I think I remember just when I first heard the orchestral version of 4 of the movements of this work. Immediately became a favorite Ravel work and has stayed so in the 20+ years since...
Thank you so much..!! I hope you will tell the same after hearing my Gaspard de la Nuit... which I am currently working on a bit and wanna record it at some point also. :) ... what a piece.
Many performances, especially the orchestral ones, lose the special dance characteristics of this fantastic suite. Your Menuet is a real minuet, and the Rigaudon is the best, thumping performance I've ever heard. Bravo!
7 лет назад
Thank you... Always happy to hear that people enjoy.
Le Tombeau de Couperin est une suite de six pièces pour piano de Maurice Ravel composée entre 1914 et 1917 et créée le 11 avril 1919 par Marguerite Long à la Société de Musique Indépendante (salle Gaveau). L'œuvre porte la référence M.68, dans le catalogue des œuvres du compositeur établi par le musicologue Marcel Marnat. Quatre de ces pièces (Prélude, Forlane, Menuet et Rigaudon) furent ensuite orchestrées par Maurice Ravel lui-même en 1919 et jouées pour la première fois le 28 février 1920 (durée environ 16 minutes). Écrit pour petit orchestre symphonique, le Tombeau de Couperin est un chef-d'œuvre d'orchestration, proche du concerto pour orchestre tant les parties individuelles sont solistiques, particulièrement celle du 1er hautbois. Ravel en relève soigneusement la forme en rondeau, le rythme 6/8, la tonalité de mi dont il minorise le mode. FORLANE Origine et analyse de la Forlane du Tombeau de Couperin de Ravel Nous devons la « Forlane » du Tombeau de Couperin de Ravel au pape Pie X ! Jugeant le tango licencieux, Pie X se met en devoir de briser sa carrière en exhumant la forlane. L'histoire de cette danse ancienne paraît à propos dans la Revue musicale du 1er avril 1914 ; J. Escorchevielle y fait remonter en 1609 sa plus ancienne mention. Il soupçonne cette danse de s'être introduite de Venise en France sous Louis XIV. Il explique comment courtisanes et filles de gondoliers la dansaient, relevant audacieusement leurs robes pour découvrir leurs escarpins, les épaules et le sein voilés d'une simple dentelle découpée. Que la forlane appelée à détrôner l'érotique tango soit elle-même libidineuse à l'origine fait un amusant pied-de-nez au pontife. Joint à la transcription de la Forlane du 4e concert royal de Couperin en annexe à l'article d'Escorchevielle, pareil trait stimule l'inspiration de Ravel. Aussitôt, il confie à Cipa Godebski : « Je turbine à l'intention du Pape. Vous savez que cet auguste personnage (...) vient de lancer une nouvelle danse, la forlane. J'en transcris une de Couperin. » La guerre de 1914 et le patriotisme du compositeur n'y sont donc pour rien : c'est au saint Père que Le Tombeau de Couperin doit indirectement son existence. La suite de la lettre ravélienne est précieuse : « Je vais m'occuper », annonce Ravel, parlant toujours de sa forlane, « à la faire danser au Vatican par Mistinguett et Colette Willy en travesti. Ne vous étonnez pas de ce retour à la religion... C'est l'atmosphère natale qui vaut ça ». En vacances dans son très catholique pays basque, Ravel se souvient manifestement ici d'un scandale provoqué par Colette au Moulin Rouge à Paris, dont La Retraite sentimentale nous révèle la teneur. En ces termes, la partenaire de music-hall de la romancière nommée Annie raconte : « Willette Collie, qui jouait le Faune(...) cabriolait sur scène en maillot de bain, comme une démon et dansait en aveugle, ses cheveux courts dégringolés sur son nez. (...) Cette toquée s'ingéniait à varier notre duo tous les soirs. (...) Un jour, elle m'empoigne par les reins, comme un paquet, et m'emporte sous son bras, ma tunique et mes cheveux roux traînant en queue triomphale... Une autre fois, pendant notre baiser - le fameux « baiser » qui fit scandale et qu'elle me donnait avec une fougue indifférente -, elle insinua sa main sous mon bras et me chatouilla irrésistiblement... Ma bouche, bâillonnée par la sienne, laissa échapper un petit cri râlé... » Rien qu'à l'idée de scandaliser les bien-pensants en faisant secrètement allusion à un spectacle pareillement érotique et homosexuel, on devine Ravel émoustillé ! Décidément, l'histoire de la Forlane apporte de l'eau au moulin de ses complexes... En tout cas, il renoue avec une danse qui égayait la vieillesse de Louis XIV, avec l'époque des Watteau et des clavecinistes... Passé l'aveu primesautier à Cipa Gobeski, Ravel se tait. Lui qui clame à qui veut l'apprendre que son Monticelli et ses bibelots japonais sont des faux, il se réserve