I have some questions about Ped. and *. Please help.

[1piano4joe]

I searched pianostreet for answers to my specific questions but couldn't find what I was looking for.

I know what Ped. and * mean.

Ped. (or sometimes just P.) means pedal down. I come to another Ped. in the score. What does this mean?

It can't mean pedal down as it already is down. Doesn't every Ped. require a "*" pedal up mark?

I thought it must be a repedal ( a quick up, down) also I believe called an overlapping pedal but I'm not sure. What do you think?

If so, then what could this mean *P. ? Is this another way of notating a repedal? If so then there are two "older" methods of indicating repedalling then?

This was from Heller Opus 46 No. 11 "Fluttering Leaves". I'm using the Peters Edition which in general I don't care for but that could be another post in itself.

Bar 27 (If I counted correctly since there are no bar numbers (Is this typical for Peters Edition no bar numbers?)) Has P. P. Bar 28 another P. Bar 29 another P. There is no "*" in sight any place, anywhere. What's up with that?

Then Bar 30 has *P. which I completely understand the need for and it seems to me a minor detail but is it a repedal or not? There is a split second difference in the sound and pedaling if the up and down are slightly further apart. Is there not?

Also, the very last bar has a * after the piece has finished. Does this mean I should remove my fingers from the keyboard for the last chord and on the second upbeat terminate whatever remaining sound (There is a dimin. and I'm playing p piano.) there is? Thus, "*" is a sort of period something like what a conductor does with his baton? Is there a name for that? Or do I lift the pedal while the keys are still depressed and end the piece with my fingers even though the asterisk is after the note? This sounds better to me as it allows some decrease in volume by stopping the sympathetic vibrations of other vibrating strings.

Thank You, Joe.    

[quantum]

Generally speaking when you have consecutive Ped. Ped. Ped. without * in between it is an indication to quickly clear the harmony and reapply the pedal.  A quick up-down motion.  Similar to |_____^____^____^___| 

This can get redundant
* Ped........* Ped..........* Ped...........*

So some publishers/composers opted for
Ped.........Ped............Ped............*

Also, the very last bar has a * after the piece has finished. Does this mean I should remove my fingers from the keyboard for the last chord and on the second upbeat terminate whatever remaining sound (There is a dimin. and I'm playing p piano.) there is? Thus, "*" is a sort of period something like what a conductor does with his baton? Is there a name for that? Or do I lift the pedal while the keys are still depressed and end the piece with my fingers even though the asterisk is after the note? This sounds better to me as it allows some decrease in volume by stopping the sympathetic vibrations of other vibrating strings.

Generally a * at the end of the piece just means lift the pedal.  If the last note or chord contains pedal, you would usually release the hands off the keys just before you lift the pedal.  So your foot is actually in control of the dampers, not your fingers. As you get more comfortable with the lift off, the release between hands and foot can be very close to simultaneous, however the foot still has control of the dampers. 

It is very possible to control the return of the dampers with your fingers, but it is much more difficult than controlling the dampers with your foot. 

Releasing the pedal and following that releasing your fingers can sound anti-climatic or even detract from the tone of the final chord if done in a certain manner.  It may be called as special effect in some music, but this piece does not seem to fit that bill. 


It is probably best not to get obsessive over pedal markings.  Of all the indications in the score, these are the most likely to be modified based on the acoustic of the room and piano.  Your ear is the best judge of which approach suits the music in any given situation.  Learn to develop your listening in a manner that informs your pedaling, rather than leaning on a verbatim reading of the scores indications. 

***

I attended a presentation several years ago by Seymour Bernstein on Chopin's notational symbols.  A lot of what he talked about is interpreting pedal markings.  The * Ped * Ped vs Ped Ped Ped was covered. 

https://seymourbernstein.com/publications/chopin-interpreting-his-notational-symbols/