From time to time, in music, one composer will expand the
work of another composer. Perhaps the most famous example is Modest Mussorgsky’s
Pictures at an Exhibition. Written in 1874 as a piano suite in ten
movements, it was orchestrated by Maurice Ravel in 1922. With that in mind I
decided to expand on Whistler’s Nocturne in Blue and Silver: The Lagoon,
Venice. Whistler’s Nocturne itself sets the tone and the mood, it provides
the melody, rhythms, and harmony. I added a still life to orchestrate the piece.
It’s not hard to hear the cellos playing the low, rich tones of the velvet. The
black jacket of the book brings in the double basses and the percussion
section. The violins and violas add warmth to the piece as they play the red
and umber tones of the table. The white vase is expressed by the flutes and
piccolos as the oboes splash a bit of light on the tabletop. The lettering on
the book lets us know that Rembrandt is conducting the orchestra…
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