RELEVANTADVICEFROMTHE18THCENTURYONPLAYING18THCENTURYMUSIC
Pianistsfornearly200yearshavebeencontenttoapproach18thcenturymusicinmanyrespects
astheywouldanyothermusic.Insodoing,manyexpressiveparametershavebeenoverlooked,and
muchdetailinthemusichasgoneunrecognized.Seekingandheedingtheadviceprovidedby
18thcenturycomposersandmusicalwritersisnotjustapursuitformusicologists.Anyone’smusicianship
canbetransformedbyabsorbingthiscruciallyimportantandhighlyrelevantbodyofinformation,most
allofwhichisavailableinEnglishtranslations.
Theprimaryoriginalsourcesfor18thcenturyperformancepracticearethetreatises,ofwhich
therearehundreds.ThebestknownarebyJohannJoachimQuantz,CPEBach,LeopoldMozart,and
DanielGottliebTürk.Thesesourcesarereferredtoextensivelyintheinformationbelow.While
footnotesarenotprovidedhere,thecitationsaredocumentedinmy1985IndianaUniversitydoctoral
dissertation,”TheSoloKeyboardSonatasandSonatinasofGeorgAntonBenda:AStylisticAnalysis,Their
HistoricalContext,andaGuidetoPerformance.”However,copiesofthis2volumeresourceareonlyin
thepossessionofthewriter,theIndianaUniversityMusicLibrary,andtheSibleyMusicLibraryofthe
EastmanSchoolofMusic.Twomorerecentandeasilyobtainablecomprehensiveresourceswhich
coverthesamesubjectsandbelongineveryseriouspianist’slibraryareSandraRosenblum’s
PerformancePracticesinClassicPianoMusic:TheirPrinciplesandApplications,andCliveBrown’s
ClassicalandRomanticPerformancePractice1750-1900.
Tempo
Findingtheappropriatetempoforanypieceof18thcenturymusicisabsolutelycrucial,and
many18thcenturycomposersemphasizedtheimportanceofadoptingtheappropriatetempo:
“WhenaworkbyBeethovenhadbeenperformed,his[Beethoven’s]firstquestionwasalways,
‘Howwerethetempi?’Everyotherconsiderationseemedtobeofsecondaryimportancetohim.”
(Schindler)“Correcttempocontributestoexpressiontoaverylargedegree....Themostexcellent
compositionhaslittleornoeffect,whenitisperformedinanoticeablywrongtempo.”(Turk)“Asmall
degreefasterorslowercandomuchdamagetotheeffectofacomposition.”(Sulzer)“Thereare
substantialconsiderations,whichareabsolutelynecessaryanduponwhicheverythingelsedepends,
namely:First,therighttempo....Thewholecharacterofthepiecewillbedistortedbyafalse
tempo.”(Czerny)”Temposelectionisbywhichthetrueworthofamusiciancanberecognizedwithout
fail”(LeopoldMozart)
Untilsignificantlyintothe19thcentury,whenperformersassumedthelicensetocreatetheir
own,sometimesidiosyncraticconceptofapiece,andwhenmuchofthenewlycomposedliteraturelent
itselftothissubjectiveapproach,therewereguidelineswhichwereunderstoodandacceptedby
experiencedmusicians.
Withnometronomeinexistenceuntiltheseconddecadeofthe19thcentury,musiciansutilized
themetersignatureandthenotevaluescontainedinthescoretodeterminetheappropriatetempo.If
thecomposerprovidedItalianwordsatthebeginningofthepiece,thesewerealsofactoredintothe
decision.Later18thcenturycomposersputmuchattentiononselectingtheidealword.Thisis
evidencedbytheirfrequentlyhavingchangedtheirinstructions,eitherbyaddingqualifiersor
substitutinganentirelydifferentword.Mozartdidthisliterallyhundredsoftimes.Thealmostuniversal
absenceoftempo/characterindicationsintheworksofJ.S.Bachisnotevidencethatanytempowas
acceptable,butrather,thatBachassumedtheplayerwouldarriveattheappropriatetempobasedonly
ontheevidenceofthemetersignatureandthenotevaluesheprovided.Thefactthatonanumberof
occasions,Bachchangedthenotevaluesandmetersignaturehehadoriginallyemployedissignificant.
