repeated passages

[rhapsody in orange]

Hmm how do you make a repeated passage sound different from the previous one (so as to add some interest to the music)? Alteration in dynamics, articulation, tone.. (did I miss out anything else?)
As for the tone, how do you create the difference (other than the use of pedals)?
Would like to hear from others about this. Thank you in advance 

[alzado]

A case in point is the Myra Hess transcription of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

I recently had the unfortunate experience of playing piano for a roomful of people, some who appeared to be real neanderthals.  The only reason I wanted to play is because my granddaughters were present, and they are beginning music lessons.  Good example, give them more interest, etc.

Anyway, this incredible woman guest sharply criticized my selecting "Jesu," saying "it is just so repetitious, people really didn't like it."  She then had the GALL to name two or three other guests who -- according to her -- expressed great unhappiness with the music via body language, expressions, looking at their watches, or whatever.  She didn't say this in a very nice way, but just very petulant and peevish about it.  My wife and I have agreed never to invite her to our home again.  I had enough good sense to just smile and tell her "I appreciated her feedback."  What I was thinking was something else again.

She said that I should have selected some popular song heard on the radio because "the guests could relate to that."   I felt like telling her, "Sorry, I don't know the Beer Barrel Polka."

So this incredible woman "pinged" Jesu for too much repetition?  Well, if you PLAY it, rather than listen with half a brain, the repetition is really a series of variations, including different chords, different keys, different speeds, and different dynamics.

I rarely play for a roomful of people, and only did so because my granddaughters were present and I only see them about once a year.  I can only hope the girls liked the piece.

Rereading this, I see I've side-tracked a bit on the original question.  But usually when you actually PLAY a repeated melody you become aware the composer is developing it, or elaborating it, or writing variants on it.

Hope this helps--

[Floristan]

If it's a literal repeat, it depends on how long the passage is, how it functions in the piece, and what it contains that could profitably be changed on the repeat.

If it's the repeat of the whole first section of a sonata, then nothing would change.  But suppose it's something like the B section to Brahms Op. 118, No.2.  There is a very distinct counter-melody in the left hand that could be articulated on the repeat.  If subtly done, it's quite effective.  Often, too, if it's a short repeat, a simple change in dynamics will work -- playing in the piano range on the repeat.

I'm sure you'll get lots of more examples and I'll get lots of disagreement! 

[rhapsody in orange]

Thanks for the speedy replies. Actually, I'm not so concerned about the repetition of a whole section (as in a sonata) but more of a repetition of a phrase/figure. How would one make the exact repetition less boring?

[bernhard]

Also, sometimes a repeat is just a repeat. For instance, in many of Grieg’s lyrical pieces, you should just do an exact repeat, simply because the pieces are so short that the repeat gives the listener another chance to enjoy the music.

In both Baroque and Classical music, however, repeats are opportunities for improvisation (a lost art, I am afraid, for who would dare to extemporise on the several repeats of a Mozart sonata? Yet, it is almost certain that this is exactly what Mozart  - a skilled improviser – did).

I tend to think of music of superior quality as multi-levelled. So repeats present an opportunity to explore a different level. In order to make the repeat bring out the next level, you must be aware of the next level to start with.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.