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Topic: Messiaen prelude - question on notes  (Read 1335 times)

Offline omccreary

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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

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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

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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.
 

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