David writes:
>There are other pedal markings in Beethoven that are sometimes modified
>to deal with the difference in sonority between the period and modern
instruments.
> The opening to the Waldstein comes to mind.
Greetings,
I have seen evidence, along with whole groups of tuners at lectures,
that the modern piano's sustain is not as large a factor in the use of
original markings as the use of an age-appropriate temperament. The
ubiquitous beating that comes from ET creates a blur that doesn't arise when
a WT is in place. One concrete example that comes to mind is when I gave a
presentation for the Austin chapter. Many in the class noticed it when the
artist played the same passage, pedal down, on the WT piano and then repeated
it on the ET piano. The difference in clarity was profound.
Try it, the sound of the music is much more convincing than the weight
of historical speculation. On a well-tempered piano, the pedal can usually
be used as the composer directs.
Regards,
Ed Foote
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