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Honestly, I don't remember being at odds with you. I don't actually have a physical list that I keep track of. I don't usually have the time to elaborate with most of my posts and honestly I've all but gotten to the point of discontinuing my visits here, because I've become so disgusted by so much of what gets written as fact and the ignorance (blissful or not) and the fact that so many don't seem to even care that they're ignorant to some things...and some very important things at that. Mozart, didn't strike a nerve. What struck a nerve is when someone says "the composer be damned, I'll do it however I like". If that's the case then I'll take a little extra time (if I can). I can only wonder why people with that attitude even bother. It makes me want to say "go listen to your Lang Lang records and slop away to your hearts content, but don't expect anyone to take you seriously.
I am a busy fellow as well, and go long stretches without even lurking here and post even less, people probably don't recognize my username for much. Even with my minimal participation I'd come to the same conclusion as Ando wrote previously.
You SEEM like you have a lot of knowledge to offer, I'm sure I've read a post or two from you in the past worth reading. What seems odd to me is that someone who appears to have such high (condescending) standards, and is so busy, should still find so much time to write useless sneering replies to threads. Those make you appear more like a posturing crank, and YOU expect to be taken seriously?
If you're going to do something do it right, no? Otherwise please do discontinue your visits. There are plenty of very knowledgable people visiting this site who actually bother to share what they know.
According to Artur Schnabel, surface or shallow pedaling should be used in Mozart and early Beethoven only on descending scales, and never on ascending scales. I came across the Eunice Norton archived videos where she talks about the teachings of Schnabel. Here she plays the 1st movement of K576.
This is a very interesting and informative video, PianogrlNW. Thanks for posting it.
Geez, you're a hard guy to get along with. I've earned the right to interpret things the way I like because I've devoted much of my life to understanding music. I have two degrees in music - analysis/composition and performance.
I'll keep it short and sweet, because I have a few lessons on the way... (and this will be one of my last posts as well)... I don't care if you have 26 degrees, ando. You can spend a lifetime studying and still not earn any "right". There is no such thing as a "right" to interpret things the way YOU LIKE. It's not your work... the work belongs to Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, etc., etc. To interpret is to speak FOR them... not what YOU decide they're saying, but what they HAVE said already. Ask yourself this... is your audience more interested in your voice or the voice of Mozart? Mozart's thoughts are MUCH more interesting, I assure you.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
I see no reason in why I should try to ignore a composer's markings. If I wanted to interpret music my way with no regard to someone else being the composer, I would just write my own music. But I haven't taken up trying to compose yet, because there's so much I want to say through other composers. I think as performers, our own personal voice comes through even if we follow every marking the composer writes, because we as people are all unique.
I see no reason in why I should try to ignore a composer's markings. If I wanted to interpret music my way with no regard to someone else being the composer, I would just write my own music. But I haven't taken up trying to compose yet, because there's so much I want to say through other composers. I think as performers, our own personal voice comes through even if we follow every marking the composer writes, because we as people are all unique.
OSK, nobody is talking about ignoring what's on the page. Mozart didn't compose on instruments with much pedal capability, therefore pedal markings are not part of his notational repertoire. This thread has been about whether the pedal should be totally avoided or not. I happen to agree that using a lot of pedal is unsuitable to playing Mozart, but I have found there are times when you can use some judicious pedalling and still be obeying the written page perfectly well. Don't buy into the crazy ranting of Stores - he's trying to characterise everybody in extreme terms as though people are throwing away everything and just bashing on the keyboard with the pedal down and calling it Mozart. It's needless hyperbole and pays no consideration as to whether people may have a perfectly mature approach to Mozart and still see some occasions where pedal use might be a useful enhancement. There are lots of highly respected pianists who do use some pedal in Mozart - all of them with more credentials than Stores.
I have no doubt that if Mozart had used instruments with more a capable pedal and it was standardised across Europe, he would have employed the pedal and used markings. He wasn't an idiot, he used what was at his disposal. The fact that there are no pedal markings is merely happenstance based on where the pianoforte's development was at the time. Does anybody here really believe that if Mozart had had a lovely, precise and functional pedal at his disposal, he would have refused to use it? Some people seem to think pedal means loss of line and clarity. If you use it well, it actually doesn't. In fact, if used well you shouldn't be aware that it's even there - especially for something like Mozart.
Geez, you're a hard guy to get along with. I've earned the right to interpret things the way I like because I've devoted much of my life to understanding music. I have two degrees in music - analysis/composition and performance.
I'll keep it short and sweet, because I have a few lessons on the way... (and this will be one of my last posts as well)... I don't care if you have 26 degrees, ando. You can spend a lifetime studying and still not earn any "right". There is no such thing as a "right" to interpret things the way YOU LIKE. It's not your work... the work belongs to Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, etc., etc. To interpret is to speak FOR them... not what YOU decide they're saying, but what they HAVE said already. Ask yourself this... is your audience more interested in your voice or the voice of Mozart? Mozart's thoughts are MUCH more interesting, I assure you.
You hook onto certain words and then drive yourself into a frenzy. "Right" in this case isn't some measure of holy righteousness. It merely means I have studied music to a high enough degree to make my own decisions about what I like to do, and my pedal-use forms part of my overall interpretational approach. I'm not asking anybody else to be onboard with that. Last time I performed Mozart people told me they enjoyed it. So they were a little bit interested in my voice as it related to Mozart. Credit to Mozart for providing me the piece, of course.
And for what it's worth. Of course people have the right to interpret the work of any composer. I don't see how you can even cope with the astonishing array of interpretations on Youtube. You must be beside yourself with anger when you see how different people can make such different interpretations of the same piece. It's what people do. No two people are alike. The great interpretations win the day - that's how it works. The bad ones won't pass muster. It's interpretational Darwinism. People love to debate the different interpretations of great works. You are the first person I've met who considers it to be sacrilegious to interpret the great composers. Music belongs to everybody, not just to the composers. It just so happens that the best composers wrote very useful and effective markings on their music and this leads to the better interpretations. But notation isn't a recording. There are things left out. Not every ritardando is marked, not every decrescendo is marked, yet we all have to interpret the cadences of a piece. Notation leaves out some things. The pedal example for Mozart is the best one of all - he simply didn't mark anything. I don't know if there was even a recognised symbol for pedalling in Mozart's time. He certainly didn't say not to use it. Some of your favourite performers are using it and you aren't even aware that they are.
If you can't handle the opinions of others without such moral explosions, you have a real anger problem. Please put me back on your "list".
Starting to get some complaints. Hadn't really looked at this thread until today, but my goodness, what a mess!
LOCKED.
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)
