The Art of Piano Pedaling: Two Classic Guides
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The Art of Piano Pedaling: Two Classic Guides
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| ISBN-13: | 9780486318950 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 08/06/2013 |
| Series: | Dover Books On Music: Piano |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 96 |
| File size: | 13 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
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THE ART OF PIANO PEDALING
TWO CLASSIC GUIDES
By Anton Rubinstein, Teresa Carreño
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2003 Dover Publications, Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-31895-0
CHAPTER 1
General Observations on the Mechanism and Action of the Pedals.
The chief purpose of the pedals is the production of tone-effects, and therefore the performer must bring them into action only when they are required to fulfill his intentions.
Two operations govern the mechanism of the pedals: pressure and release.
The mechanism of the pedals has so often been explained that I think it superfluous to enter into any detailed description of it. Every one who has studied the piano knows that the right pedal operates the mechanism which serves to increase the resonance of the strings of the instrument, while the left pedal is the one which muffles the sound.
In pressing the right pedal, the dampers, which rest on the strings, are lifted, producing a greater resonance. This augmentation of sonority is a great help to the player, when used in a careful and artistic way, but it can also produce the greatest detrimental effects, when not used correctly.
The right pedal (as well as the left) is intended to produce tone effects and must only be applied when this object is the one which the player desires to achieve.
It is a general mistake to use the right pedal as an exclusive means toward achieving an FF effect, or the left pedal to produce a PP one; because both the FF and the PP depend upon the touch of the player, and not upon the pedals.
It has been my experience, when teaching, that, when asking a pupil to play FF, the foot was immediately pressed hard on the right pedal, but the touch was not sufficiently altered to help the FF effect which was desired. The same happened with the left pedal if I asked my pupil to play PP. It is therefore very necessary to fully understand that the pedals are to be used only to enhance the beauty of tone and vary its character according to the desired artistic purpose.
Above all, the student must bear in mind the musical meaning of the work which he is interpreting and its harmonic combinations as well as the relationship existing between the chords. Without this study, the use of the right pedal becomes a most dangerous element as, instead of producing an artistic effect, a confusion of tones takes place which would spoil even the most beautiful rendering, or the greatest piano playing.
Upon the occurrence of a momentary failure of the memory or a refusal of the technic to obey, some players immediately press the foot hard upon the pedal, in the illusion that by so doing and through the resulting tone confusion the "mistake" will not be noticed by the listeners. Like many illusions, this is a most threadbare one! If such a player would only stop to think that the more sound he makes the more noticeable will be the fault. If there is a mistake made while performing on the piano, the less "sound" the player produces, the less the listeners notice the mistake. When a fault in the playing has been made, leave the right pedal entirely untouched!
The pianist cannot be careful enough in avoiding the blurring which can arise from an "abuse" of the right pedal. It becomes indeed a fatal habit if, from the beginning of his work, he is not exceedingly attentive and critical.
The mechanism of the left pedal when brought into action by the pressure of the foot, slides the hammers in such a manner that only two of the three strings are struck by them, thus diminishing the instrument's normal sonority, and producing a muffled tone. (I refer, of course, to our modern instruments and especially to the so-called "concert grand" piano.) This diminishing, or muffling, of the tone produces an effect which can be very beautiful in the light and PP shade and through which the artist finds great resource toward achieving a variety of "tone coloring" or tone shading.
Although, fortunately, by the nature of the left pedal, no confusion of tone can arise from it, yet an excessive use of the left pedal can also be detrimental to the artistic and pianistic effect, because of its muffling the resonance and making the tone of too thin a quality.
In order to avoid this and to achieve certain effects of tone which can be very beautiful—specially in wishing to obtain a singing quality of tone—the touch of the player must be such as to help the effect of the left pedal, as well as that of the right; as I will explain further on.
CHAPTER 2The Use of the Right Pedal in Chords.
In beginning this chapter of this little work, the words of that great master, Hans von Bülow, come to my mind, speaking on this most important factor of good (or evil)—the right pedal. Von BÃ1/4low said, "The pedal covers a multitude of sins."
These words are aimed especially at the lack of "legato"—the very important feature of piano playing.
The "legato" must be produced with the fingers, the hands, and the arms, and the right pedal must be brought to act as a help, not as the chief medium.
In chords which must be played "legato," the pedal acts as a most important means toward achieving this effect, but it must be used with the greatest care and skillfulness, so as to avoid all possible blurring or confusion of sound.
In a passage of chords following each other closely, as in the following example, the pedals must be pressed down on the chords 1, 2, 3 and kept down for the entire duration of the chords. It should be lifted with a quick motion, and pressed down again after the hands have struck the chord (as marked by the sign *) on each of the chords which follow. The skillfulness in the management of the pedal in passages of chords consists in the rapidity in lifting and pressing the pedal at the very moment needed. Be particularly careful that the foot, in pressing or releasing the pedal, does not make the slightest noise: this would mar the effect and greatly disturb the listener.
