The wild story of Schubert's G Major Impromptu!!!
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- Опубликовано: 1 фев 2025
- Some of Franz Schubert's most adored piano pieces are his 8 impromptus. But did you know that one was originally published in the wrong key? I'll tell you the story of how that happened and what we can learn from it.
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As someone who have played this piece for a long time my immediate reaction was exactly that it's just easier in G flat because it's so much better positioned for the hands. Another thing that also makes incorporating black keys into a piece is how it improves your sense of where you are on the keyboard, and where you are in the music (without looking at the keyboard or the score).
totally. Also the G major version sounds more like church music to me. I've tried both and find the Gb one more expressive.
I’m often amused by piano ‘learners’ who think that C major is easiest to play, because they started with that. Chopin taught his students starting with D flat major, to introduce them to the best hand positioning and an automatic feel for the keyboard. I’m not much of a pianist, but on the piano, I don’t find any key necessarily harder than any other. It’s simply a matter of setting the hand position for the key - and go from there.
@@stoferb876 yes. A great experiment for people who don't understand yet is to blindfold (or just keep your eyes closed) and play random notes that are very spaced out quickly (G7, D3, F6...). Do all white keys or all black keys. The black keys are simply easier to find as you have to find the white notes based off the black notes.
Thanks for checking out the video!
Discussing why G major or Gb major makes the piece easier/harder to play because of hand-position is not the issue, as far as Schubert is concerned: the key of G is a brighter tone than Gb; Schubert is much more concerned with the 'soul' of the piece being soft, gentle, and cushioning, as if lying on a feather bed!
The 2nd main idea is in the key of Cb major which, enharmonically, is B major, a much-more aggressive key, allowing this section to be much-more agitated and piercing, making for much more contrast when the gentler Gb section returns.
This piece is notable for its beautiful contrasts, moving from introspective sections to lively, joyful passages. Schubert's ability to blend simplicity with complexity creates a profound listening experience.
When I was learning this piece, I practiced it in G major for a good while. Then when I switch to G flat, it was so much easier and I was able to play it much more musically, especially the voicing. Thank you for this informative video!
This is very interesting. Thanks!
You're very welcome. Thanks for checking it out
4:20 … this might be true in a static setting but with wrist circles and good arm motion, momentum takes out the stretching. However it does sound better in g flat. G is too bright for the mood.
True. It's not a literally stretch because it's not actually blocked like that. I made cuts to the video and I guess don't have that part played as written anywhere. I would say it's still an issue, but you're right, that as a blocked chord would literally be impossible in either key for most people. Thanks for pointing that out for any confused
You want nightmare fuel? Close your eyes and imagine....
All the Chopin Etudes in C Major and/or A Minor.
Coincidentally the key for his hardest studies
most of them are...
@@militaryandemergencyservic3286 ummm....no???
I love the major version because it is so happy sounding. The minor version sounds less than the other minor key impromptus which have great emotion to me. With 10,000s of piano recordings, the softness of the G minor bugs me as uninspiring. The G major is uplifting in spirit! Thanks for informing me on how this piece was actually published (B major is nice too).
Another reason for Schubert's publishers transposing his G-flat impromptu to G major may be that not all keyboard instruments at the time (1820s) had adopted the well-tempered system of tuning. Therefore, keys that use a lot of the black keys would have sounded terribly out of tune to play.
Not 'well-tempered' but 'equal-tempered'. In circulating temperament ('well' temperament) G flat major is still quite dissonant. The early 19th century was a period of transition to equal temperament.
Meanwhile, my excitement has reached new hights when I found the section in Schubert's D-946-2 that is in A-flat minor!
Back in the 60s, there was an LP released of Rachmanioff playing vaious pieces. One of them was the Schubert impromptu. I don't have perfect pitch but the music critic who reviewed the recording sais he was surprised that Rachmanioff played the impromptu in Gmajor and not Gflat major. I have always wondered whether he did play it in G or whether it was a technical error.
I’ve heard this story too.
I’ve always played it in Gb, I find that the G-version sounds more “sharp” and the Gb-version sounds more “soft”/ “comfortable”/ “appropriate”.
Good point - there's often a difference between easier to play vs easier to read.
When I first heard they wanted to publish it in G, which wasn't too long ago, I gave it a try in G. It felt and sounded horrible. I felt dirty all over! After the first several measures I couldn't go any further.
Logically thinking, though, most of that was all in my imagination. Except that it feels better on the fingers with the flats.
Schubert set the bar really high here.
Challenging pianists to or play exactly what he wrote, or use a very singing sound which can be very personal
very interesting!
@@DMajor402 I remember learning this the first time in piano lit and thinking "They can't do that!" Haha. Have you played this one?
