Concert pitch question

• Nov 11, 2017 - 05:04

I'm new to concert pitch. In general, are scores (for a symphony for instance) written in concert pitch?

For example, if I am looking at a score and one of the parts is for the timpani in F and the first notated pitch is C, what is the score asking for? Is it asking for a concert C? If I understand correctly, then the timpani player would play an F which would result in a concert C. OR is the score telling me that the timpani player is playing the timpani C resulting in a concert G?


Comments

Hi, Timpani are not transposing instruments, they play / sounds as notated. The indication i.e. Timpani in G C is for the executor: One timpano must be tuned G the other C (sorry for my English, I am italian)

In reply to by 2112Rob_Crowe

As walter55 said, Timpani parts often tell what notes to tune the timpani to. The timpani does not transpose, it is a C instrument like the flute and violin. You score is telling the timpanist to tune his timpani to F. When you look at the score, you will see that the only note the timpani plays now is an F, unless there is a direction to tune the timpani to another note.

Now, the answer to your initial question, are Classical scores written transposed? The answer is about 99.99% yes. I have seen the occasional score written in concert pitch, but it is very rare. There are clues that will help you decide if the score is written in concert pitch such as, are there transposing instruments? Are their key signatures the same as the flute and violin? If yes, the score may be written in concert pitch. If the concert key is C, then this question probably will not work. Transposing instruments like horns and trumpets almost never have a key signature in classical scores, Clarinets are often written without key signatures also. Clarinet music written after about 1800 usually does have the proper transposed key signature. If the score was written by someone know for atonal music, like Berg, there will be no key signatures and the score will be written transposed. If none of this helps, you will need to look into the music. Are the Bb clarinets and flutes constantly playing the same notes? If so, then you probably have a concert pitch score. This is less true of A clarinets, since A to C is a minor 3rd which is a more common interval found in music. I would still suspect a concert pitch score if I saw them playing the same notes with the accidentals constantly. The last test is to look at any words written on the score. The composer or publisher may tell you that it is a concert pitch score.

In reply to by mike320

Just to add to the excellent information above:

It is probably more accurate to say orchestra scores are commonly published as transposed scores. But they are originally written at concert pitch by most composers, and then transposed afterwards. Certainly this is true now that we have software to transpose for us. But even back in the day, Ravel probably worked out his ideas at concert pitch and then transposed them when recopying his original scraps of paper to nicer-looking manuscript to hand off to the publisher.

In reply to by Marc Sabatella

Marc, I agree with you. Composers thinks on "note reali". In a "orchestra" - I am conductor- musician must have transposed notation. It would be a problem, for example, for a conductor: Stravinsky Rite in concert pitch would be a great help for studying ( I don't know if someone did this transcription). But on rehearsals and concert transposed score is mandatory. And for a conductor is mandatory to know the "setticlavio".

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