Pieces with nothing but the notes? (no tempoindications, dynamic changes etc.)

[sevencircles]

Do you know any interesting pieces where the score consists of nothing but the notes?

It would be really fun to hear what the greatest pianists in the world would do with a piece that just consists of notes. Some people tend to ignore the composers tempoīs etc. anyway  (Pogorelich for instance) but very few performers do that on a regular basis.

I am currently writing a piece with just the "notes" for Lisitsaīs and Hahnīs competition.  Complete freedom for the performer.

[drkilroy]

Harpsichord and organ music is (as far as I know) written without dynamics marks, as you cannot control the volume, and often without tempo indication, as the name of the piece implies it.

Also, it would be interesting if one would write in the score: forte or piano, crescendo or diminuendo, staccato or legato, presto or grave; there could be a lot of possible executions of the piece.

Best regards, Dr

[pianoplayjl]

Harpsichord and organ music is (as far as I know) written without dynamics marks, as you cannot control the volume, and often without tempo indication, as the name of the piece implies it.

Also, it would be interesting if one would write in the score: forte or piano, crescendo or diminuendo, staccato or legato, presto or grave; there could be a lot of possible executions of the piece.

Best regards, Dr

I agree. The interpretations of P&F are almost unlimited so therefore every pianist must have a unique intepretation e.g. Glenn Gould. I think it might be possbiel to play the whole Harpsicord repertoire in a loud way so as to simulate the harpsicord dynamics.

[drkilroy]

I would not say that the harpsichord is a particularly loud instrument; mezzo forte perhaps. Also, you have to remember that a special effect was used in harpsichord music to simulate forte-piano: block chords - forte, single notes - piano. Rolled chords were also often used.

Best regards, Dr

[pianoplayjl]

Ok. But I read somewhere that the harpsicord does not have a large range of dynamics; it could only play loud or soft. Not the 'in between' sound, as we can play in the piano. perhaps the inventors of Harpsicord could not manage to produce the mechanics required to make a dynamic Harpsichord.

[chrisbutch]

One example which immediately springs to mind is the Schumann Toccata, which includes an introductory note explaining his reasons for this abstention. Not that it's entirely marking-free, but almost. The underlying tempo, in particular, has been subject to wide extremes of interpretation as a result.

[sevencircles]

One example which immediately springs to mind is the Schumann Toccata, which includes an introductory note explaining his reasons for this abstention. Not that it's entirely marking-free, but almost. The underlying tempo, in particular, has been subject to wide extremes of interpretation as a result.

Great example, it is hard to make the Schumann Toccata sound really interesting. I only know one pianist that is currently active that has done a great recording of it and thatīs Pogorelich.

[opus10no2]

https://imslp.org/wiki/3_Morceaux_dans_le_Genre_path%C3%A9tique,_Op.15_(Alkan,_Charles-Valentin)

[chrisbutch]

Great example, it is hard to make the Schumann Toccata sound really interesting. I only know one pianist that is currently active that has done a great recording of it and thatīs Pogorelich.

I suspect that Schumann's explanation for the 'clean' notation (to give the performer the greatest freedom of interpretation etc...) was a bit of a rationalisation after the event, as the Toccata was worked up from what was originally drafted as a keyboard exercise, and thus unlikely to carry much in the way of performing indications anyway.