MUSIC FOR AMATEUR MUSIC-MAKING

Here is a list of pieces I’ve arranged for string players, over many years, and which people have occasionally badgered me to make available. As I work through nearly two decades of files, the list here will grow, so please check back from time to time.

Some of the pieces are lightly edited new editions; others are arranged from an original for other instruments. And still others are simplified arrangements, or include simplified parts made for a specific occasion.

Scores and individual parts are available for each piece. You can download the scores to determine if the arrangement suits your needs, but the parts are available on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis.

If you have a Paypal account, you can easily do this by clicking on the button below: I'll email the parts to the address linked to the payment. Be sure to include the details of which piece you want, in Paypal's 'Add a note' section, or I won't know what to send.

If you don't have a Paypal account, send me an email and we can arrange payment by other means.

The parts will arrive as a set of individual PDF files. Please keep them for the sole use of your ensemble, but I hope you will tell all your string-playing friends about this page!

String orchestra

CPE Bach: Divertimento (str orch) Originally for flute, violin, viola and basso continuo, it works well in an orchestral setting or one-to-a-part.

Beethoven: 6th Symphony i (str orch) A 19C arrangement for string sextet, to which I added three simplified parts (Violin IIa, Viola IIa and Cello IIa). This has been used by an orchestra with basses playing the Cello IIa part.

Corelli-Geminiani: La Folia (str orch) Corelli's violin sonata, a set of variations on the well-known La Folia theme, turned into a Concerto Grosso by Geminani. It works well for string quartet, using the three concertino parts and viola.

Handel: Three Pieces (str orch) Three instrumental pieces from two of Handel's operas (Serse and Tamerlano), very lightly edited. Each was written in three parts (the violins in unison throughout), so these are also suitable for string trio.

Georg Hoth: Suite (str orch) A pleasing group of pieces in a quasi-baroque style.

Mendelssohn: String Symphony 9 iii (str orch) The Scherzo movement, with two viola parts.

Erwin Schulhoff: Ostinato (str orch) A charming collection of six short pieces, each with a repeating element. Schulhoff lived during the first half of the 20C; he was more inclined to use elements of jazz than serialism in his work.

Verdi: Prelude to La Traviata (str orch) The Prelude to Act I, arranged for string orchestra, with violas and cellos divided throughout. Includes some fingering.

Vivaldi: Sinfonia RV 160 (str orch) In A major. Vivaldi called this a concerto, but as it has no soloist, I've used the title Sinfonia.

Vivaldi: Sinfonia RV 163 (str orch) Another non-concerto, this one in B-flat major. It has some unusual corners which make it fun to play.

String quartets

Beethoven: Two Bagatelles (str quartet) Two bagatelles arranged from the Op.33 piano originals: one fast and one slow.

Beethoven: Two More Bagatelles (str quartet) A second pair of bagatelles from Op.33: a medium-slow one and a Scherzo-like Presto.

Brahms: Wie schnell verschwindet (str quartet) The eleventh song from Die schöne Magelone, op.33, arranged for string quartet in the key of D.

Elgar: The Shower (str quartet) Arrangement of this beautiful short choral work.

Robert Johnson: Two Pieces (str quartet) Robert Johnson was a lutenist and composer in the courts of Elizabeth I and James I. These two character pieces (The Temporiser and The Witty Wanton) were originally for viol consort.

Purcell: Here the deities approve (str quartet) This is my favourite of Purcell's ground bass arias, in a crowded field. Found in his 1683 Ode Welcome to all the pleasures.

String trios (violin, viola, cello)

J. S. Bach: Sonata BWV 525 i (str trio) The first movement of one of Bach's six great Trio Sonatas for organ, simplified. (Below is a less simplified version of the whole sonata.)

J. S. Bach: Sonata BWV 525 complete (str trio) All three movements, closer to the original version and therefore a bit more technically demanding than the first movement version above. The cello takes the pedal part, which is not as busy as the two upper parts.

J. S. Bach: Two Inventions (str trio) Two of the 3-Part Inventions arranged for violin, viola and cello; the first is playable by two violins and cello (a separate Violin 2 part is included). In the second, a few ossias are provided to simplify some awkward corners.

Mendelssohn: Lift Thine Eyes (str trio) Arrangement of this well-known short vocal trio from the oratorio Elijah.

String duos

J. H. Klein: Suite I in D major (2 violins) Jacob Klein (1688-1748) was a cellist who composed almost entirely for that instrument. This is a suite originally for two cellos, arranged for two violins. (Because the score is also the part, it has an obscuring watermark across each page, but you can see enough to know what it's like.)

J. H. Klein: Suite II in C major (2 violins) A second suite arranged for two violins, this one slightly more demanding technically than the first suite. Obscuring watermark again, sorry.

Lower string groups

Haydn: Divertimento (lower str) Two movements from one of Haydn's many trios that include the baryton, the instrument played by his employer Nikolaus Esterházy. Viola takes the top line, with the others by cellos and optional bass.

Brahms: 2nd Symphony themes (lower str) A short tour of the first movement's themes, for viola and three cellos, with optional bass.