Piano Forum

Piano Street Magazine:
Watch the Chopin Competition 2025 with us!

Great news for anyone who loves Chopin’s music! Piano Street’s Chopin Competition tool now includes all 1,848 recorded performances from the Preliminary Round to Stage 3. Dive in and listen now! Read more

Topic: Messiaen prelude - question on notes  (Read 1443 times)

Offline omccreary

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25
Messiaen prelude - question on notes
on: February 10, 2016, 09:55:54 PM
I've been working on the Messian prelude #2, "Chant d'extase dans une paysage triste."

In the second measure of the "un peu plus vif" section, the key signature is F-sharp major (6 sharps). The left-hand chord is notated (from the bottom): B / D-natural / E / G. Because of the key signature, the E and the G are sharped.

But I was listening to a Youtube video today and, to my surprise, the pianist was playing B / D-natural / E-natural / G-sharp. At first I thought it was just incorrect, so I listened to a second Youtube video, which also had the E-natural and not E-sharp.

As I read the score, E-sharp is correct. But two pianists making the same error seems unlikely. Did Messiaen publish a "correction" that I've missed?

Here are the two videos which have the E-natural instead of E-sharp, both cued to the "un peu plus vif" section. Time signature is 9/8, and the chord in question is in the second measure.

=2m13s

=2m40s

And one with the E-sharp, which I think is correct.

=2m4s

Offline chopinlover01

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2118
Re: Messiaen prelude - question on notes
Reply #1 on: February 12, 2016, 04:01:18 PM
Probably an editorial. Go on IMSLP and compare/contrast different editions; the benefits are more than just this one measure most likely.

Offline richard black

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2104
Re: Messiaen prelude - question on notes
Reply #2 on: February 12, 2016, 05:57:02 PM
Quote
Go on IMSLP and compare/contrast different editions

It's Messiaen! He's in copyright everywhere, therefore:

It isn't on IMSLP.

There's only one edition.

My guess is that some reasonably authoritative recording (maybe by Yvonne Loriod - did she record this?) has the variant reading and this is why others have adopted it.
Instrumentalists are all wannabe singers. Discuss.
 

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