The Art of Arrangement

Translating Without Betraying

Traduttore, traditore — “To translate is to betray,” as the Italian saying goes.

To arrange a piece of music is, in a sense, to “translate” it into an instrumentation different from the original. This may involve various approaches — transcription, transposition, adaptation, reduction, reconstruction, instrumentation or orchestration — all of which entail transformations without necessarily amounting to acts of betrayal. Arrangement fulfils a fundamental purpose: allowing musical works to travel between voices, instruments, ensembles and eras, thereby helping to preserve and transmit them.

Before the advent of recordings and radio, arrangements played an essential role in bringing music to a wider audience. Through reductions and adaptations, symphonic and operatic works, for example, found their way into homes, drawing rooms and public gardens, reaching far beyond concert halls and opera houses.

Yet arrangement is more than a practical necessity: it can also give rise to remarkable artistic achievements. Consider Bach, who adapted Vivaldi’s violin concertos for the harpsichord; Liszt, who transcribed operatic excerpts and symphonic works for piano; or Ravel, who orchestrated Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. These examples testify to the creative richness of arrangement and its rightful place in the history of music.

Arrangement seeks neither to correct the original work nor to replace it. As Ferruccio Busoni observed: “A transcription does not destroy the original version: the latter therefore suffers no loss on account of the former.” Far from obscuring the original work, an arrangement offers a new way of hearing it, reveals fresh facets and testifies to its timeless richness. It is not an act of betrayal, but a tribute to the composer and an expression of love for the work.

Arranging Without Disrupting

Such love, however, must be guided by understanding. It calls for careful study of the work and its form, together with a thorough knowledge of its stylistic language. The arranger must combine fidelity to the original writing with technical mastery and imagination, preserving musical coherence while exploring the possibilities offered by each instrument.

Every instrument has its own personality, timbre, range and technical characteristics. A melody played on the violin sounds different on the clarinet; a work performed on the harpsichord resonates differently on the piano. Differences in tone colour, attack, articulation and resonance can significantly alter our perception of music.

Far from being mere constraints, these differences are also sources of inspiration. They invite us to imagine new sonic balances and discover unexpected colours: an oboe lends a distinctive flavour to a ragtime piece; a harpsichord brings out the charm of a Brazilian composition; a clarinet, cello and piano trio gives a new dimension to a melody originally written for voice and piano; a vibraphone casts a different light on a work by Mozart.

Without distorting the original works, such unexpected instrumental combinations can reveal facets that might otherwise remain undiscovered. The essential point is that boldness must serve the music, and every instrumental choice must be artistically justified.

A Musical Heritage to Share

It is in this spirit of respect for our musical heritage and commitment to passing it on that STRADIVARIUS Editions offers an extensive catalogue of exclusive arrangements, crafted from original sources or first editions.

Unless otherwise stated, works are presented in their entirety, without cuts. Adjustments to register or key may be made where necessary to ensure idiomatic writing and encourage natural, comfortable performance suited to the characteristics of each instrument.

A clarinettist and composer of light music, described by Jean Françaix as “an excellent musician and indefatigable arranger”, Frédéric Cellier is responsible for most of the arrangements published by STRADIVARIUS Editions.

His work has been praised by numerous distinguished figures in the musical world, including Michèle Auric, Jean Françaix, Adrian Gershwin, Wynton Marsalis, Yehudi Menuhin, Madeleine Milhaud, Manuel Rosenthal, Gabriel Tacchino and Ornella Volta.

Their testimonials highlight the essential qualities of his arrangements, both instrumentally — in the care taken to write idiomatically for each instrument — and musically, in the stylistic accuracy and coherence of the choices made.

STRADIVARIUS Editions champions a particular vision of arrangement: faithful to the spirit of the original works, attentive to the needs of performers and open to new possibilities of interpretation.

A single ambition underpins every edition: to offer all musicians thoughtfully crafted, exacting arrangements that enrich their repertoire, deepen their enjoyment of playing and contribute to bringing the great works of music to a wider audience and sharing them with the world.

Testimonials

"Frédéric Cellier has produced a number of adaptations of Georges Auric's works with such talent and precision that I consider them a natural addition to his chamber music catalogue."
Michèle AURIC - Georges Auric's widow

"To Frédéric Cellier, excellent musician and tireless arranger."
Jean FRANÇAIX - Composer and pianist

"Arranging a musical work is always a delicate and risky exercise, because it requires both modifying it so that it can be played by the desired instruments and preserving its very essence. But that is exactly what Frédéric Cellier has done, preserving the nuances, subtleties and soul of the original works while breathing new life into them.
His arrangements give all the musicians the chance to perform these compositions specially revisited for their instrument, and make music lovers rediscover them in a new light."
Adrian GERSHWIN - George Gershwin’s grandson

"Congratulations for your beautiful new orchestration and rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue."
Wynton MARSALIS - Trumpet player, composer, bandleader, general and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York

“I have known and admired Frédéric Cellier for several years. He is an excellent musician, and I am more than happy to grant him permission to arrange works by my late husband.”
Madeleine MILHAUD - Widow of Darius Milhaud

"It is outstanding that Frédéric Cellier has managed to transpose Saxophone Marmalade from the saxophone to the clarinet. I thank him for it and wish its great and deserved success."
Manuel ROSENTHAL - Conductor, composer and Maurice Ravel’s pupil

"I am very happy to tell you how much I appreciated your transcription of the Capriccio, based on Francis Poulenc's Le Bal Masqué. It perfectly reflects the spirit and verve of the score for two pianos that I had the opportunity to play and record with Jacques Février, and it was a great pleasure for me to premiere it in Montpellier."
Gabriel TACCHINO - Pianist, Francis Poulenc’s specialist

"I must tell you that I really like your transcriptions and that I think the tone of the instruments you have chosen suits perfectly our beloved composer."
Ornella VOLTA - Musicologist, president of the Erik Satie’s Foundation