>Hmmm, speaking of pieces composers wrote after they were dead (how's >that for a segue?), a friend and I have been having a discussion >about Schubert's Sonata in B (flat) D 960, first movement with the G >flat (that's Gb1)-A flat (Ab1) trill in the left hand, played at >pianissimo. Barring any fault with the pianist (or not), would >there be something about the regulation of the notes that would make >trilling down there at pianissimo more (or less) successful? I'd >welcome both comments on pianistic technique and an analysis of what >in regulation would help or hinder the performance. The Schubert D960 bass trill is one of the prices the modern piano paid in its acoustic power deal with the devil. I use that, and a few other spots like the first chord of Beethoven Op 13, to illustrate how the characteristics of the original fortepiano can be absolutely critical. The most perfect regulation and piano technique on a modern piano will not achieve what you can do instantly, naturally, and without special effort, on the original piano. The problem transcends mechanical actuation and relates more to the acoustics of how to create that trill. The effect is lost because the definition of the trill cannot be achieved with thick, long bass strings. Bit like trying to race a luxury sedan on the track. Some things it just ain't intended to do naturally. In the case of that Schubert trill it all comes down to sonic definition, regardless of regulatory success. Now an interesting thing about that sonata that is seldom heard becuase so few people play the repeat. The first movement repeated section has a lead-back first ending that concludes with that famous pp trill, but, just that one time only, played ff. Makes all those pp versions everywhere else all the more like distant echos. The first time you hear it it is then really a pre-echo, if that makes sense. Stephen -- Dr Stephen Birkett Piano Design Lab Department of Systems Design Engineering University of Waterloo, Waterloo ON Canada N2L 3G1 tel: 519-888-4567 Ext. 3792 Lab room E3-3160 Ext. 7115 mailto: sbirkett[at]real.uwaterloo.ca http://real.uwaterloo.ca/~sbirkett
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