Beethoven’s Division of the Notes Between the Staves 2

Discuss the rules of notation, standard notation practices, efficient notation practices and graphic design.
Post Reply
User avatar
John Ruggero
Posts: 2453
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 14:25
Location: Raleigh, NC USA

Beethoven’s Division of the Notes Between the Staves 2

Post by John Ruggero »

Like the composers before him, Beethoven allows the hands to move between the staves freely to preserve musical continuity. It can also bring out hidden relationships.

One of the most beautiful examples occurs in the first movement of the Sonata op. 101, where we see a new idea played by the left hand grow out of notes in the previous one played by the right:
op 101 MS.jpeg
op 101 MS.jpeg (63.06 KiB) Viewed 7466 times
This was preserved in the first edition:
op 101 Steiner.jpeg
op 101 Steiner.jpeg (59.85 KiB) Viewed 7466 times
But the Breitkopf Complete Works has already succumbed to the mania for segregating the hands on the staves, creating a barrier between the sections that obscures the relationship:
op 101 B&H.jpeg
op 101 B&H.jpeg (77.68 KiB) Viewed 7466 times
M1 Mac mini (OS 12.4), Dorico, Finale 25.5, GPO 4, Affinity Publisher 2, SmartScore 64 Pro, JW Plug-ins, TG Tools, Keyboard maestro

http://www.cantilenapress.com
Post Reply