Expert: Donald - 5/16/2006

Question
Hi.  I am in the middle of a debate with a musician friend of mine who is telling me that somewhere in a Beethoven piano composition, there is a frenzied portion that ends on one very low note that is sustained and has the instruction to make the note sound vibrato by varying the pressure on the key.  I am insisting to him that this is actually a high A-flat in notation of 32nd notes intended by Beethoven to be held as one longer note but pulsated to make a vibrato effect (A-flat Sonata, Op. 115 or around that).  I was of the understanding that what I was talking about was the subject of a lot of debate and not necessarily possible but just Beethoven's indicating his creative intention, since after the clavichord and until some modern electronic instruments a tone on a fortepiano or subsequent pianos (wasn't Beethoven using a Graf at the time of the late A-flat sonata?)were incapable of being modified after striking the key and that tones actually disappeared very quickly.  I have not played for a long time but did work on most of his sonatas, as well as had a knowledge of the ones I didn't work on, and I cannot remember any special effects indicated except that A-flat.

However, today I started remembering that during Beethoven's time, there were a lot of experimental pianos and household instruments that had effects that could be turned on and off by pedals, knee levers, etc., and that there could have been some specially-made pianos that had extra keys in the bass that could somehow manipulate the string, etc.

Do you know of such a device and if this low-note vibrato my friend is talking about is actual and in which work it is used?

Thanks!

Pro


Answer
Hi again, Pro!

Also, in clear answer to your question regarding the low note, I am unaware that this low note exists. The high Ab in question would have to be pulsated to produce the effect indicated, just as you described.

I hope that this helps...

Best,

Chris






Hi Pro!

Thanks for asking such an interesting question!

As you are aware, the piano was somewhat of an experimental instrument during Beethoven's time. It is quite possible that the original manuscript of the Ab sonata calls for some effect that would not be easily duplicated on a modern instrument. However, as you correctly state, Beethoven was playing an instrument that did not produce lasting resonant impact. Whether he intended for a particular effect to be employed because of the instrument's limitation is open to conjecture.

Performance practice during this period did call for the composer to give expressive markings in the score, but the instrument was changing so rapidly that Beethoven might have left the marking out in subsequent editions. I do not have specific knowledge that the extra note or pedal existed for this special effect, but it isn't outside the realm of scholarship to say that it could have been quite possible. The thing that makes me question the existence of such a device is that no mention of it is made in the collected works of which I am aware, nor have I seen any reference to it in any scores.

Beethoven was a cutting edge composer in his third compositional period, so I hesitate to state with authority that the key/pedal didn't exist. However, in cases like this, the original scores and drawings of the instruments (or surviving examples), and historical treatises are all that we have to go on. Unfortunately, we don't have a wonderful treatise for the piano like Couperin's "L'arte de touche le Clavecin" for the clavichord. I encourage you to look for drawings of early pianos to see if there are any unusual keys/pedals. This might be the best indicator of a possible special effect. Again, to be sure, Beethoven would have tried to use anything within reason at his disposal to create expression. He was an intense man!

I hope that this was of some help. You have raised a question that is difficult to answer definitively, which is one of the reasons why music remains such a fascinating study. There is always so much to explore about every piece!

Thanks again for the great question, and please feel free to ask again if I can be of any assistance.

Best regards,

Chris