Music 1770: Intro to Music Technology

Sibelius/Logic Project: Arranging a classical score

Here are detailed step-by-step instructions.

NOTE: this Thursday, bring in and show me the printed (hard copy) of the piece you have chosen.

piano scores for arranging

Pick one of the pieces below for your arrangement. You can find countless piano recordings of all the following pieces online.

If you very much want to use a different piece, check it with me before Thursday’s class.

Frederic Chopin, Prelude in E minor, op. 28 no. 4

Edward MacDowell, “To a Wild Rose”

Erik Satie, Gymnopédie no. 1

Erik Satie, Three Gnossiennes (pick ony one of the three)

Largo (2. mvt.) from Dvorak’s Symphony no. 9, “From the New World”
Originally for orchestra: you will be arranging from this piano arrangement

looking ahead

The next project will be to export your arrangent as a MIDI file, open it in Logic, and do two things:
  1. “Perform” your arrangement in Logic, using its superior instrument library and more powerful digital audio tools to create a more expressive and realistic rendition of your arrangement.
  2. Then—separately—create a reimagining or “remix” of the original piece. This can depart profoundly from the original, as much as you like, as long as the original piece is recognizable in your realization.
I mention this now so you can keep it in mind when choosing the piece you want to arrange: It should be something you like enough to work with beyond the conventional “acoustic” Sibelius arrangement. The examples below can spark your imagination as to the possibilities.

Examples of pop re-imaginings of classics

Petzold, Minuet in G major (formerly attributed to J.S. Bach)

reimagined as...
The Toys, “A Lover’s Concerto”

L. v. Beethoven, Symphony no. 5, 1st movement

reimagined as...
Walter Murphy, “A Fifth of Beethoven”

Rossini, Overture to William Tell

reimagined as...
Spike Jones, “William Tell Overture”

J.S. Bach, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”

reimagined as...
Apollo 11, “Joy”

Bach, Bourée in E minor

As interpreted by Ian Anderson:

Mozart, “Ladrimosa” from the Requiem

reimagined as...
Evanescence, “Lacrimosa”

Introdution to “Autumn Leaves” (arr. Enoch Light)

reimagined as...
RJD2, “A Beautiful Mine”

(This example is compositionally simpler: it simply layers and loops different samples, making pitch and tempo adjustments to get them to mesh. This can definitely be the easy way out, involving less compositional re-working. But when it is done this well, the results are impressive.)