Octave Glissandi

[lostinidlewonder]

If you ask me, I would be amazed if Beethoven intended glissando. I can't find him using octave glissando in any other piece that he ever composed for piano, unless I am missing something? Musically and technically in my opinion it is easier to NOT do glissando but you have to do it softly, which unfortunately some beginners who try it are ham fisted. Why are beginners trying this piece!

[astroboy]

^^ There is an octave glissando in the 1st movt of his 1st piano concerto

[nickmarshall]

Yes, it can be done, no bleeding fingers or drama whatsoever, including in the Brahms Paganini variations.
I am an advanced amateur, played that stuff since my teens, (now 70), (struggled trying octave glissandi) but now have a Hamburg Steinway Model M, properly regulated, and it's easy.

However, recently heard the great Paul Lewis live in Sydney doing the Waldstein, sans glissando, and I asked him why? (Whilst having his CD issue of the 32 autographed -- Fantastic, and I include Arrau etc live!) He rightly said that he was going for a special "aurora" (awaking of sunrise)  effect that required a pianissimo octave, which he did brilliantly both hands. He said he tried glissando on pianos of Beethoven's day with their light actions (Erard) and that was OK, but on a modern Steinway the effect came across too loud.

Makes eminent sense to me!
So how about the opening bar of Opus 2 no. 3 ? Should one cheat?  I guess the real answer is if you ain't got the technique, you ain't ready to play it!

Personally, my favorite is opus 7, which i think I play quite well and at speed. But stage fright and memory lapses prevented me from progressing, way back....................

Hope this throws some light on a fascinating topic.
Nick Marshall
Sydney, Australia

[mistermoe]

Well I'm glad you're clear on that, you need to join Dr Dawkins. He loves guys like you who have the mystical ability to utter nonesense....uhmmmm sorry....conviction regards chicken scratch. To me nothing Beethoven wrote is clear until it is played. When you play this passage it is clear that it is to be played glissando as it only works musically that way.

I haven't been on this forum for the last months, so i was just reading this for the first time.

Let me tell you, i am already (and again) soo bored of your attitude and way of talking to other people/forum members.


And now to the other people around here: can anybody tell me why my interpretation of the chicken scratches are nonesense? Perhaps i'm not right, but i think it makes sense.

[bachtorachmaninoff]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4iqFvQjdcm8

[johnnybarkshop]

Glissandi hurt when you play too deeply into the keys. Practise playing on just the surface, without sound, and think towards the last octave, as it is the continuous sweep that avoids pain.