le solitaire plaisir mystifier de dominer le monde. Le Tombeau achevé, ni Roland-Manuel, ni aucun des pianistes qui le travailleront avec le compositeur ne se douteront qu'il doit bel et bien son existence à une véritable forlane couperinienne. Ravel déclarera d'ailleurs que son hommage s'adresse « moins en réalité au seul Couperin qu'à la musique française du XVIIIe siècle » en général, ce qui n'est ni vrai ni faux. ....................................................................... The Tomb of Couperin is a suite of six pieces for piano by Maurice Ravel composed between 1914 and 1917 and created on April 11, 1919 by Marguerite Long at the Society of Independent Music (Salle Gaveau). The work bears the reference M.68, in the catalog of the works of the composer established by the musicologist Marcel Marnat. Four of these pieces were then orchestrated by Maurice Ravel himself in 1919 and played for the first time on February 28, 1920 (lasting about 16 minutes). Written for a small symphony orchestra, the Tombeau de Couperin is a masterpiece of orchestration, close to the concerto for orchestra as the individual parts are solistic, especially that of the 1st oboe. Ravel carefully picks up the rondeau form, the rhythm 6/8, the tone of mi which he minorizes the mode. FORLANE Origin and analysis of the Forlane of the Tomb of Couperin de Ravel We owe the "Forlane" of Ravel's Tomb of Couperin to Pope Pius X! Judging the licentious tango, Pius X begins to break his career by exhuming the forlane. The history of this ancient dance appears to be appropriate in the Revue musicale of April 1, 1914; J. Escorchevielle brings back in 1609 its oldest mention. He suspects this dance of being introduced from Venice to France under Louis XIV. He explains how courtesans and daughters of gondoliers danced it, boldly raising their robes to discover their pumps, shoulders and breast veiled with a simple cut lace. That the forlane called to dethrone the erotic tango itself is libidinous originally made an amusing foot-of-nose to the pontiff. Joined in the transcription of the Forlane of the 4th Royal Concert of Couperin annexed to the article of Escorchevielle, such a trait stimulates the inspiration of Ravel. Immediately, he confided to Cipa Godebski: "I am turbine for the Pope. You know that this august character (...) has just launched a new dance, la forlane. I transcribe one from Couperin. " The war of 1914 and the patriotism of the composer were therefore for nothing: it was to the Holy Father that Le Tombeau de Couperin owed its existence indirectly. The rest of the letter is precious: "I'll take care of it," says Ravel, still talking about her forlane, "to make her dance at the Vatican by Mistinguett and Colette Willy in transvestite. Do not be surprised at this return to religion ... It is the natal atmosphere that is worth it ". On holiday in his very Catholic Basque country, Ravel clearly remembers here a scandal provoked by Colette at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, whose sentimental Retraite reveals the content. In these words, Annie's music-hall partner Annie recounts: "Willette Collie, who played Fauna (...) was captivated on stage in a swimsuit, like a demon and danced blindly, her short hair tumbled on his nose. (...) This crazy man tried to vary our duet every night. (...) One day, she takes me by the kidneys, like a package, and carries me under her arm, my tunic and my red hair trailing in a triumphal tail ... Another time during our kiss - the famous "kiss" that caused scandal and gave me with indifferent enthusiasm - she insinuated her hand under my arm and tickled me irresistibly ... My mouth, gagged by hers, gave a little shriek ... " Only the idea of scandalizing the good-thinking by making a secret allusion to a spectacle like erotic and homosexual, one can guess Ravel titillated! Decidedly, the history of the Forlane brings water to the mill of its complexes ... In any case, it reconnects with a dance that brightened the old age of Louis XIV, with the time Watteau and clavecinists ... After the confession to Cipa Gobeski, Ravel is silent. He who claims to know that his Monticelli and his Japanese trinkets are fakes, he reserves the solitary mystifying pleasure of dominating the world. The completed Tomb, neither Roland-Manuel nor any of the pianists who work with the composer, will suspect that he must indeed exist as a true Couperinian forlane. Ravel declared that his homage was addressed "less in reality to Couperin than to French music of the eighteenth century" in general, which is neither true nor false.
