The inside story: Bringing great music to performing musicians

“Wow, that was such a great concert!” Isn’t hearing that from audience members what we musicians live for? In the end, the musical experience that musicians bring to their audiences is the reason every one of us got into the music business. But getting there is a long story, with many threads. I love hearing audience members say, “Where did you find that arrangement?” Or “I had never heard of that composer before. That was fantastic!” I want to talk a bit about one aspect of the story: the role of the music publisher in bringing great music to performing musicians.

“Wouldn’t that sound great on the trombone?”

We have such an abundance of possible musical experiences in our world. A soulful love song, a delightful piano ditty, or a great symphonic tone poem brings listeners to such diverse experiences that we can hardly put them in the same category. But they all begin at a similar place. Whether it is inspired by a tender moment, a random observation, or even a commission for a new piece for a solemn occasion, all begin at that indefinable human moment, the moment of conception.

Even transcriptions of music already composed for other musical forces begin with an inspiration. I am one of those instrumentalists who sees opportunities (maybe too often!) for new musical experiences by adapting music written for other instruments. Who is to say that the musical experience of listening to an arrangement of a classic is any less valid than listening to the original work? Even the great composers of the past transcribed their own or other composers’ works for a new set of instruments.

The search is on

The role of the publisher—or, rather—how I define myself in that role, includes impresario, manager of intellectual property, and marketer. But my most important role is to be a sleuth, to find and deliver great music, music that musicians want to perform, and that audiences will love to hear. But where do I begin? One of my solutions is to start with the repertoire of established ensembles. I have long admired the SAKURA Cello Quintet, whose unique instrumentation of five cellos has inspired and often required the group to make their own arrangements of beloved classics. Ascenda offers the SAKURA Cello Quintet Library, which includes such gems as Debussy’s The Girl with the Flaxen Hair and Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise.

Have you encountered a talented performer who has an unheralded talent for writing arrangements? Do you know a shy composer? Peter Henderson, the St. Louis Symphony’s pianist and an Associate Professor of Music and Artist-in-Residence at Maryville University, is also an inspired composer. Peter’s Rückblick, a song without words for tenor trombone, bass trombone, or tuba and piano, is a prime example of music that musicians need to know about.

Setting sail

Identifying great music that performing musicians want to play and that audiences will love is only the beginning. In next week’s blog, I will continue this exploration by discussing the inside story of the role of the music publisher in bringing intriguing music to the marketplace, where you, the performing musician, can easily find the music that audiences will want to hear again and again.