"It has not infrequently been observed that among Beethoven's technical-pianistic means, there was not always the immensity of his thought, that wonderful and perfect balance found, for example, in Mozart. And indeed, in the great sonatas and the last two concertos, there are some areas where a Liszt would probably have achieved greater effects with more profitable means and, in any case, would have obeyed a greater keyboard logic. Beethoven belongs to that exceptional type of art where, in a certain way, the sonority necessary for expression is nonetheless achieved, even if the means might at first seem insufficient; and this is by virtue of that law according to which every music has its own particular sonority, finally achievable even through deficiencies in instrumental writing—deficiencies that it is up to the performer
to correct or to mitigate.
Can we therefore affirm that, when Beethoven's pianism does not "sound" good, this means
The quote is interesting, especially because it makes us understand that every instrumental writing is adequate to the style and intentions (in addition to the historical context) of the author.
The history of piano music is full of "rewritings" of previous works, but the original is never surpassed by the rewritings.
C
Chopin
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Reply 3 by Chopin
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Maestro Fredda, very true ... but I was reflecting on the surrounding conditions; it's not as if Beethoven, for example, had a Steinway & Sons Grand Coda.
So perhaps the rewritings also serve to "reposition", to adapt those notes, that work, to other needs/conditions... don't you think?
I agree with you, Chopin. Any corrections and/or attenuations are made considering the evolution that instruments have undergone over the years. As already stated in the past, especially in the piano, we must consider the sound decay times which, in Beethoven's era, were very fast and now, thanks to construction and design innovations, are much slower. It is probable that in many passages Beethoven used a lot of pedal to overcome this problem; ultimately, beyond the search for formal correctness, a composer must satisfy their own ear. Using the same pedal indicated by Beethoven on modern pianos could make it excessively muddy.
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ttw
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Reply 5 by ttw
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TheSimon wrote:
Using the same pedal indicated by Beethoven on modern pianos could make it excessively muddy.
I would love to read the opinion of the legendary Armando!
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Dino
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Reply 7 by Dino
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maestrosfredda wrote:
The history of piano music is full of "rewritings" of previous works, but the original is never surpassed by the rewritings.
If by rewriting one means a new perspective that could provide an interpretation, I would speak of diversity. If it means a transcription/arrangement... the piece must be evaluated in its new context; that is, the change of identity cannot be comparable (it is not homogeneous) to the original. It would require a rewriting by a musician of the period. I don't know, Beethoven rewritten by Schubert... one could talk about it...
Supporting his thought, Casella himself made revisions of Beethoven's works for Ricordi. I have some of his publications, and I see (today I dedicated myself to this, as well as to painting a little) that our [Casella] indeed removes many pedals, and the more editions pass, the more he removes pedals. Naturally, the sanctity of the text should always be respected, but, as Simone and Chopin rightly point out to me (how can one not agree with... Chopin???), the "physiology" of the instrument is quite different from that of 1827 (taking Beethoven's last year of life). Clearly, the pedal must not become a rifugium peccatorum: Moscheles distrusted its use, whereas in Romanticism Liszt, Thalberg, and Chopin himself ("used pedals with wonderful tact, often combining them to obtain a thick and veiled sonority") however, they used beautiful Pleyels from 1840-1850... So, without making the usual long-winded speech or a treatise, which I am not capable of, if one plays Beethoven on the instruments of the Beethoven Haus (I heard and sampled them well: the sound decays very rapidly), then first editions, those checked by "Him," are most welcome (in fact, I consider them indispensable). If playing on a contemporary instrument, one must avoid what the composer sought to achieve with devices that are no longer necessary. (Aside from this topic, the vigorous modifications made to his orchestral scores by Wagner and Mahler deserve mention) Finally, Dino: Beethoven transcribed by Schubert... a dream. I agree with you: transcription translates the work, making the transcription a work with its own independent dignity (the piano transcriptions for 2 and 4 hands of B.'s symphonies by Czerny are beautiful!).
A Bientôt!
C
Chopin
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Reply 9 by Chopin
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The last 2 points of view are also very interesting... thank you.