@@ryanabshier yeah I played this piece couple years ago.I actually heard it first time as g major version.
I've had this same thought about all the "easy" versions of Linus and Lucy, which put it in C major from the original Ab. It's so much less comfortable.
Great point. I've seen arrangements of it in C before. I guess it does make it easier to read, but tough to feel your placement for sure.
When students, or even other musicians, complain about “busy” key signatures, this piece, along with several pieces of Lecuona or Gottschalk’s Banjo, are examples I use of pieces fitting so much better in the hands in these key signatures than “easy” key signatures.
And yes, I prefer teaching B major scales first, before C major.
For horn players, lots of sharps are worse for fingerings, while more flats are easier.
I think it's because each valve lowers the pitch, so flats feel more natural
dont tell me you enjoy playing dflat major scale..
@@AndewMole Oh yes, I do on the French Horn, but don't get me started on sharps!
When I was a student (long, long time ago!) my favorite scale was A flat major, D flat major is not as good but also nice.
Actually my warmup today was around D flat major 😅
It's as if he knew what he was doing, who would've thought?
@@georgH 😆 imagine a composer wrote something in a certain key because it worked well in a certain key. Wild
Can you deep dive on the time signature? Numerically it might be written 4/2, but 2/2 2/2 sort of implies beats 1 & 3 are equally as strong unlike 4/2 where beat 3 is strong-ish but not as much as beat 1?
5:03 Wait what? Gb/F# Major also uses all five black keys!
@@PianistTanooki yeah, I meant to say I prefer B or Db because the white keys are consistently on the left or right, but forgot. I kind of implied it afterwards, but didn't say it.
So the complete thought. I think B and Db Major are the easiest because you use all 5 black keys AND a consistent white key placement. Thanks for pointing that out.
Ah that makes sense.
Though personally, I find all three of those scales to be just as easy as one another.
Worth pointing out that Chopin actually started students on B Major for the many reasons you went over in this video!
Play chopin op 10 no. 5 in G major
Haha, that one was totally on my mind while filming this. Sometimes composers actually know what they are doing.
There is indeed a study by godowski with chopin op. 10 no. 5 in C major at the left hand and more things at the right hand 😀 ruclips.net/video/Wih5K_8EW5Q/видео.html
Am i going crazy? How come it looks like you are playing F at the beginning. Great video by the way.
Haha, it's the front angle, so the white keys look flipped relative to the black keys. I've done it myself tons of times while editing, freaks me out 🤣
Six flats?
He moved five times while composing it. (Thank you, Victor Borge, wherever you are!)
Time signature appears to give us his two-cents worth.
See also Taneyev's Prelude and Fugue in g# minor.
I always compose in flats: my ankles lose stability otherwise.
@@auldthymer Waldteufel wrote "The Skater's Waltz"....
Hi will you make a video about Arnold Schönbergs works?
here are my wonderful little Schubert masterpiece pastiches - ruclips.net/p/PLYUhuuvIrJm0Z7vc1Olxvs1cOLMfuSo4I
Comments turned off lol.
@@starsandnightvision yea - I hate flattery
It seems a popular antagonistic opinion that flats and sharps don't make a piece more difficult. Once you have memorized a piece that may be true, but as long as you are learning it, and that is what most people mean, flats and sharps complicate things because notation is based on the C scale. The obvious truth is just he truth.
maybe for beginners who aren't particularly comfortable reading music, but an experienced pianist will be equally comfortable reading in any key.
your idea that "notation is based on the C scale" is really a non-sequitur since the use of a key signature allows notation to be "based" on any key with equal ease - it's the design of the piano that is based on the C scale, but the way in which it is based on that scale doesnt necessarily make playing music that uses that scale more simple (in fact it often makes it more difficult).
@@luciancrosby6331 It is not just beginners, it is an extra step for every brain. Sure, a professional can become good at something difficult, but an extra step is still extra information.
6 flats, Franz? Seriously? ROFLMAO
@@gmnotyet 🤣 I know. What a jerk! Glad up liked that.
Irving Berlin composed all of his famous songs in f sharp because black keys are easier.
Honestly, if the key signature scares you away from a piece, then you suck and need to study more and practice.
Stupid thumbnail.
As the one who made it, I agree. 🤣
However, people like to click on big expressions, and I am showing a face of shock which matches the point of the video (shocked an editor would change keys like that). And unfortunately...RUclips likes it... Of my last 10 videos this is doing the best. You have to remember I'm not Lang Lang posting, where you'll click because of knowing a face.
But yes, making thumbnails is my least favorite thing I do. I wish it was a 2 minute deal but it's not. And spending hours on a video for it to get 1/10 the views just because the thumbnail was boring is so frustrating. Ergo...big expression experiment.