Therefore, the points of the feet (both the right and the left) should be immediately placed on the pedals, on sitting at the piano (exactly as the hands are placed on the keyboard before striking the keys, when the performer sits at the piano in order to be ready to use them), and left resting on the pedals.
Some of our modern instruments have pedals, the mechanism of which is more or less hard (unyielding), and often, through this hardness, a noise is produced when pressing the foot on the pedal or lifting it.
It is necessary, therefore, to study the mechanism of the pedals of the instrument used in order to know how to use the motion of the foot to obtain the effects which the pianist wishes, without causing the slightest noise.
The feet must rest on the pedals, so as to be in constant contact with them from the moment of sitting down at the piano, and not brought to the pedals when occasion arises for using them. In this manner, the noisy quality which a pedal may have, is avoided, unless the mechanism is a specially hard one.
In passages of Bravoura, "FF," a motion of the body of the pianist from the lower to the upper part of the keyboard id necessary. For example, in the introduction of Tschaikowski's B flat minor Concerto, Op. 23 (No. 1)
When playing these chords, the upper part of the body must be moved from left to right in order to place the arms and hands in the position at the instrument in which the chords are written, and also to have the power to produce the FF and large tone effect which this Concerto absolutely demands. The right pedal must be pressed down as far as its mechanism allows, and, in order to obtain the necessary balance to the body, the left foot must abandon its position on the left pedal and placed in such a manner on the floor as to help the performer to keep his balance at the instrument. Without this help of the left foot, the above mentioned passage would be almost impossible to play (as it should be played) and the pianist would not be able to keep his sitting position at the piano, which he must do at all costs.
The motion of placing the left foot in such a manner as to bring about the necessary looked-for assistance can be done in a very discreet way by placing it either under the chair (as some great pianists do) or by the side of the chair so that the motion is almost imperceptible.
The most important matter is to have a firm hold on the chair, and the player must feel that he can move his body in perfect safety and without the danger of finding himself on the floor—a mishap which, beside being fatal, would not be without causing inconvenience to his physical comfort.
We all know that effect caused by pressing down the foot on the right pedal brings about a greater vibration of the strings, producing therefore a larger volume of tone. In freeing the strings from the pressure brought upon them by the dampers, when the pedal is down, they are allowed a wider scope to vibrate and thus we can obtain the greater volume of sound, which in "FF" passages gives us the desired effect. This larger amount of tone, caused by the augmentation of the vibration of the strings, is the great danger of the right pedal, and must be constantly kept in mind. If the pedal is not artistically and musically managed there arises that most unpleasant confusion of sound which cannot be sufficiently condemned.
It is absolutely necessary to study the tonal relation of the harmonies, and in using the pedal, the knowledge of the harmonic combination helps the performer to achieve the "coloring" effect which he wishes to produce with the help of the pedal. In loud passages—marked either "FF" or often "FFF,"' the tone enlarged and intensified by the pressing down of the right pedal, is the strong "light" which the pianist wishes to throw upon his "tone picture."
There are many shades of "light" thrown upon the tone pictures which depend upon the pressure used by the foot. On this important subject I will speak in detail further on.
In binding chords—as in Example 1—when the tempo of the work in which such passages occur is of a quick nature, as, for instance, Allegro, it is advisable to leave the pedal off in the chords which do not belong to the same harmony, so as to avoid any possible confusion of tone. In this case the pedaling of the same chord sequence would be: supplying by the quality of tone the momentary absence of the pedal. This touch is obtained by holding the hands and the fingers as close to the keyboard as possible, lifting them only the absolutely necessary distance needed to move them into the next chord, with more of gliding motion than that of a striking one.
The resonance produced by the touch and pedal combined, and, as I mentioned before, the pedal being pressed immediately after striking the chords, as in Example 1, chords numbered 5, 7 and 9 respectively; the legato can thus be best obtained on chord passages.
This immediate motion of the foot, after striking a chord, must follow so closely the motion of the fingers and hands on the keyboard that it must be almost a simultaneous motion between the hands and the point of the foot. The point (toes) of the foot should rest continually on the pedal, and must only be lifted sufficiently to bring the dampers back on the strings, without the point of the foot lifting itself from the metal part which governs and acts upon the mechanism of the pedal. This quick motion of the foot can easily be done and requires no very great dexterity, nor has it any technical difficulties. With a little practice, and keenly listening to the absolute dearness of the chords, it can easily be accomplished. It seems perfectly superfluous and unnecessary to speak in any detailed manner about the position which the foot should take for the use of the pedals; but in order to be still more explicit and also to avoid any misunderstanding, I will speak about it, though it may sound like "carrying coals to Newcastle."
The heels must be placed firmly on the floor and only the extremities of the feet placed on the point of the pedals, constantly kept resting on them. The motion of pressing and lifting the foot being made by an elastic movement of the extreme part of the foot without losing the firm hold of the heels on the floor, or lifting them in the slightest manner. After this slight degression, I will resume my observations on pedal effects.
When the pedal is pressed down the dampers, caps which have an underlining of felt and which lie on the strings, are raised.
