Sostenuto vs Indidivual sustain

[Tom Cole]

Richard Moody wrote:
> 
> If I invented the pedal, I would have
> said, "You hold down the pedal and it sustains only the notes you play". Why
> would I want to require the player to depress the notes he wants to sustain all
> at the same time, THEN hold them down for an instant and THEN depress the pedal?
> Why not just have a pedal you hold down and it sustains what ever (but only) the
> notes you play, for as long as the pedal is down?

Ric,

Usually the sostenuto pedal is used to simulate an organ pedal (e.g.,
one note or an octave in the bass). The pianist holds the pedal tone(s)
with the left foot on sos, after which other notes/chords may be played,
pedaling the harmonies with the right foot as usual. The advantage of
sostenuto is that it will sustain pedal tones through a passage of
changing harmonies without the blurring that would occur if you held
down the sustain pedal.

In response to your idea, I'm not sure why you would want to hold open
the dampers of every note that you play. Wouldn't that be the same as
what the sustain pedal effectively does? Unless you are looking for a
simpler sound (limited sympathetic interplay)?

Tom Cole