Temperaments

[Peter KESTENS]

Stephen,

I undestand completely what you mean about the harmonic differences of
Chopin's time and ours now; I also completely understand that the way how
composers write and have written their masterpieces most of the time is
determinated by the technical possibilities of their instruments and the
time they lived in.  They have written for their instruments, not for those
we play now or for those instruments which have been build 100 years
earlier.  And that this can cause difficulties for a modern pianist on a
modern piano, I think it's normal (you can't play f.i . an accent on a
modern Steinway the way you want to do it on a Pleyel from1800)
But all of this doesn't mean one can't play an excellent Chopin or Beethoven
or, ... on modern instruments.  If those composers had lived in 1998, they
still will compose pieces for piano, but for a piano as it sounds now.
All of this only to tell that I like very much pianomusic, but that we have
to understand there is (and will be all the time) a world of difference
between one plays Beethoven or ... now and one plaied it a century ago.
Greetings,

Peter
't MUZIEKINSTRUMENTENATELIER
PETER KESTENS
BELGIUM
KESTENS.P@DEBCOM.BE
-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Stephen Birkett <birketts@wright.aps.uoguelph.ca>
Aan: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Datum: donderdag 29 januari 1998 22:26
Onderwerp: Re: Temperaments


>Les wrote:
>> First listen to the Beethoven. You probably only have to listen as far
>> as the modulation into F# minor. I've already discussed what's going on
>> here in terms of harmonic and non-harmonic tones in mu first post. Suf-
>> ...
>> Once again, I could go on and on, but in the end, it's better if I let
>> Chopin speak for himself. The C# minor waltz is a masterpiece. There is
>> no other word for it, because all this harmonic razzle-dazzle goes on
>> without the listener being aware of it at all. It never intrudes on the
>>  etc...
>I completely agree re: Chopin's contribution to harmony...I would also
>add he made an equally important and unique contribution to contrapunt
>(think of the F- Ballade). All in all his music was considered "weird"
>(translate unusual etc.) by his contemporaries. Totally unique.
>
>One other issue here, Les, apart from the musical one...there is a big
>tonal difference between a 1798 Viennese grand (Beethoven Op 27 No 2) and
>an 1838 Pleyel (Chopin C#- waltz). World of difference, and this has to be
>reflected in the harmonic textures employed. Carrying this forward in
>time, the sounds we are all used to hearing - e.g. Chopin + Steinway +
>modern wonderpianist - these are nothing to do with Chopin's world. Until
>you have heard Chopin on the equivalent of say "1838 Pleyel" you haven't
>heard Chopin. The difference in harmonic texture is like night and day.
>
>Stephen
>
>