Any tips on phrasing and legato when there isn't any indicated?

[1piano4joe]

I just bought Happy Time (book 1 primary) by Alexandre Tansman. I heard these little pieces and fell in love with them right away. It's rare when I like so many pieces in a book. It's even better if you can play all of them.

O.K. The first piece is "Both Ways". It says, "Legato" and that's pretty much it. No phrasing and no slurs. My mind floods with all sorts of questions:

1. Legato everything? From beginning to end? Legato applies to both hands right?

2. First impression, yes to all of the above.

3. Except suggested fingering doesn't permit that. This fingering would work if I were to add pedal of course. I also just picked up "The Pianists Guide To Standard Teaching and Performance Literature" by Jane Magrath and it says that this pieces is a study to develop legato. So I'm thinking no pedal.

4. I can change the fingering quite easily and play both hands legato. No sweat. I prefer this sound as opposed to adding the pedal.

5. Maybe I should recognize and create question and answer phrases? I have some idea how to do this although I'm better at recognizing changes in harmony and adding appropriate pedal points.

This is all I know about question and answer phrases:

A question phrase, usually four or eight bars, (More technical: ends on a second, fourth, fifth, or seventh scale tone, usually ending on a V or V7 chord), and while it often pauses like the end of a phrase, it doesn't quite feel complete. You feel like it needs a little bit more before you feel like it's done. This is the "question phrase," because it kind of feels like a question: a complete sentence, but it needs an answer.

I like the idea of breathing and it feels like the first two measures are a "question phrase" and the next two are the "answer phrase". This works best if the accompaniment is played unslurred, accenting each whole note as it must sustain 4 beats. No, this doesn't sound right to me.

Finally, I decide to play 8 bars legato in both hands ignoring the idea of question and answer phrases. I decide to add a rall. in bar 8 followed by a fetura, or caesura (railroad tracks) before beginning the 9th bar. I figure this is okay since in the 9th bar the melody and accompaniment switch hands. The 9th bar says, "marcato" raising more questions. Should I accent only the first note of the left hand melody? Why didn't they use the standard accent mark? Is there something wrong with this symbol >? Then I play a 9 bar legato phrase to the end. I believe the melody switches back to the right hand for the last three bars. Is this all wrong? 

My choice to use two eight bar slurs was the slurred descending chromatic accompaniment and it just sounds right to me. So is it okay to have both a question and answer phrase under one long slur? Do repeated melodies in different registers sound like different voices? If so, then should I add a third slur for the last three bars where the melody switches back to the right hand?

Does the title suggest two lovers having a conversation? Maybe a girl is saying how much she loves him and this is the question phrase? And the melody switching an octave lower is her guy saying how much he loves her is the answer phrase? Does this make sense to anybody? Also, I like the idea of not combining question and answer phrases to one slur.

Any general tips, suggestions or corrections as always are greatly appreciated. Thank You, Joe.
 

 

[nystul]

I am not at all familiar with this piece, but it sounds like it is a study of contrasting styles.  Where it is marked legato you are to start playing in a very smooth, flowing style and where it is marked marcato you are to start playing in a very crisp, articulate style (not just for one note but as the general style of that section).  The title of the piece probably refers to this contrast between legato and marcato.

Phrasing is independent of these general articulations.  A legato section could have multiple phrases and it would be natural to have a breath between them.  I don't know whether that applies to this piece or not.

[1piano4joe]

Thank you Nystul. I totally missed that this could be a piece of contrasting styles. Would these contrasting styles be legato and marcato?

"Both Ways" is the title. First, a legato passage. Second, a marcato passage.

Is there such a thing as a marcato passage? What exactly is it?

Does it mean play all the notes detached but full value? Or does it mean continue to play legato but more forcefully (thus louder) and this is the contrast? Detached, full value and more forceful?

I listened to some teachers on YouTube performing this and didn't notice a contrast other than bringing out the left hand melody and playing the right hand accompaniment subdued. Could that  be the meaning of "Both Ways"?

Thank you, Joe.

[nystul]

If the marcato notation is written under the bass part, it may simply be prompting to emphasize the left hand. 

[1piano4joe]

Both the legato and marcato notation is written between the staves. I have seen pieces where each staff has its own dynamic marking. Maybe p piano for the left hand written below the bass clef for instance and mf for the right hand written above the treble clef both appearing for the same bar(s). So, strictly speaking the "centered" notations in this case "should" apply to both hands, right?

I believe you are correct that the marcato notation is simply prompting to emphasize the left hand in spite of the way its written.

Therefore, I surmise a marcato passage is a more forceful (louder) passage. It could be staccato, portato or legato depending on the circumstance. And in this case its purpose is for a greater contrast in dynamics between the melody and accompaniment both of which are legato for the whole entire piece.

Thank you, Joe.   



 

[lostinidlewonder]

It would be a lot easier if we had an example of the sheets to examine. Generally I find a good way to determine the phrasing is to experiment singing the melodic lines yourself.