Did it Really Matter? part 3
Posted: 30 Aug 2019, 14:42
As an example of what Beethoven had to contend with:
At the very end of the Sonata op. 111, he writes: The unusual upward stems at the arrow show the two high notes as a semi-orchestral effect, as if a high instrumental group answers with greater intensity (shown by the large hairpin after the sf) the same notes played by a lower instrumental group in the previous measure.
Beethoven indents the high notes far to the right to give himself head room to use the upward stems, and places a lot of room after the two notes as if to show a large broadening. Everything points to playing these notes as a great climax that echoes the main motive of the movement.
Beethoven’s notation practically leads the player by the hand to the correct interpretation, no easy task, and very welcome at the end of this difficult piece.
So what does the copyist do? He transcribes what he sees literally. but misses the point and crowds the high notes into insignificance. And the first edition? Everything is lost, stemming, spacing, even the hairpin loses its meaning. Unfortunately, subsequent editions follow the first edition
At the very end of the Sonata op. 111, he writes: The unusual upward stems at the arrow show the two high notes as a semi-orchestral effect, as if a high instrumental group answers with greater intensity (shown by the large hairpin after the sf) the same notes played by a lower instrumental group in the previous measure.
Beethoven indents the high notes far to the right to give himself head room to use the upward stems, and places a lot of room after the two notes as if to show a large broadening. Everything points to playing these notes as a great climax that echoes the main motive of the movement.
Beethoven’s notation practically leads the player by the hand to the correct interpretation, no easy task, and very welcome at the end of this difficult piece.
So what does the copyist do? He transcribes what he sees literally. but misses the point and crowds the high notes into insignificance. And the first edition? Everything is lost, stemming, spacing, even the hairpin loses its meaning. Unfortunately, subsequent editions follow the first edition