Mozartandothersveryfrequentlychangedcommontimetoallabreve,orviceversa.That
therewerealargenumberofdifferentmetersignaturesemployedinthefirst½ofthe18thcenturyalso
testifiestothefactthatthechoiceofmetersignaturecontainedhugeimplicationsinthe18thcentury.
Theseimplicationsgovernednotonlytemposelection,butalsotheaccentuationpatternswhich
wereanessentialexpressiveelementineveryperformance.Eighteenthcenturymusicianswouldbe
horrifiedthatmostpeopleplayingtheirmusictodayarenotawareofthefundamentalrolewhich
accentuationwasexpectedtoassumeinperformance.
Itmustbeunderstoodthatitisamistaketoovergeneralizeabouttempochoicesinthepast.
Likesomanyaspectsofperformancepractice,tempohasvariedaccordingtothechronologicaltime
period,thenationalityorregion,andtheindividualcomposer.Therehasnotbeenonelongsteady,
uninterruptedlineofdevelopmentinanysingledirection.
Proofofthevarietyoftempiobservedindifferentregionscanbeseeninobservations
emanatingfromBerlininthemid-18thcentury.Quantz(1752)wroteofcontemporaryItalianviolinists:
“TheAdagiotheyplaytooboldly,theallegrotoolethargically.”C.P.E.Bach(1753)wrote:“Incertain
othercountriesthereisamarkedtendencytoplayadagiostoofastandallegrostooslow....Here[in
Berlin]...adagioisfarslowerandallegrofarfasterthaniscustomaryelsewhere.”
ThedifferencesbetweenGermanandItaliantempiwerealsonotedbyMozart.In1770,an
audienceinNapleswassoamazedbythespeedofMozart’sPrestothattheyattributedmagictoaring
hewaswearingatthetime.MozarthimselfviewedClementiasacharlatanpartiallybecauseof
Clementi’shabit,influencedbythepracticesinhisnativeItaly,ofmarkinganallabrevemovement
prestoorprestissimoandplayingitinwhatMozart,underGermaninfluences,viewedas4/4Allegro
time.
CurtSachs(1953)explainedGermany’sdifferencefromothercountrieswithregardtotempoas
aresultofitsbeing“ingenerallessclassicisticthanherneighbors,England,FranceandItaly....Tempo
hasalwaysbeenintimatelyconnectedwiththedegreesofclassisticoranti-classisticattitudewithina
givencountry,timeorstyle.Classicism,itistrue,appearsinnumberlessshades.Butallofthem,
whatevertheyare,shareoneleadingquality—moderation.Intermsoftempo,thismeansinthefirst
placeabstentionfromanyextremeinspeedandinslowness.Germany,lessclassicisticthanher
neighbors,wouldthenhaveawiderrangeintempo.”
Yet,theItalianshadnotalwaysfavoredmoremoderatetempithantheGermans.In1701Georg
Muffatwrote:“Indirectingthemeasureorbeat,oneshouldforthemostpartfollowtheItalians,who
areaccustomedtoproceedmuchmoreslowlythanwe[Germans]doatthedirectionsadagio,grave,
largo,etc.,soslowlysometimesthatonecansurelywaitforthem,butatthedirectionsallegro,vivace,
presto,piupresto,andprestissimomuchmorerapidlyandinamorelivelymanner.”
