Piano Forum



Remembering the great Maurizio Pollini
Legendary pianist Maurizio Pollini defined modern piano playing through a combination of virtuosity of the highest degree, a complete sense of musical purpose and commitment that works in complete control of the virtuosity. His passing was announced by Milan’s La Scala opera house on March 23. Read more >>

Topic: Pedaling Debussy  (Read 4104 times)

Offline rjmuk

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 4
Pedaling Debussy
on: July 21, 2004, 05:45:18 PM
Hello everyone. Just signed up to the forum, looks like a great resource site.

In Debussy's Sunken Cathedral (La Cathedrale Engloutie) just before the large block chords there is a bottom C held on for 4 bars, does this mean that the pedal is held down during the block chords creating a huge sound??

Its at the bottom of page 2 here

https://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/dlpage_new.cfm?composition_id=1488

JK

  • Guest
Re: Pedaling Debussy
Reply #1 on: July 21, 2004, 09:06:54 PM
Yes and no..... On one hand it does and ofcourse you could interpret this as being the cathedrale engulfed in water. However I think most people find that holding the pedal down for all this time creates too much sound, there are two ways around this: The first is to half pedal say each bar or chord (by chord I mean chord changes ie. if two chords are just the same but one is an inversion etc. then you would pedal until the chord changes to another). By half pedaling I mean that you take the pedal off until the dampers just start to touch the strings and the sound starts to stop, then you very quickly put the pedal back down again. This is a very useful technique for Debussy in general. The second is to use the middle pedal (if your piano has one, not all do), the middle pedal enables you to hold a note(s) down whilst playing chords etc. over the top without the chords etc. being sustained. Therefore if you put the middle pedal down when the low c is played then this will enable it to be held on whilst the chords over the top aren't blurred, you can of course then pedal each chord with the sustaining (right) pedal.

Hope this helps! :)

Offline rjmuk

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 4
Re: Pedaling Debussy
Reply #2 on: July 21, 2004, 10:07:26 PM
thanks, that is helpful

Offline dlu

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 404
Re: Pedaling Debussy
Reply #3 on: August 18, 2004, 04:02:42 PM
There is no need to use the pedal playing any Debussy pieces. French pianos of his day weren't even equipped with pedals.

Offline xvimbi

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2439
Re: Pedaling Debussy
Reply #4 on: August 18, 2004, 04:39:37 PM
Quote
There is no need to use the pedal playing any Debussy pieces. French pianos of his day weren't even equipped with pedals.

Are you kidding?

Offline IllBeBach

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 40
Re: Pedaling Debussy
Reply #5 on: August 18, 2004, 04:42:59 PM
They weren't? *blink*  Then what about all the "with pedal always" indications?

I think you mean they weren't equipped with the middle pedal.  Pianos of his day had left and right pedals typically, but the middle pedal was not so well known--though I think it had been invented and equipped on pianos built in America at the time.


Soli Deo Gloria

Offline dlu

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 404
Re: Pedaling Debussy
Reply #6 on: August 18, 2004, 04:46:05 PM
Oh yes, sorry...that's what I mean. No sostenuto pedal. Oops.

Offline bernhard

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5078
Re: Pedaling Debussy
Reply #7 on: August 18, 2004, 05:38:52 PM
Quote
There is no need to use the pedal playing any Debussy pieces. French pianos of his day weren't even equipped with pedals.


Debussy had a Bluthner (you can see a  picture of his piano here:

https://www.litart.co.uk/bluthner.htm

Have you noticed the pedals?)

This piano was acquired in 1904-1905 (you can read the interesting story on the site above),and the first book of preludes (which includes La Cathedral Englutie) was published in 1910.

Certainly one should not use pedal indiscriminately (e.g. Dr Gradus ad Parnassum needs almost no pedal). But la cathedral englutie needs plenty of it.

(Just adding a nail to the coffin. ;D)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. (Hunter Thompson)
For more information about this topic, click search below!
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert