Something that's been missing from the discussion about dynamics is the concept that musical dynamics do not denote some absolute level of sound volume on a decibel scale, but are always contextual and relative. Certainly dynamics give the performer some general notion of degree of loudness, but that's only the starting point; just as important are intensity of tone, tone color, and other intangibles which can only be determined contextually. Within the same piece, mp may in one passage call for the performer to project over the ensemble, while in another passage the same dynamic may mean that the performer should play more of a background role. It's as much about "attitude" as "volume", and good musicians do this as a matter of course. When I conduct and am trying to achieve a certain balance, sometimes a player will ask, "So do you want that p instead of mp?" I usually reply along the lines of, "No, I want you to listen and be subsidiary to the oboe (or whatever) at that point, then take the lead over here."
In the famous passage at the end of the exposition in the first mvmt. of the Pathetique, Tchaikovsky writes a gradated series of dynamics, ending with pppppp in the low bassoon. Now whatever you think of Tchaikovsky's music, he had a profound understanding of orchestration, color, and balance, and knew exactly what he wanted and how to achieve it. Obviously what is called for here is an ever-decreasing volume and intensity of sound, ending as quietly as possible, with a very "veiled" tone color. Granted, it is difficult to play extremely softly in the lower register of the bassoon (right, Andrew?), but Tchaikovsky was writing for the finest professional orchestras of his day, and IMHO it is misguided to substitute bass clarinet for those few bassoon notes, as is sometimes done (probably as much for the continuation of the clarinet tone color as for the greater ease in playing softly in that range), as the composer was perfectly capable of specifying bass clarinet if he wanted it (which he did a number of times in other works). Maybe there is a bit of the "gimmick" aspect to writing pppppp, but it legitimately serves the purpose of getting the players' attention. Most of the rest of the piece is between ppp and fff, Tchaikovsky's usual practice. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