Quantz(1752)confirmedtheslownessofGermantempiintheeraprevioustohisown:“In
formertimesmostoftheinstrumentalmusicoftheGermanslookedveryconfusingandhazardouson
paper,sincetheywrotemanynoteswiththree,fourormorecrooks.Butsincetheyperformedthemat
averydeliberatespeed,theirpiecesstillsoundedflatandindolentratherthanlively….Whatinformer
timeswasconsideredtobequitefastwouldhavebeenplayedalmosttwiceasslowasinthepresent
day.AnAllegroassai,Presto,Furioso,etc.,wasthenwritten,andwouldhavebeenplayed,onlyalittle
fasterthananAllegrettoiswrittenandperformedtoday.Thelargenumberofquicknotesinthe
instrumentalpiecesoftheearlierGermancomposersthuslookedmuchmoredifficultandhazardous
thantheysounded.“
ItisagainstthisbackgroundthatcommentswithrespecttoJ.S.Bach’stempishouldbe
evaluated.Thereisnodoubthefavoredwhatwereperceivedasfasttempi,sincehisobituary,written
byC.P.E.BachandJohannFriedrichAgricola,stated:“Inconductinghewasveryaccurate,andofthe
tempo,whichhegenerallytookverylively,hewasuncommonlysure.”Forkelfurtherreported:“When
heplayedhisownmusicBachusuallyadoptedabriskpace.”ButitshouldberememberedthatBach’s
trainingbeganinthe17thcenturyandmuchofthemusicwhichheheardthenwasthatwhichQuantz
statedwasperformedsoextremelyslowly.EvenifJ.S.Bachwasabelieverintempiconsiderablyfaster
thanthenormofhistime,Türk’sstatements,occurringinthe1802editionofhisKlavierschüle,which
werewrittenexactly50yearsafterQuantz’streatise,shouldbekeptinmindbeforeadoptingextremely
fasttempiinJ.S.Bach’sworks:“AfarmoremoderatetempoistakenforgrantedforanAllegro
composedfiftyyearsormoreagothanthatemployedforamorerecentcompositionwiththesame
superscription.”
Therefore,accordingtothewritingsofQuantzandTürk,temposupposedlydoubledby1750,
andincreased“farmore”by1800.Althoughthepresentwritercautionsagainsttakingthese
observationstooliterally,Quantz’sstatementsdoprovidethebasisfornotallowingoneselftobe
misledbythesmallnotevaluesabundantinmuchearly18thcenturymusic,andconsequentlyadopt
inappropriatelyfasttempi.
Eighteenthcenturywritersfrequentlywarnedagainstexcessivespeed.Quantzadvised:“Your
principalgoalmustalwaysbetheexpressionofthesentiment,notquickplaying....Thosewhowishto
touchpeoplemustplayeachpiecewithitsproperfire;buttheymustalsoavoidimmoderatehaste,if
thepieceisnottoloseallitsagreeableness....Everythingthatishurriedlyplayedcausesyourlisteners
anxietyratherthansatisfaction.”
W.A.Mozartfrequentlyexpressedhisconcernregardingexcessivelyfastperformance.
RegardingAbbeVogler’sfrantic,andconsequentlyinaccurate,readingofoneofMozart’sconcerti,he
wrote:“Itismucheasiertoplayathingquicklythanslowly:indifficultpassagesyoucanleaveoutafew
noteswithoutanyonenoticingit.Butisthatbeautiful?”Mozartstatedshortlythereafterthathe
preferredtohearhisworksplayedbytheinexperiencedAloysiaWeber,ratherthanbyVogler,because
sheplayed“slowlybutwithoutmissingasinglenote.”JohannFriedrichRochlitzstatedin1798:
“NothingrousedMozarttolivelierprotestthandid‘botching’ofhiscompositionswhenperformedin
public,mainlythroughexcessivelyfasttempi.‘Theythinkthatwilladdfiretoit,’hewouldsay,‘Thefire
hasgottobeinthepieceitself—itwon’tcomefromgallopingawaywithit.’”
Youngperformersareoftenespeciallyguiltyofexcessivehaste,since,accordingtoQuantz,they
“possessneitherripejudgementnoratruefeelingforhoweachpieceoughttobeplayedinthetempo
andstyleappropriatetoit.Suchyoungpeopleusuallyplayeverythingtheyencounter,whetheritis
Presto,Allegro,orAllegrettoatthesamespeed.Indoingthistheyevenbelievetheyareexcelling
others....Thosewhodonotsooncorrectthiserror,whichiscausedbyyouthfulfire,willpersistinit,if
notforever,atleastuntilfarintotheirmatureyears.”
Butneithershouldoneperformquickmovementstooslowly.EvenTürk,whotookmany
opportunitiestocriticizeoverlyfastperformance,andwhosetastetendedtowardslowishtempi,had
harshwordsforthosewhoturnedaPrestointoanAllegromoderato.
Excessivelyslowtempiforslowmovementswerenotexemptfromdisapprovaleither.Quantz
oftenwarnedagainstsuchtempi,whichheviewedasoccurringbecauseoneloses“himselfsomuchin
thesentimentthatheforgetsthetempo.”
