Skipping Rope by Yelena Gnesina

[1piano4joe]

Hi all,

This is a Grade 5 RCM etude. Measures 10, 12, 16 and 24 have small 8th notes with the upward slash through the note stem. So, this is an acciaccatura (and not an appoggiatura) to be played quickly before the beat without "borrowing" time. Fine, I get that. A teacher on YouTube plays it that way and so do I...

but the RCM Handbook for Teachers says, "In measures that feature a grace note, play the grace note with the beat notes". So, apparently I am "interpreting" this incorrectly and am evidently not the only one to do so.

What do you call this? Is this still called an acciaccatura when you play 2 notes simultaneously and release the "grace" note? How would I know to do that? Is that just today's common performance practice?

After some research I discovered that sometimes you play the grace note with ALL the notes of the following (quarter note) chord on the beat and release the grace note quickly and sometimes ALL notes except the one that the grace note resolves to.

So, this could mean 3 notes simultaneously (which includes the grace note) and release to 2 notes or it could mean play 2 notes simultaneously (which includes the grace note) on the beat and resolve the (suspension?) grace note and "borrow" time from the principal note. Wouldn't that be a "time stealing" acciaccatura? (Only this would be much less than 1/2 the value of the note) How do you know which way to play it?

This composer lived (1874-1967). Would that generally be a clue to play grace notes on the beat and release the grace note quickly but hold the prinicpal note? I know that Christopher Norton does this in many of his compositions.

Thanks in advance, Joe.

P.S. Is it safe to assume then if you "steal" greater than or equal to 1/2 the note value on the beat, it's an appoggiatura and when you "borrow" less than 1/2 the notes value then it's an "on the beat" acciaccatura?

P.P.S. Another thing that bothers me are these long appoggiaturas that steal SO MUCH TIME that they are longer than the note they are supposedly embellishing. Very strange to me.

[keypeg]

Here is what seems to be an "official" version and the grace note seems to be happening as of 0:11 in the manner suggested in the RCM handbook.

Listening to it, there is a very prominent rhythm or beat, and I'm guessing that this is the reason for playing it this way, to not break the rhythm.

I'd be interested in hearing the version you found on Youtube that plays it the other way.  Can you link?

[1piano4joe]

Hi keypeg,

Thanks for responding.

I have listened to that video performance by "Tanjo3". It sounds (to me anyway) like he is NOT playing the grace notes ON the 2nd beat at all.

I rewound YouTube to that spot several times and listened repeatedly as carefully as I could and it really sounds like the grace note is like the last 1/32 of beat one coming BEFORE the 2nd down beat...

...but my ears could be wrong, Joe.

Thanks again, Here is the link

you asked for.

At around 13 seconds I see him playing his right pinky on "D" before the beat and fingers 4 and 2 on the notes "A" and "C" simultaneously on the beat. This is how I was playing it and it sounds like Tanjo3 to me but again I could be wrong.

[1piano4joe]

Hi all,

I found this at Dolmetsch music theory,

"In the seventeenth century the word 'grace' was applied to a number of 'ornaments' including the appoggiatura (from an Italian word meaning 'to lean') and the acciaccatura (from an Italian verb acciaccare meaning 'to crush'). The acciaccatura is very short (literally 'crushed'), is played on the beat together with, or imperceptably before, the principal note before being released. It is generally, although not always, written as a small quaver (eighth note) with a stroke through its stem and lies in front of the principal note. The appoggiatura is usually written without a stroke through the note's stem. In both cases, the notation of the grace note is symbolic - the grace note (with or without a stroke through its stem) is not included in the time value count for the bar.

Apart from the requirement to play them as quickly as possible, there was no 'hard and fast' rule as to whether these 'passing' grace note sequences were to be played on or before the beat."

The American Heritage dictionary has, "An ornament note that is one half step or one whole step higher or lower than a principal note and is sounded at the same time as the principal note, adding dissonance to a harmony."

So, no wonder I'm confused. Inconsistent notation and variations in performance practice are to blame.

That's all for now, Joe.

[keypeg]

Music evolves, and conventions evolve with it.  Written music itself is not that old and it is an imperfect reflection of the vision of the music itself.  You can add to this the fact that there will be different schools and philosophies.  A really interesting book to read is "Music in the Western World - A History in Documents" (Weiss, Taruskin) which traces music history through contemporary writings in each period.  Whatever comes up, somebody in that period is scandalized.  Written music?  The downfall of music, causing lazy dependence on notes.  There are periods where they are mesmerized by how complicated they can make rhythms and interweaving voices; then trying to get at purity and simplicity as a reaction; then finding that too simple, where is the emotion; then omg all that emotion we'd better get mathematically pure .... and so on.  In our wonderful modern world you'll have all these trends vying with each other.

Don't just read and learn rules.  Listen to the music itself.  Get a feel for the music.  If you hear various interpretations and one grabs you, why does it grab you?  What is the musician /conductor doing specifically?  Does it grab you because it's doing what you expect and are used to?  Could you be open to something else?

The link you gave yesterday is one I heard earlier, but didn't include it because it is incomplete.  The way I learned to check for such things is to count out loud while tapping and keeping my own count steady.  To my ear -- which is not completely developed - the grace note seemed to come in as I counted and tapped the beat - rather than earlier.  But I may be wrong.