IMSLP Forums

I've downloaded the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Sergei Rachmaninoff), and I have some questions. Maybe obvious questions, but oh well...

At the page 2, there is a list of all instruments and its respective transpositions.

1) Is the corno inglese transposed to F? (There is nothing written, I'm supposing by the key signature.)

2) The clarinetti transposition is notated to as B. However, in the score it is transposed to Bb. So, why didn't they write "Bb" instead of "B"?

3) The corni is said to be transposed to F, but the key signature shows no transposition. Why?

1) Yes the english horn is in F.
2) B means Bb in german. H is B-natural. Just tradition that it's used here I guess.
3) Yes the horns are in F. Not to many years before this, natural horns were used and there was never a need for a key signature. Lots of composers around the turn of the century still didn't use key signatures for the horns even though the piece definitely called for a valved horn. Again I think it's tradition. (As a horn player I always prefer reading accidentals to key signatures.)

Really, music notation involves a lot of tradition. However, I guess all these peculiarities and differences from instrument to instrument would lead a player to experience additional difficulties if he plays two different instruments, like a horn and a violin.

Something like: "hey, this score is sounding strange... oh, nevermind, I was reading it as it had been written to a horn, sorry!"

BTW, interesting to read an opinion from a horn player. Thanks.

I agree with horndude. Accidentals are definitely preferable to key signatures. I see the convenience of key signatures, but it's almost impossible to miss notes when you don't have to remember the sharps or flats in the key.

Also, speaking of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, why is it blocked on IMSLP? What's its copyright situation?

Well, it was originally composed (and published) in 1934, so it'll be copyright in the US until 2030. IMSLP is currently denying access to files PD in Canada but copyright in the US because of the large volume of traffic coming from the latter country.
I wish Finale provided a method of transposition without a corresponding key signature being added...I'm not exactly ready to switch to Lilypond, but does that do better?

I completely agree! I don't write for horn except in F in finale because of that - so I end up with even more accidentals on the other parts (double sharps in a flat key, anyone?)

Finale does have a way of doing horn parts (or any other part, for that matter) without key signature.

Click on the staff tool, then click the beginning of the staff you are concerned with (click the tiny box just to the left of the clef). You will get a staff attributes box. Next to "transposition", you should click "select".

Here you have 2 choices for transposition. One is choosing the key signature, and the other is choosing "chromatic". If you choose chromatic, and then choose "F (Up P5)", the part will come out up a 5th from concert pitch, so it is still horn in F, but it will be without key signature, and with accidentals instead.

You will be keyless . . . . .

Thank you so much for that advice!

Strange - I don't get that. It's probably because I'm using Printmusic (because it's 400 cheaper).

I have Finale 2009, and the previous versions of Finale also had, at least back to Finale 2000, possibly further.