The problems of heredity / by E. Apert.

  • Apert, E. (Eugène), 1868-
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The problems of heredity / by E. Apert. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/68 (page 1689)
    The Use of the Pedals. This brings us to the use of the dais. To a passage of this sort we may apply what is called tlie “ s3-ncopatcd ” jiedal. The general rule as to pedalling with the damper pedal (the right foot pedal) is that we may dei)ress it, and keep it depressed, as long as the harmony of a passage does not change. When the harmony changes we must lift the foot and release the pedal, instantl}' re-deprc.ssing it if we wish a continuous pedal effect. For detached chords the pedal may be depressed at the same moment as the keys, but in the course of a legato passage the finger and foot must not go down simultaneously. On the contrary, the pedal must rise just as the next keys are being depressed, immediately going down again, however, to continue the new sounds. This “ syncopated ” pedalling join^ the sounds wthout allowing them to over- lap. If foot and finger rose togetfier there would be a short silence between the soimcLs. This sTOCopated pedalling may be applied to every note of a melody or every chord of a harmonic progression, such as the above-men- tioned Chopin chorale. Such constant pedalling in great portions of modern music is absolutely essential, but we must not lose sight of the great importance of omitting the pedal at other times. Many players of to-day over-pedal, ihus losing the advantage to be gained by the contrast between pedalling and its total cessa- tion. Cho})in without the damjjer pedal would be like a Whis'tler picture reproduced in the style of Sir Noel Paton. Schumann was a still greater devotee a' the shrine of the damper pedal; he did not care about harmonic ex- clusiveness. he liked ^’o put down the pedal and to keep the course of harmonic changes in unbroken legato—too much so very often, in fact, and the pedalling marks in many of his works require much revision. Chopin was much more refined in his use of the pedal, probably because he w-as a better pianist. Mendelssohn was ultra-refined, and we must bear this in mind in playing hi music ; let his outlines be definite, his colours . rhythms free from emotional exuber.;. particularly to be “good,” as he hi;. puts it, and refrain even from a self-in-.' 'gent rallentando at the end of a composition. Use of the ‘‘Una Corda ” Pedal. The “ una corda ” pedal should be used sparingly. Modern composers, as a rule, indicate the use of it, as, for instance, Grieg in his well-known Lyric pieces. Very frequently it is used in combination with the damper pedal ; the two are quite independent. Use both pedals very sparingly, if at all, in performing the music of Scarlatti, Couperin, or Bach. The first twm composed for the harpsichord, and even Bach’s clavichord, although it did possess some sensitiveness of touch, was not much like a modern piano. Part Playing. Much modern pianoforte music consists of a melody with accompani- ment. We must listen to the end of each melody note as much as to its beginning, in order that we may join it perfectly to the following D 2J melody note, and that we may choose the right tone for this succeeding note. To bring out, the melody also, w-e must be careful to sid-aut very much the acemnpaniment, and not let our attention to the phrasiny of the melody be distracted by the accompaniment. If 'tif melody be at the thumb sifle of the as in Schumann’s beautiful Romance i. . and in main' popular w'altzes, remcm’ use of the rotary relaxation tliere ; if ^ little finger side, as more frequently * ■ we must see to it that the forcarn ■ ^ relaxation helps the weak fingers at In.a^ • jg Have a melodic ideal ever p resent—im.- . such melodies given out by the ’cello, the vi iDn. or the voice, and imitate these. When a no;.!- sustained wdiile other notes play rouii'i it.'IS listen to the sustained note to the end. ■ It is not enough merely to keep tl '‘■jiSl down; we must connect the sustain . intelligently with that which follows : f sIH own part. Practise Bach for such ps'-t g. the playing of several melodies one a^ov tM other—his melodies are more difficult to i. •. • ’ and more difficult to connect subtly thef Chopin’s—and listen to all the interwoven pa •'< Crescendo and Diminuendo. A ! •v 'S feet crescendo or diminuendo, especially ' ; sustained, is seldom heard, and yet they are' among the most entrancing and convit. 'irfT cf.^ musical effects. 'ffl The crescendo in performance w;! introduced till late in the eiglVfcnth - •■'• 33 in the orchestra at Mannheim ; and when to-^J audience first heard this new effect, i -' saia ' they rose from their seats like one man. Pea!;-. > J the emotional possibilities of nuan. s ' * The secret of getting a good cresr.--; !o is, a? Von Billow, the cleverest and witiicst o' teenth century pianists, puts it. “ win .s see the expression mark ‘ cres. play softlj'i when you see the mark ‘ dim.’ play loudl3^” This gives us something to w'ork away from, and prevents our making the common mistake of at once playing louder at t crescendo, —. beginning of a diminuendo. The same thing holds of retardations of time. Acceler.anao taust be gradual and continued, as mm' ’ ;rdando. It is different in the case of ritenutc. ...iich is a sudden slackening of the tempo it requires all our attention to keep an ac< ellerando really accelerating to its chmax, and .■ ritardando really slackening note by note till r. ,l animation dies out; “and w'e must re’*' ' says Mr. Matthay, “ that all such effects, both of tune and time, must increase with an incr. ..sing ratio to be effective.” Reference must be made here to time accents, a most effective means of expression. Composers use them in the form of syncopations, as Chopin docs in his waltzes: Time Accents. In performances we can make a melody note seem accented by making 1C89 he beginning ^of a , or softer acc>