Hanuš Trneček’s solo harp arrangement of Smetana’s Moldau is commonly modified and rearranged in printed editions and live performances. When deciding whether to make changes to the arrangement, a performer should review six considerations: text, historical materials, structure, precedent, pragmatism, and taste. Text and historical materials draw on written authority, while the rest draw on unwritten authority. One common change to Trneček’s arrangement is to restore the final chords to correspond to Smetana’s original, drawing on the textual authority of the orchestral score. A common structural consideration is fixing misprints in the arrangement. Despite Trneček’s arrangement changing the key signature and cutting sections of the original entirely, the precedent set by a century of harp studios is faithful to the abridged version. Pragmatic alterations to orchestral harp parts have a long tradition, and Trneček’s modification of the moonlight passage in Moldau reflects this tradition. Considerations of taste apply to the final pages of Trneček’s arrangement, which replaces Smetana’s gradual decrescendo with loud, virtuosic arpeggios. Harpists can elect to cut some of these arpeggios, perform them as written, or fully commit to the bravura. Ultimately, any arrangement or rearrangement is a means to an end in conveying the celebration and spirit of the music.

Works: Hanuš Trneček: Moldau for solo harp (26-32).

Sources: Bedřich Smetana: Moldau from Má vlast (26-32).

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: Matthew Van Vleet