On 15 Mar 2007 at 19:33, dhbailey wrote: > Brennon Bortz wrote: > > I have a task that I fear is going to be quite a project. I have a > > piece (well, a section of one) that is in much too slow a tempo to > > be "felt" by a performer. Right now, it is at quarter note=38. In > > order to make this more playable, I need to change the tempo to > > quarter=76, double all note values, change time signatures (they > > change rather consistently), etc. Does anyone have any shortcuts > > for this? > > Why not leave it as it is and tell the performer to feel it at the 8th > note? If you're going to double the values while increasing the > tempo, the sound won't change, so just have them subdivide. Mozart > and Haydn did that in their slow movements quite often.
I don't entirely agree with this. Notating something in a different meter, even if it's mathematically an exact ratio of the original, changes the perception of the music. I wouldn't believe you if you told me that performers would play music notated in 4/8 the same as if it were notated in 4/2. This is especially the case with the change from 2/4 to 2/2, which has its own set of associations. And as to Mozart and Haydn, I know of one example in one of Mozart's string quartets where he started the last movement in 2/2 with one tempo marking, then scratched it out and started over in 2/4 with a different tempo marking. He used the same thematic material, but the bass line is completely different. Mozart made the change because of a change of the music he wanted to convey. Of course, these subtleties are the kinds of things that young music theory students despair over. Theoretically, there's no real explanation for why people play these things differently, but it goes very strongly to the whole discussion I had with Chuck and Darcy over notating in meters that are not conventional for the players who are playing it. That is, there are conventions and styles associated with each meter and you change between them at your peril. At least, when you have decent musicians. -- David W. Fenton http://dfenton.com David Fenton Associates http://dfenton.com/DFA/ _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