However,slowtempishouldnotbeallowedtomovetooquicklyeither,asTürkwarned.
Althoughwritteninthe19thcentury,RobertSchumann’sdictum—“Draggingandhurryingareequally
greatfaults”—isnotinapplicableto18thcenturymusic.
TempoMeasurement
Themostfamoussystemofmeasuringtempibeforetheexistenceofthemetronomewasthat
ofQuantz.InBerlinin1752,60yearsbeforetheinventionofthemetronome,hemeasuredhispulse,
whichhedeterminedtobe80beatsperminute.Hemadethatrepresentativeofhisbasicmoderate
tempo,whichhetermedAllegretto.Hecalledtwiceasfast(160beatsperminute)Allegroassai.Half
waybetweenAllegrettoandAllegroassai,(120beatsperminute)hecreatedacategorywhichhe
referredtoas“akindof‘moderateAllegro.’”HealsocreatedacategoryathalfthespeedofAllegretto,
whichhetermedAdagiocantabile(40beatsperminute).Quantzallowedforavariationof5pulse
beatsplusorminushis80.Thereforehistemporecommendationsrangedasfollows:
Allegroassai 150-170
Allegro 112-128
Allegretto
75-85
Adagiocantabile
38-42
Theabovewasmostapplicabletocompositionsin4/4meter.Ifthemeterwasallabreve,thenote
valueswereperformedapproximatelytwiceasfast.Theshortestnotevaluesusedinapiecein3/4and
compoundmetersdeterminedwhetherthepiecewastobeperformedina“moderate”or“fast”
manner.Forexample,apiecein3/4,6/8or12/8whichemployed16thnotesasthefastestnotevalue
wasplayedapproximatelyhalfasfastasapiecein3/4,6/8or12/8whichemployed8thnotesasthe
fastestvalue.In3/8apiecewith32ndnotesor16thnotetripletsasthefastestvaluewasplayed
approximatelyhalfasfastasonewith16thnotesastheshortestvalue.Quantz’sguidelinesweremost
applicabletoinstrumentalpieces,withvocalmusicperformedabitslower,andchurchmusicstill
slower.
Türk,livinginHallein1789,proposedasimilar,butdifferent,system—onewhichemployedthe
ticksofapocketwatch.Hissuggestionsresultinatempoof132forAllegroassaiand66forAllegretto,
whichwouldimply99forAllegroand33forAdagiocantabile.
Quantz’stempiwerefaultedbyothersinEuropeforprescribingtoofasttempiforfast
movementsandtooslowtempiforslowmovements.ButthisisnotsurprisingsinceBerlin,where
Quantzlived,wasnotedforexceptionallyfastfastmovementsandexceptionallyslowslowmovements.
Türk’stempiseemedslowtosomeinhisday,aswellasintheyearssince.Buttheyshouldbegiven
credibilitysincetheywereprovidedbyaninfluentialkeyboardteacherandcomposerwhowroteata
timewhenHaydnandMozarthadalreadywrittenamajorityoftheirworksandwerestillcomposing.
WhenTürk,whosetemposuggestionsin1789haveusuallybeenviewedasslow,wrotethat
tempiwerefarquickerthan50yearspreviously,andQuantzin1752hadstatedthatinformertimes
tempiwerenearlyhalfasfast,tempiintheearlyyearsofthe18thcenturyinGermanymusthavebeen
extremelyslowbylaterstandards.Haydniscreditedwithincreasingthetempioffastmovementsashis
careerevolved.Beethoven,whowasfamousforhisunprecedentedfasttempiinfastmovements,
especiallyinfluencedanincreaseinfasttempiatthetailendofthe18thcenturyandtheearly19th
century.Hismetronomeindicationsconfirmwithoutdoubthisloveofveryfasttempiinfastpieces.The
tremendouspopularityofRossini’smusicandtheperformancesofMendelssohnlikelyacceleratedfast
tempistillfurther.
Whilethetempioffastworksoftenremainedquitequickthroughmostofthe19thcentury,
tempiofslowworkstendedtobecomeslowerandslower.Thiswasduepartiallytotheinfluenceof
Wagnerwhowrote:“ThetrueAdagiocanhardlybeplayedtooslowly.”Virtuosityandsubjective
personalexpressionbecameendsinthemselvesasthe19thcenturydeveloped,andcolor,emotionand
atmospherereplacedbalanceandstructureasthefoundationofmusicalcomposition.