yes, since i first heard this piece i've really loved it, and hear it in my head all the time. its like swimming in an endless beautiful river of sound. Question: who ( besides yourself) do you like playing this piece? and thanks for the timeline showing the different parts of the piece. I'm the only one in my family who cannot play, but love the piano solo music. I like the deliberate tempo & quality of your play.
7 лет назад+2
Thank you... Much appreciated! As I write in comment section, this is my "old" record from the time of graduation the conservatory in Prague. It was 10 years ago, which is quite a time, considering I'm 33 now... :) Somehow, I am surprised this video gets quite lot of "hits" - probably because of the pictures instead of just video of me playing it... Anyway - again, as I mention there, I might be playing it liiiittle bit different today. I remember these times, my teacher had to fight with me a loooot... example: I remember I could NOT play those trills on the beat that time... I was too much used to play it before the beat. That time, I had no experience with french baroque music and so on... So that might be all changed today. This record is full of little mistakes on many places, but of course - as it was one of my "final exam" pieces, it was well "observed" by my teacher and I can hear it today... Also, that time I had looooooot of time to study (sweet student life...) ... To your question, I must say that I have no answer in my mind... This piece is definitely not the "most played" repertoir, and I definitely don't have any rendition of some "star pianist" in my mind... like I could name Gaspard de la Nuit with Argerich or Michelangeli, or Miroirs with Richter for example, but these are other pieces :) I remember I've heard some nice orchestral version here on RUclips of Tombeau... but I just do not have any piano solo version in my head which I would recommend... I'll come back here if I hear something, oki? And thanks for listening and leaving a comment..!
Thanks so much for your informed reply. No doubt you can say quite a bit about this piece of music, from many different perspectives. I didn't notice mistakes, because i am not of the milieu that can speak to that. I am looking for the definitive recording though, and although it might be said your playing it is solid ( even with "mistakes"), and might not be that one, it is very beautiful. Thanks for putting it here!
I really like the tempi you use - very fast compared to other recordings I've heard. 10 years after, would you use those same tempi?
8 лет назад+2
No idea... We will see one day when I play it again. I think I will do it again. But there are sooo many pieces to play. :) and only one life-time. :) Anyway - thank you for spending the time by listening..!
(took awhile before I heard the piano original though! :D ) Wikipedia should make it clearer that the orchestral version changes the order of the movements substantially too, though that's easy enough to find out- one can e.g. just have a look at the scores @ IMSLP, say. Still, a moment's editing of the Wikipedia text should clear that up later...
+alikia Piano No no... It is a person I always hire for my concerts to "humm" the melody for me so I don't forget... Like in opera, they have this hidden person who helps them when they get lost with words.. Hmmm... or Hummmm?
