Are transcriptions considered "original compositions"?

[throwawaynotreally]

Say if a competition states that competitors have to play an "own composition", would a transcription of a previous work count?

On the same note, if I made a piano transcription of a Vivaldi Concerto (with nothing added etc.) today, can it be considered a 21st Century composition, or would it be Baroque?

[iansinclair]

I suppose opinions may differ -- but for me at least, a transcription is just that: a transcription.  There is nothing original about it (although I will freely admit that it may take some considerable composing skill to make it sound decent).

For that matter, I do not regard an arrangement to be original, unless it is a fairly extended one -- an example of the latter would be the Vaughn Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, or any one of the many uses of the Gregorian Dies Irae in piano and symphonic music.  But that is a somehat more grey area.  But a transcription?  No hope.

[visitor]

No , a transcript is just that, a copy.
However a varoations on a theme of, impromtu on a tune, or even highly developed paraphrase on something can pass/fly, depending on how much tranformstion and original content you inject into the work inspired by another.

[throwawaynotreally]

Thank you both!