Thisincreaseintherangeoftheextremesoftempi,whichthe19thcenturypromoted,goes
againsttheoverallpracticeofmusicofthecenturiesprevioustothe19th.RobertDonington(1977)has
providedverysageadviceapplicabletomostallmusicwrittenbeforeBeethovenandeventomuch
musicwrittenafterBeethoven:“Oneofthecommonestmistakesintheinterpretationofearlymusic...
[is]takingslowmovementstooslowandfastmovementstoofast.Mostbaroqueslowmovements
needtogofaster,andmostbaroquefastmovementsneedtogoslowerthanfirstthoughtsmay
suggest.”
Justasthesystemofaccentuationwouldbecomelostinthe19thcentury,sodidcommonly
acceptedguidelinesandapproachestotemposelection.Butfurtherdiscussionoftempiin
Beethoven,andtempiinChopin,Schumann,Liszt,Brahms,andother19thcenturycomposersisthe
subjectofanotherdiscussion.
TempoFlexibility
Whileaplayerwasexpectedtomaintainauniformtempothroughoutamovementorpiece,
thebeliefthattempoinmusicofthelater18thcenturyandearly19thcenturyshouldnotfluctuateatall
unlessmarkedisfalse.Asearlyas1615,Frescobaldihadadvocatedslowingatcadencesandnearthe
endsofhisToccatas.
Czerny,in1839,providedguidancewhichsummarizesthebestapproachtolater18thcentury
andearly19thcenturymusic:“Beforeeverythingelse,wemustconsideritasarule,alwaystoplayeach
piecefrombeginningtoend,withoutthedeviationoruncertainty,inthetimeprescribedbytheAuthor,
andfirstfixeduponbythePlayer.Butwithoutinjurytothismaxim,thereoccurALMOSTINEVERYLINE
SOMENOTESORPASSAGESwhereasmallandoftenalmostimperceptiblerelaxationoraccelerationof
themovementisnecessarytoembellishtheexpressionandincreasetheinterest.”(capsmine)
ButCzernyalsostated:“Thereisapositivemannerofplayingmelodicpassagesmorepeacefully
andyetnotnoticeablyslower,sothateverythingseemstoflowinoneandthesametempoandthata
personwouldnoticethedifferenceatmostonlyifhewasusingametronome.Onemustnotpermit
oneselfanobviouschangeoftempo,exceptinsuchaplacewherethecomposerhasexpresslyindicated
itwithapiulento,ritardando,etc.”
Thisechoeswhat,accordingtoSchindler,Beethovenhadmaintainedwithregardtotheslow
movementofhisSonata,Op.10,No.3:“Thepaceofthisrichmovementmustbechangedfullyten
times,thoughonlysoastobeperceptibletothemostsensitiveear.Theprincipalthemeisalwaystobe
repeatedinthetempoofitsfirststatement:alltherestissubjecttovariationinthetempo,EACH
PHRASEACCORDINGTOITSOWNMEANING.”(capsmine)Beethovenhimselfwrote,in1817,onthe
manuscriptofhissong“NordoderSüd,WoO148:“100accordingtoMaelzel,butthisisonlyvalidfor
thefirstmeasures,sincefeelingalsohasitsbeat,whichhowevercannotbeexpressedcompletelyby
thistempo.”
