NOTATIO

These thoughts have developed on from the thread on tied final quavers. I have always understood that on orchestral instruments (bowed strings, woodwind and brass) there should be a different type of attack for each of these types of accent > , sf , fp and <> (as an accent). The first to be a sharp ...

To add to that, I've just checked some recordings of ‘standard repertoire’ (Bach, Brahms, Grieg, Kodaly &c) by the venerable cellist with whom I'm currently collaborating on a project. Except where a certain ‘bounce’ is implied, or something else is clearly notated, or there are technique reason...

The Karajan style of legato whenever possible , even when there are no marked slurs, tended to give notes their full value, again whenever possible . This style is now generally out of fashion amongst younger orchestral conductors, who mostly seem to take a cue from the period instrument people and ...

Here perhaps is a sort of case in point. See the scan of a sketch from the 1980s/90s. In rehearsal the baritone at first cut short the ‘F’ on ‘there’ just a touch (no more), but enough for the ‘all hell from orch’ to lose its shocking effect. Perhaps if I had tied to something short on the next beat...

… … …all of them primarily keyboard players who wrote beautifully for the keyboard, the orchestra, and every medium they touched. Of pianist composers, Brahms is seemingly more considerate than many others in his treatment of the trombones. In the usual (Simrock) edition of the score of his first s...

… … fairly precise audio mock-up is now becoming standard and expected for new works. I hope I don't start getting routinely asked for these, although I do usually offer a low grade playback file to the non-musician part of any cross-art collaboration. The artist who created the video for this http...

OCTO. perhaps implied in your post is that computer-composers have to notate everything literally for exact computer playback. Then they treat musicians like computers… … Sometimes a real problem, I think. That said, there are striking instances from the past of great pianist composers who have not...

Guessing, no more, it may have been compositional in order to prevent stopping exactly at the beat, especially if the phrase ended with a consonant. Probably related to certain habits in the English amateur choral tradition which somebody found annoying. However, it may be something else entirely. C...

Thanks (BTW A# not F# - bass clef!). Oppure = ‘otherwise’ or even ‘or.’ I use it rather than ‘ossia’ out of habit, as it is familiar to opera singers from its use in the standard (Ricordi) editions of Verdi and other Italian opera. My habit of using it may not be very logical, and may be no more tha...

Is this way of notating a vocal alternative clear? This is the full score. In the vocal score it may be appropriate to add a reduced size (65%) stave with the alternative, but I'd prefer not to do that in the full score. (Bass clef, crotchet = 126)