunting Song), originally for solo piano.

The ensemble consists of four French horns, two trumpets, two trombones, and one tuba.

I had to improvise to resolve some passages where the registers were very high, but it is not a literal copy, rather a version with certain liberties taken.

I have respected the original key (A major, which is not bad for brass). But another might have been better, such as B flat major (but some notes were too high for me).

Everything is untransposed and in separate systems (I am working on condensing it with the programme, but it's a bit of a nightmare...).

Hello @Luis Hernández!

Having just listened to your orchestration in comparison to the original piano work, I must say that the brass orchestration perfectly matches the character of the “Hunting Song.” The piano version is also beautiful, but it doesn't convey the image of a forest where hunters play before or after the hunt as strongly—perhaps this was also because the recording I heard was at a much faster tempo, which would have been uncomfortable for horns, trumpets, and trombones.

In the semiquaver runs, the french horns sound somewhat to „soft“ what might not be the case in a live recording (while the trumpets retain their typical brass timbre), but despite such nitpicks concerning the realism of the software reproduction, the entire piece sounds well balanced and there is nothing „rattling“ (that’s what I call it whenever there is something that had to be improved according to the listening impression).

A beautiful, authentic orchestration of a classical piece that captivates with its very own character!