Türk,in1789,listedinstanceswhereritardscouldbeperformedinslowerpieces:
--atcadences
--atcaesurae(pausesorbreathsinamelodicline)
--atfermate
--atdiminuendiorsmorzandi
--whenamajorpassageisrepeatedinminor
--atan“extraordinarilytender,longing,ormelancholypassage”
--whena“languidthought”isrepeated
--wheretwocharactersofoppositetypesarerepresented
--whereatenderpassageoccursbetweentwo“livelyandfierythoughts”(insteadofagradual
slowingintheseinstances,animmediatelyslightlyslowertempowasrecommended)
Czernysuggestedritardscouldbeemployedinanumberofsituations.Theseincluded:
--at‘gentlecadences”
--passageswhichreturntothemainsubject”
--beforeafermata
--“onsustainednotesthataretobestruckwithparticularemphasis,andwhicharefollowedby
shorternotes”
--duringatransitiontoanewtempooradifferentmovement
--wherelivelypassagesgivewaytoadiminuendowhichincludesasoft,delicaterun
--“inheavilymarkedpassages,whereastrongcrescendoleadstoanewmovementortothe
endofthepiece”
--“inverywhimsical,capriciousorfancifulmovements,inordertohighlighttheircharacter
better”
ItwasreportedbyRiesthatBeethoven“usuallykeptasteadybeatandonlyoccasionallypushed
thetempo,andeventhen,seldom.Amongotherthingsheheldbackthetempoinacrescendowitha
ritardando,whichmadeaverybeautifulandhighlystrikingeffect.”
IncreasingthetempowassuggestedbyTürkinthefollowingsituations:
--“whereavehementaffectisunexpectedlytobearoused”
--“wheregentlefeelingsareinterruptedbyalivelypassage”
--whenamusicalideaisrepeatedatahigherpitchlevel
--inthemostforcefulpassagesofapiece‘whosecharacterisvehemence,anger,rage,furyand
thelike”
Thestatementsabovecertainlyprovethat18thcenturymusicwasnotintendedtobeperformed
metronomically,thoughitisalwaystoberememberedthatanyflexibilityoftempowasexpectedtobe
handledwithgreatsubtletyanddiscretion.
Accentuation
Thereweretwokindsofaccentuationin18thcenturymusic:metricalandrhetorical.
1) Metricalaccentsweresystematicstressesonstrongpartsofbeats,strongpartsofmeasures
andstrongmeasures.Suchstresseswerecreatedbyholdingthestrongnotelongerandplaying
itlouder.Quantz,LeopoldMozart,andTürkurgedtheemploymentofthispractice,and
ClementiandBeethovendefinitelyemployedit.Czernyrecommendedmarking“byasmall
accentthebeginningofeachbar,orindeedeveneverygoodpartofthebar.”Evidencethat
suchaccentuationpracticesrepresentmainstreamthinkinginthe18thcenturyisfoundinLiszt’s
exhortationin1856that“perpetuallyemphasizingstrongandweakbeats”shouldbe
Abandoned.
2) Rhetoricalaccentscalledattentiontosignificantmelodicnotesthroughincreaseddurationand
volume.Thosenotesincludeddissonances,appoggiaturas,non-diatonicnotes,highandlow
notesandsyncopations.Asub-classificationofrhetoricalaccentswas“pathetic”accents,which
consistedofstressingbydurationandvolumetheespeciallyintensedissonances.
Metricandrhetoricalaccentsimparteda“speaking”qualitytomusicalperformance,akinto
poetry’slongandshortsyllables.Otherwise,seamlessplayingoccurred,whichwasperceivedas
meaningless,asitstillshouldbeperceivedtoday.Beethovenwascriticalofthosewho“accentuate
badly.”ThatLisztconsideredsuchanapproachtobeinappropriateforhismusic,orhismannerof
playing,isnotreasontoneglectthefactthatmetricandrhetoricalaccentuationwasconsidered
essentialby18thandearly19thcenturymusicians,andthisexpressivepracticeisnolessneededwhen
performingthismusictoday.
Phrasing
Musicinthe18thcenturywasequatedtorhetoricandmuchcomplexverbiagewasdevotedto
thisrelationship.Whatismostrelevanttodayisthatvariousdegreesofpunctuationwereviewedas
occurringinmusic,justasinspeech.Majorbreathingpointsoccurredattheendsofsections.Butless
obviousbreathingspotsweretobefeltattheendsofphrasesandevenattheendsofsmallerunitsthan
completephrases.
Playerswhotodayplaystraightthroughthesebreathingpointsareignoringoneofthemost
crucial,essentialaspectsofmusicianshipwhenplaying18thcenturymusic.Itwasarequirementthat
thismusicbeallowedtobreathe—atcadencesandatlesserbreaksinthemusic.Therunningtogether
ofideasmeanttobeseparatedcanbecausedbyadoptingtoofastatempo,orjustanignoranceofthe
importanceoffeelingmusicalpunctuation.Pianistswouldexhibitsomuchmoreexpressivityin18th
centurymusiciftheywouldbreathelikesingersandwindplayers.
