> On Feb 15, 2006, at 3:19 PM, Lee Actor wrote: > > > dynamics do not denote some absolute level of sound > > volume on a decibel scale, but are always contextual and relative. > > Substitute "usually" or "traditionally" for "always," and I'll agree > with you. > > > 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, > > An important aspect of T's orchestration, IMO, is that he deliberately > makes the players display struggle and effort. When, as often, he > writes very soft passages for the lowest notes of the double reeds, he > wants the audience to hear the player sweating to get the volume down. > At the other end of the dynamic scale, he routinely and deliberately > evokes a very ugly sound from the trumpets by having them play loudly > in octaves. > > This kind of thing is not limited to Tchaikovsky. In Schoenberg's > _Gurrelieder_ there is a sustained ppp top B in the piccolo at the > beginning of the melodrama, before the speaker begins. When Simon > Rattle conducted the piece w. the Philadelphia Orchestra a few years > back, he decided to have the piccolo player use a specially-made little > pipe built just for that one note. The resulting ethereal whistle was > very pretty--but Schoenberg didn't want that. He wanted the audience to > hear the sound of Nature trying desperately to stay still in the hours > just before dawn. Will a piccolo sound desperate trying to play that > note ppp? You bet. > > Andrew Stiller > Kallisti Music Press > http://home.netcom.com/~kallisti/
Good points, I largely agree. This is very similar to the sense of straining that is evident when string players play up high on a string (esp. low strings for violins and high strings for violas, celli, and basses). 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
