Pathetique

[xpletus]

I am learning the first movement of this sonata and I am having difficulty in general with pedaling for the grave introduction, but particularly with the runs. How much pedal should I use? Also in the very begining of the part with tremolos in the left hand I can't get the right hand fast enough, my fingers feel like they get tangled halfway through it, has anyone had this problem before?

[rachfan]

In the first measure of the Intro,  pedal the opening chord through the tie.  Lift the pedal and do not depress it until a microsecond after playing the 2nd beat, changing for the 3rd beat, and changing the pedal again for the resolution into the G major chord at the fourth beat.  Don't pedal through the rests there.  The last A flat in that measure is stacatto, so no pedal.  Next, pedal so as to catch the chord of the first beat in the second measure.  

So the idea is to pedal when you can, but never through passing tones, of which there are plenty in that section.  There should be no blurred tones ever.  As for the two runs, pedal the first A flat at the top of the first run but quickly lifting it for the entire rest of that run which needs to be clear and swift.  On the last run, same thing.  Pedal the C at the top but not the sextuplet which has rapid passing tones.  It's fine to pedal those four A flats played portato.  On the final run, pedal the high E flat, then forget the pedal thereafter--too chromatic a passage to even think about using the pedal there, until that A flat under the fermata.

On the next section, it is in cut time, but still marked allegro, not prestisimo.  You're making yourself more anxious than you need to be there.  Practice slowly with the metronome hands alone, then hands together.  As you gain proficiency and confidence, increase the metronome speed, gradually ramping up to speed.  Keep the LH tremolo quieter than the RH, as all of the interest is in the RH part.  The exception is accenting the scale in the 5th finger of the LH on the 1st and 3rd beats as it ascends during the crescendo.  Always bring out any scale you find in music, as it holds special significance.    I hope this helps.

[xpletus]

Thanks, that has helped a lot. Another thing, on the tremolo part that is piano should I use the pedal?

[rachfan]

Hi xpletus,

Beethoven did not indicate any pedaling in the allegro, so he leaves it to the pianist to  figure out what works best.  Even in pieces where he did indicate pedaling, remember that Beethoven used to play those old Graf and Broadwood pianos, where the mechanisms performed differently than the modern piano.  To further complicate this, sometimes he showed pedaling blurring conflicting tones, leaving us to wonder whether he really meant it or not, or how it sounded on his instrument around 1818.  And how much of that might be attributable to his deafness, since the ear governs pedaling?  We can only guess.  Czerny, a pupil of Beethoven, believed that some of Beethoven's more controversial pedal indications were simply to be ignored in later times.  So sometimes when Beethoven does make a pedal indication that seems a bit weird, you need to assess it to see if it is truly workable today.  The keen ear is always the final judge of effective pedaling.  

On pedaling, the higher you are in the treble part of the keyboard you are, the more forgiving is the piano when you pedal a passing tone.  The reason is that the sustain is less on the high notes.  You should still avoid messy pedaling up there, but yes, you can also get away with more.  Pedaling passing tones in the tenor and bass, however, will instantly put you in a bad light.

What I am saying here, by the way, does not entirely apply to Debussy and Ravel, where not only are there exceptions, but sometimes you take a bath in the piece by applying a great deal of pedal, half pedals, flutter pedals, etc.  But in the Classical and Early Romantic period, you have to use a lot of discipline.

Yes, pedal in the tremolo part, but quickly, cleanly, and conscientiously.  The law dealing with passing tones, which are nonharmonic notes, applies there as everywhere.  In other words, a passing tone is not part of the harmony of the key signature, rather, is merely a connecting tone moving toward another neighboring tone that is in fact part of the harmony.  (Know your scales!)  If you pedal passing tones, it blurs the passagework as a whole creating a mess.  

So in measure 1 of the allegro, you can depress and hold the pedal for the first measure.  To do it successfully to include the fourth beat, on that  beat you have to voice the upper note (e) of the double notes and deemphasize the lower b flat (a passing tone).  If you cannot perfect suppressing the b flat passing tone, then you are better off lifting the pedal entirely on that fourth beat.  Never think of chords as the vertical skyscrapers that appear on the page.  They are always going somewhere through voice leading, so always think of them horizontally.  Be aware of the top melodic notes in particular, where they are going, what they are doing.  

From there on, the right hand double notes are stacatto and cannot be muddied.  One choice is to play measures 2-4 without pedal, but the effect is somewhat "dry". Another approach is to LIGHTLY pedal ONLY the first and third beats of measure 2, only the half notes in 3 (and be sure you are holding those halfs with your fingers for full value, not just relying on the pedal), and again  the first and third beat in measure 4.  

At measures 5-8 pedal each half note chord a microsecond after sounding it (but do fully catch it in the pedal), then change the pedal for each sequential half note chord.  By the way, voice those chords so that what you mostly and clearly hear is the uppermost note of each.  There is a partial scale in there to be appreciated.  

Incidentally, don't pound out that tremelo figure.  Note that prior to the crescendo it is marked p, PLUS it must be quieter than the RH which is the real point of interest to the listener.  How to handle that technically?  Play the trememo very evenly "inside the keys" to keep it muted and under control there.  It means very small wrist rotation keeping the LH thumb and 5th finger inside their keys there just adding some background sound there, nothing prominent.

Sounds like you need to be working with a teacher, especially on a complex piece such as Pathetique.  Is there none in your area?