On Feb 15, 2006, at 6:33 AM, Owain Sutton wrote:
David W. Fenton wrote:
Well, let me say that anything other than ppp to fff is ridiculous --
there's no possible way to actually make such gradations in any
meaningful sense. Anything beyond that range is voodoo notation, in
my opinion.
What on earth is 'voodoo notation'? Because according to your logic,
it's something Beethoven was quite happy with. Are you really saying
there's only eight possible dynamic levels, at all, ever?
I know what David is talking about, though I wouldn't necessarily call
it "voodoo notation."
Dynamics, as much as we composers might wish otherwise, are not exact,
unless you are using computers for playback, in which case 127 MIDI
gradations aren't even enough.
Dynamics are not even just volume of sound, like decibels are, as much
as we composers might wish otherwise. They are also indications of
intensity of timbre, and a change of inflection and note shape. They
can only influence actual balance in the grossest terms, so there isn't
much point in indicating anything beyond eight levels or so, unless you
are making a psychological point to the performer (imagine what goes
through the trombone section's collective mind when they see
Tchaikovsky's FFFFF. Whaah-hoo! Of course they can't really play five
F's. Likewise Mozart's FF is nowhere close to a modern FF, and even
Bruckner's FFF has to be played like a large MF if you hope to last
through the whole work with both lips intact, not to mention the
audience's ears. And I won't even attempt to compare jazz dynamics with
classical.)
So the best one can do is to plunk down your best guess at a marking
and hope that the performers are good enough musicians and sensitive
enough to their colleagues to play it musically and balanced. And if
making some odd marking (Satie is full of them!) makes your performer
think differently when you need them to, all the more power to ya, but
be prepared to be misinterpreted.
Christopher
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