At 2:18 PM -0500 7/20/10, Paul Hayden wrote:
Kurt Stone in "Music Notation in the Twentieth Century" (page 22) says:
1. "It used to be customary to slur grace notes to the main note,
but since such slurs are superfluous it is recommended that they be
omitted."
2. Traditional practice is to start the main legato slur on the
first main note (not the grace note) of the phrase. "This practice
should be revised to include the grace note(s) in the slurs."
I've always notated the traditional way (small slur from grace to
first main note). I'm afraid that careful performers will see no
slur (#1 above) and actually articulate both the grace and the
following main note. Stone says to put a staccato mark on the grace
if that's what you want.
#2 is logical but looks a little strange to me.
What do you think about this?
I've adopted (without really thinking about it!) the no-slur option
in my own music. And no musician with any experience would ever
articulate the grace note UNLESS it's a unison with the main note and
obviously intended as an articulated anticipation. (See "circus
chord" as well as "Poet & Peasant Overture.")
Speaking strictly for string players, we'll always slur the grace
note to the main note--again unless the situation is pretty clearly
different, but that would normally be indicated by up and down bow
markings.
John
--
John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music
Virginia Tech Department of Music
College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[email protected])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
"We never play anything the same way once." Shelly Manne's definition
of jazz musicians.
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