DottedEighth-SixteenthNoteFigures
Theperformedlengthofthe16thnoteafteradotted8thnotewasfrequentlydiscussedinthe
18thcentury.Therewasvirtualunanimitythatthe16thnotebeperformedmuchshorterthanits
notatedvalue,withQuantzevensuggestingthatitbeasshortasa64thnote.Somewritersallowedthat
inslowmovementsitneednotbequiteasshort.
Dotted8th-16thnotefiguresoccurringsimultaneouslywith8thnotetripletsprovideda
controversywhichragedinthe18thcentury,asitsperformancestilldoesinthe21stcentury.C.P.E.
BachandFriedrichWilhelmMarpurgadvocatedperformingthe16thnotesimultaneouslywiththelast
noteofthetriplet.Quantz,ontheotherhand,favoredperformingthe16thnoteafterthelastnoteof
thetriplet.AgricolaagreedwithQuantz,exceptwhenitoccurredinafasttempo.J.A.P.SchultzandTürk
alsofavoredplayingthe16thnoteafterthetriplet,unlesstheplayerfoundsuchexecutiontobetoo
difficult.Czerny’sneedtomentionthatoneshouldplaythe16thnoteafterthetripletinthefirst
movementofBeethoven’sSonataOp.27,No.2(“Moonlight”)isevidencethatthiswasnotthe
universallyacceptedpracticeatthetime,andthatmanypeopleplayedthe16thnoteandthetriplet
simultaneously.Thissimultaneityorlackofsimultaneityofdotted8thand16thnotevs.tripletissueis
stillhotlydebatedtoday,especiallywithregardtotheperformanceofSchubert’smusic.
RepeatSigns:ToTakeorNottoTake
Themainreasonstoobserverepeatsincludethefollowing:
1) Toaddembellishmenttowhatwaswritten.Thisimprovisedembellishmentwasexpectedinthe
Baroqueandearly-Classiceras.
2) Toprovidethelisteneranopportunitytohearforthesecondtimetheexpositionofamovement
inSonata-allegroform.
3) Toaddlengthtoasectionorpiece.
Todayveryfewplayershavetheskilltoimproviseembellishment,ortoinventandlearn
embellishmentsaheadoftime.Therefore,formostplayers,thisreasontoobservearepeathasalm
ceasedtoexist.Apartialsubstituteisforapianisttovaryvoicings,dynamicsandmelodicshapes
duringarepeat.Butthisisdonealltoorarely,andmostrepeatstakentodayprovidelittlenew
insightintothemusic.
Thebinaryform,whichwastheoriginofSonata-allegroform,causedrepeatsignstobe
preservedinbothportionsofmost18thcenturySonata-allegroformmovements.Many18thcentury
treatisewriterssaidbothsectionsweretoberepeated.Butperhapsthiswasdonepartlyoutof
obligation,sinceQuantz,in1752,evenadvisedplayingafastpiecealittlefasteruponitsrepetition“in
ordernottoputthelistenerstosleep.”
Thepracticeofrepeatingthesecondportiondiedoutfirst,withClementi,in1801,writing,“The
secondpartofapiece,ifverylong,isseldomrepeated,notwithstandingthedots.”Thepracticeof
repeatingtheexpositionpersistedlonger,withthepurposebeingviewedasprovidinglistenerswith
additionalacquaintancewiththematerial.Butnoteveryonebelievedthisshouldbedone.The
composerAndreGretry,in1797,expressedhisoppositiontoanyrepeatsinSonata-allegroform
movements,andpraisedNicolasHüllmandelfornotwritingrepeatsignsinhissonatascomposedinthe
1770’sand1780’s.
Beethovengavealotofthoughttohisemploymentofrepeatsigns.Forexample,heinitially
wrotehedidnotbelievetheexpositionoftheEroicafirstmovementshouldberepeatedduetoits
length,butsubsequentlychangedhismind.Inhislaststringquartet,Op.135,hewroteinthescoreof
thelastmovement,inItalian,“Repeatthesecondpartifyouwish.”