When the pedal is released the dampers come back and rest on the strings again, thus deafening the resonance and the extra amount of vibration which was caused by the pedal action.
If, instead of an almost simultaneous pressure of the pedal on striking the chord, this pressure takes place later, the effect obtained is a faint repetition of the chord, be it ever so faint, which would disturb the tone effect. Let us say, for instance, the chords struck are these: the effect produced by pressing the pedal after the rest of an eighth, the tone effect or sound would be to a fine ear: giving a faint (may it be ever so faint) repetition, or greater intensity of tone which must only be used when such tone effect is intended by the performer.
By making the pressure of the foot almost simultaneous, as the striking of the chord with the hands, as, for instance: making the duration of the rest, of the value of a thirty-second note, this repetition or faint echo of the chord, is avoided.
The rapidity of the "pressure motion" must be governed by the Tempo in which the chords have to be played. In an Allegro the "pressure motion" must naturally be much more rapid. In cases of "Allegro Molto," or "Presto," even the rest, of a thirty-second note would be too long to wait before the pressure of the pedal takes place.
In chords which are to be struck at the beginning of a phrase, the pressure of the pedal then takes place simultaneously with the striking of the chord, and kept down until the tonality of the chord changes.
A general mistake is made by lifting the fingers or the hands before the full value of the written notes of the chord has expired, leaving to the pedal the continuation of the tone.
The keys must be kept down the entire value of the written notes and lifted to strike the next chord with a quick motion so as to avoid, as far as possible, the interruption of the tone which arises through the rebounding motion of the keys.
There is a difference in the tone effect (even though a small one) which arises by shortening the value of the notes. A momentary suspension in the volume of the sonority takes place and to a fine musical ear this lapse in the tone is perceptible and therefore it is best to avoid it as far as the limitations of the instrument permit.
As the tonal nature or quality of the piano is of a dry character, the pianist must use all his art, skill and knowledge of his instrument to conceal this lacking element in it.
The advantage which is gained for the greater sonority and for the legato, by keeping the fingers on the chords the entire value of the notes written, only abandoning the chord when imperatively necessary to move into the next chord, is otherwise lost.
The hands and the fingers must act in common accord with the pedal and thus lend each other mutual help for the prolongation of the tone.
In chords in which the melody is carried by one of the notes which form the chord, the finger to which this melody is entrusted must be particularly careful to hold the note as long as possible, so as to bind the melodic tones to the utmost; as, for instance, in Brahms' D minor Concerto Op. 15 (when the second subject is presented): the melody of this phrase is, in the right hand:
The finger which has the playing of this melody must keep the key down as long as it is to be held, so as to produce the necessary legato which the composer desires.
The other fingers holding the other notes of the chord must only abandon their position when absolutely necessary, so as to help in the tonal effect, but the performer must be very careful that the notes forming the melody should follow each other with the least possible interruption of tone.
(Continues...)
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Table of Contents
Contents
CONCEPTS OF PIANO PEDALING,by Joseph Banowetz,
THE "WALKÜRE" OF THE PIANO,
by Brian Mann,
GUIDE TO THE PROPER USE OF THE PIANOFORTE PEDALS with Examples out of the Historical Concerts of Anton Rubinstein,
PREFACE,
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS,
1. Manner of Using the Pedal,
2. Pedal Marks,
3. Effect of the Full and Half Pedal upon the Dampers,
4. Phonetic Pauses,
5. The Primary and Secondary Pedal and Half Pedal,
6. The Acoustic Properties of the Pianoforte,
CHAPTER I: The Functions of the Pedal,
CHAPTER II: The Primary Pedal,
CHAPTER III: The Secondary Pedal,
CHAPTER IV: Changing or Raising the Pedal,
CHAPTER V: The Most Important Conditions for the Non-Use of the Pedal,
CHAPTER VI: Use of the Pedal in Scale Passages and Harmonic Figures,
CHAPTER VII: Use of the Pedal with Single Notes or Chords,
CHAPTER VIII: Use of the Ordinary and Tremulo Half Pedal,
CHAPTER IX: The Left Pedal (Una Corda),
CHAPTER X: Practical Hints for the Use of the Pedal,
POSSIBILITIES OF TONE COLOR BY ARTISTIC USE OF PEDALS The Mechanism and Action of the Pedals of the Piano by Teresa Carreño,
FOREWORD,
CHAPTER I: General Observations on the Mechanism and Action of the Pedals,
CHAPTER II: The Use of the Right Pedal in Chords,
CHAPTER III: The Pedal and Its Use in Phrasing,
CHAPTER IV: The Action and Effect of the Pedal on Rests or Pauses,
CHAPTER V: The Action of the Pedal in Extended Chords,
CHAPTER VI: The Management of the Pedals in Passages of Thirds,
CHAPTER VII: The Different Degrees in Pressing the Right Pedal,
CHAPTER VIII: The Use of the (Right) Pedal in Chord Passages, Chromatic and Otherwise,