Just got the music and oh boy oh boy The Prelude alone makes me feel very, very small....question though...does anybody know why the grace notes have a slur, or tie? Isn’t it understood that grace notes segue into the principal note smoothly (legato) as opposed to staccato, which would be notated as such...anyway, if I can ever play this piece, well, I mean, just the Prelude alone I can die a happy man!!!!
6 лет назад+1
I think the way how he notates this - he wants to tell you to play the little trill "on the beat". If there was not a slur, people would tend to play it like a trill in Mozart (which many play "before the beat"). I remember, this was a big task for me that time. Before, I never used to play trills on the beat so it was somehow "uncomfortable"... But that's only the brain thing. Good luck with the piece.. Cheers!
Dušan Holý Yes, thank you...I did translate the French of “Les petites notes...” and knew that he wanted the-it’s really an upper mordent-trill on the beat, but I wasn’t sure if the first note is held as there is a tie there. For example, if you have the score handy, in measure 2 of the Prelude the first “grace notes” there is an ‘a.’ Is that held so that the next note you play in the R.H. Is the ‘g?’ Or do you strike the ‘a’ again? Confusing for me. This is really a virtuosic piece and I don’t know how I’m going to manage this...I didn’t know what I was getting into when I bought this. Oh well, thanks for the reply!
6 лет назад+1
nono... you just play A B A G A where those first 3 notes (A B A) you play together with left hand D note... The first A in RH you press very much together with D in LH (when you practice this, try to make little gap before the trill, lift both hands to the air a bit and try to fall on the keyboard together). And than G in RH goes already together with C in LH...
Dušan Holý oh thank you very much for clarifying that! Helps incredibly! So you have played this piece? How does one get it so fast? In the Prelude, I mean. Every recording I’ve heard it’s played like the devil....any suggestions, or advice? You seem very knowledgable...what is your primary instrument? Piano, organ?
6 лет назад+1
Well... do not stress so much about tempo. Learn it first slow with being able to play it comfortably. Tempo will come automatically afterwards. But note that these pieces are not really the easiest to play. :) Yes.. I have played that. If you check my name and the description of the video, you might find out that I am the same person.. :)
![Oscar Maydon x Fuerza Regida - Tu Boda [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_ymicn0_GYc/mqdefault.jpg)
I think I remember just when I first heard the orchestral version of 4 of the movements of this work. Immediately became a favorite Ravel work and has stayed so in the 20+ years since...
fantastic! I didn't know it was you playing until mid-way through. Wonderful!!
this is incredible.... though i feel like so much is going on there...
Played it liked you owned it! Well done sir!
Thank you so much..!! I hope you will tell the same after hearing my Gaspard de la Nuit... which I am currently working on a bit and wanna record it at some point also. :) ... what a piece.
Many performances, especially the orchestral ones, lose the special dance characteristics of this fantastic suite. Your Menuet is a real minuet, and the Rigaudon is the best, thumping performance I've ever heard. Bravo!
Thank you... Always happy to hear that people enjoy.
Great playing!
Thank you.
Le Tombeau de Couperin est une suite de six pièces pour piano de Maurice Ravel composée entre 1914 et 1917 et créée le 11 avril 1919 par Marguerite Long à la Société de Musique Indépendante (salle Gaveau).
L'œuvre porte la référence M.68, dans le catalogue des œuvres du compositeur établi par le musicologue Marcel Marnat.
Quatre de ces pièces (Prélude, Forlane, Menuet et Rigaudon) furent ensuite orchestrées par Maurice Ravel lui-même en 1919 et jouées pour la première fois le 28 février 1920 (durée environ 16 minutes). Écrit pour petit orchestre symphonique, le Tombeau de Couperin est un chef-d'œuvre d'orchestration, proche du concerto pour orchestre tant les parties individuelles sont solistiques, particulièrement celle du 1er hautbois.
Ravel en relève soigneusement la forme en rondeau, le rythme 6/8, la tonalité de mi dont il minorise le mode.