Gradually,expositionscametoberepeatedlessandless.Itisobviousfromthe140timingsleft
byGeorgeSmart,theprincipalconductorinLondonfrom1819-1843,thatlongrepeatswerenot
observedinthesymphoniesofHaydn,Mozart,andBeethoven,andprobablynotevenmanyoftheshort
ones.Inthe1830’s,theleadingBeethovenconductorinFrance,FrancoisHabeneck,didnotobservethe
repeats.
Dvorak,theinmanuscriptofhis6thSymphonywrote,“Onceandforallwithouttherepeat.”He
alsowrotewithregardtotheSchubertsymphonies,“Iftherepeatsareomitted,acourseofwhichI
thoroughtlyapprove,andwhichindeedisnowgenerallyadopted,theyarenottoolong.”Richard
Strauss,whenconducting,didnotevenobservetherepeatofthe80secondexpositionofthefirst
movementoftheBeethoven5thSymphony.WhenBrahmsconductedhisown2ndSymphony,hedidnot
taketheexpositionrepeatwritteninthescore.Whenquestionedaboutthishereplied,“Formerlywhen
thepiecewasnewtotheaudience,therepeatwasnecessary;today,theworkissowellknownthatI
cangoonwithoutit.”
Certainlytodaymostoftherepertoirewhichwehearisextremelywellknown,eliminatingthis
reasonfortakinganexpositionrepetition.Evenifthefirstendingcontainsmusicuniquetothe
movement,takingarepeatisnotnecessarilyessential,asAlfredBrendelconvincinglyarguesinthecase
ofthePosthumousSchubertAMajorandB-flatMajorSonatafirstmovements.
InmanyBaroquevariationsitwasacceptabletopickandchooseamongstthemastowhichto
play.Rameauevenwrote,“Generallyspeaking,onemayomitdoubles[variations]andrepeatsofa
Rondeauthatonefindstoodifficult.”The19thcenturywaswildlycavalierinallowinghugelibertiesby
performers.Onepracticewascommonlycuttingwholeportionsofpieces.Grieghimselfomitteda
hugepartofthefinaleofhisOp.7Sonataonhisrecording.
HaroldSchonberg,thelegendarycriticfortheNewYorkTimes, wroteina1966essay“Modern
LiteralismandRepeats”:“Thenewconceptofobservingeveryrepeat[especiallyinClassicandsuch
earlyRomanticworkssuchastheSchubertsonatas]cangivethemusictheaspectofbeingseenthrough
oneofthosefreak-lengtheningmirrors....Iftheperformerisoneoftheconscientiousbutuninspired
players,theresultscanbeexcruciating.Insteadofaperformancebeingdull,itistwiceasdull.Agreat
imaginativeartistcangetawaywithit,butgreatimaginativeartistsarealwaysrare.Whatallothersend
upwithistheletterbutnotthespiritofmusic.”
Likeagoodmeal,aperformanceisbetterservedbylistenersbeingleftwantingmore,rather
thanhavingbeengiventoomuch.Thepotentiallackofsophisticationandmusicalexperienceofone’s
particularaudienceisanotherfactoraperformerneedstoconsider.
BeethovengaveFerdinandRiestheoptions,whenintroducingtheHammerklavierSonatato
London,ofomittingtheLargointroductiontothe4thmovement,ofomittingtheentire4thmovement,or
performingonlythefirstmovementandthesecondmovement“andletthemformthewholesonata.”
Hecontinued,“Ileaveittoyoutodoasyouthinkbest.”
Overtheyears,Ihavereadnumerouscomplaintsmadebycomposersregardingperformances
oftheirworks,buthaveneverseenonethatcomplainedofrepeatsnotbeingtaken.Butshouldall
repetitionsbeavoided?Certainlynot.Butnoneshouldbetakenautomaticallywithoutthought,solely
becausearepeatsignappearsinthescore.Whenplaying18thcenturymusic,today,ideallytheplayer
willobservetherepeatsignsatleastonmanyoccasions,andaddembellishments,ifqualifiedtodoso
appropriately.Ifnotpossessingtherequisiteexperiencetoembellish18thcenturymusic,andwhen
playing19thcenturymusic,onecanfollowBeethoven’sadviceand“doasyouthinkbest.”
GeorgeFee
February,2016