ARRANGEMENT,or ADAPTATION, is the musical counterpart of literary translation.

Voices or instruments are as languages by which the thoughts or emotions of

composers are made known to the world; and the object of ARRANGEMENT is to make
that which was written in one musical language intelligible in another.
The functions of the arranger and translator are similar;for instruments,like
languages, are characterised by peculiar idioms and special aptitudes and
deficiencies which call for critical ability and knowledge of corresponding modes
of expression in dealing with them. But more than all, the most indispensable
quality to both is a capacity to understand the work they have to deal with. For it
is not enough to put note for note or word for word or even to find corresponding
idioms. The meanings and values of words and notes are variable with their relative
positions, and the choice of them demands appreciation of the work generally, as
well as of the details of the materials of which it is composed. It demands, in
fact, a certain correspondence of feeling with the original author in the mind of
the arranger or translator. Authors have often been fortunate in having other great
authors for their translators, but few have written their own works in more
languages than one. Music has had the advantage of not only having arrangements by
the greatest masters, but arrangements by them of their own works. Such cases ought
to be the highest order of their kind, and if there are any things worth noting in
the comparison between arrangements and originals they ought to be found there.The
earliest things which answered the purpose of arrangements were the publications of
parts of early operas, such as the recitatives and airs with merely figured bass
and occasional indications of a figure or a melody for the accompaniment. In this
manner were published operas of LuUi and Handel, and many now forgotten composers
for the stage of their time and before are not of a nature to arouse much
interest.; but these The first arrangements which have any great artistic value are
Bach's;and as they are many of them of his own works, there is, as has been before
observed, especial reason for putting confidence in such conclusions as can be
arrived at from the consideration of his mode of procedure. At the time when his
attention was first strongly attracted to Italian instrumental music by the
principles of form which their composers had originated,and worked with great
skill,he
arranged sixteen violin concertos of Vivaldi's for the clavier solo, and three of
the same and a first movement for the organ.