FORLANE
Origine et analyse de la Forlane du Tombeau de Couperin de Ravel
Nous devons la « Forlane » du Tombeau de Couperin de Ravel au pape Pie X !
Jugeant le tango licencieux, Pie X se met en devoir de briser sa carrière en exhumant la forlane. L'histoire de cette danse ancienne paraît à propos dans la Revue musicale du 1er avril 1914 ; J. Escorchevielle y fait remonter en 1609 sa plus ancienne mention. Il soupçonne cette danse de s'être introduite de Venise en France sous Louis XIV. Il explique comment courtisanes et filles de gondoliers la dansaient, relevant audacieusement leurs robes pour découvrir leurs escarpins, les épaules et le sein voilés d'une simple dentelle découpée. Que la forlane appelée à détrôner l'érotique tango soit elle-même libidineuse à l'origine fait un amusant pied-de-nez au pontife. Joint à la transcription de la Forlane du 4e concert royal de Couperin en annexe à l'article d'Escorchevielle, pareil trait stimule l'inspiration de Ravel. Aussitôt, il confie à Cipa Godebski : « Je turbine à l'intention du Pape. Vous savez que cet auguste personnage (...) vient de lancer une nouvelle danse, la forlane. J'en transcris une de Couperin. »
La guerre de 1914 et le patriotisme du compositeur n'y sont donc pour rien : c'est au saint Père que Le Tombeau de Couperin doit indirectement son existence. La suite de la lettre ravélienne est précieuse : « Je vais m'occuper », annonce Ravel, parlant toujours de sa forlane, « à la faire danser au Vatican par Mistinguett et Colette Willy en travesti. Ne vous étonnez pas de ce retour à la religion... C'est l'atmosphère natale qui vaut ça ».
En vacances dans son très catholique pays basque, Ravel se souvient manifestement ici d'un scandale provoqué par Colette au Moulin Rouge à Paris, dont La Retraite sentimentale nous révèle la teneur. En ces termes, la partenaire de music-hall de la romancière nommée Annie raconte : « Willette Collie, qui jouait le Faune(...) cabriolait sur scène en maillot de bain, comme une démon et dansait en aveugle, ses cheveux courts dégringolés sur son nez. (...) Cette toquée s'ingéniait à varier notre duo tous les soirs. (...) Un jour, elle m'empoigne par les reins, comme un paquet, et m'emporte sous son bras, ma tunique et mes cheveux roux traînant en queue triomphale... Une autre fois, pendant notre baiser - le fameux « baiser » qui fit scandale et qu'elle me donnait avec une fougue indifférente -, elle insinua sa main sous mon bras et me chatouilla irrésistiblement... Ma bouche, bâillonnée par la sienne, laissa échapper un petit cri râlé... »
Rien qu'à l'idée de scandaliser les bien-pensants en faisant secrètement allusion à un spectacle pareillement érotique et homosexuel, on devine Ravel émoustillé ! Décidément, l'histoire de la Forlane apporte de l'eau au moulin de ses complexes... En tout cas, il renoue avec une danse qui égayait la vieillesse de Louis XIV, avec l'époque des Watteau et des clavecinistes...
Passé l'aveu primesautier à Cipa Gobeski, Ravel se tait. Lui qui clame à qui veut l'apprendre que son Monticelli et ses bibelots japonais sont des faux, il se réserve le solitaire plaisir mystifier de dominer le monde. Le Tombeau achevé, ni Roland-Manuel, ni aucun des pianistes qui le travailleront avec le compositeur ne se douteront qu'il doit bel et bien son existence à une véritable forlane couperinienne. Ravel déclarera d'ailleurs que son hommage s'adresse « moins en réalité au seul Couperin qu'à la musique française du XVIIIe siècle » en général, ce qui n'est ni vrai ni faux.
.......................................................................
The Tomb of Couperin is a suite of six pieces for piano by Maurice Ravel composed between 1914 and 1917 and created on April 11, 1919 by Marguerite Long at the Society of Independent Music (Salle Gaveau).
The work bears the reference M.68, in the catalog of the works of the composer established by the musicologist Marcel Marnat.
Four of these pieces were then orchestrated by Maurice Ravel himself in 1919 and played for the first time on February 28, 1920 (lasting about 16 minutes). Written for a small symphony orchestra, the Tombeau de Couperin is a masterpiece of orchestration, close to the concerto for orchestra as the individual parts are solistic, especially that of the 1st oboe.
Ravel carefully picks up the rondeau form, the rhythm 6/8, the tone of mi which he minorizes the mode.
FORLANE
Origin and analysis of the Forlane of the Tomb of Couperin de Ravel
We owe the "Forlane" of Ravel's Tomb of Couperin to Pope Pius X!
Judging the licentious tango, Pius X begins to break his career by exhuming the forlane. The history of this ancient dance appears to be appropriate in the Revue musicale of April 1, 1914; J. Escorchevielle brings back in 1609 its oldest mention. He suspects this dance of being introduced from Venice to France under Louis XIV. He explains how courtesans and daughters of gondoliers danced it, boldly raising their robes to discover their pumps, shoulders and breast veiled with a simple cut lace. That the forlane called to dethrone the erotic tango itself is libidinous originally made an amusing foot-of-nose to the pontiff. Joined in the transcription of the Forlane of the 4th Royal Concert of Couperin annexed to the article of Escorchevielle, such a trait stimulates the inspiration of Ravel. Immediately, he confided to Cipa Godebski: "I am turbine for the Pope. You know that this august character (...) has just launched a new dance, la forlane. I transcribe one from Couperin. "
The war of 1914 and the patriotism of the composer were therefore for nothing: it was to the Holy Father that Le Tombeau de Couperin owed its existence indirectly. The rest of the letter is precious: "I'll take care of it," says Ravel, still talking about her forlane, "to make her dance at the Vatican by Mistinguett and Colette Willy in transvestite. Do not be surprised at this return to religion ... It is the natal atmosphere that is worth it ".
On holiday in his very Catholic Basque country, Ravel clearly remembers here a scandal provoked by Colette at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, whose sentimental Retraite reveals the content. In these words, Annie's music-hall partner Annie recounts: "Willette Collie, who played Fauna (...) was captivated on stage in a swimsuit, like a demon and danced blindly, her short hair tumbled on his nose. (...) This crazy man tried to vary our duet every night. (...) One day, she takes me by the kidneys, like a package, and carries me under her arm, my tunic and my red hair trailing in a triumphal tail ... Another time during our kiss - the famous "kiss" that caused scandal and gave me with indifferent enthusiasm - she insinuated her hand under my arm and tickled me irresistibly ... My mouth, gagged by hers, gave a little shriek ... "
Only the idea of scandalizing the good-thinking by making a secret allusion to a spectacle like erotic and homosexual, one can guess Ravel titillated! Decidedly, the history of the Forlane brings water to the mill of its complexes ... In any case, it reconnects with a dance that brightened the old age of Louis XIV, with the time Watteau and clavecinists ...
After the confession to Cipa Gobeski, Ravel is silent. He who claims to know that his Monticelli and his Japanese trinkets are fakes, he reserves the solitary mystifying pleasure of dominating the world. The completed Tomb, neither Roland-Manuel nor any of the pianists who work with the composer, will suspect that he must indeed exist as a true Couperinian forlane. Ravel declared that his homage was addressed "less in reality to Couperin than to French music of the eighteenth century" in general, which is neither true nor false.
Love your recording! especially Forlande, which is my favorite part!
Thank you... Happy to hear such a words.
yes, since i first heard this piece i've really loved it, and hear it in my head all the time. its like swimming in an endless beautiful river of sound. Question: who ( besides yourself) do you like playing this piece? and thanks for the timeline showing the different parts of the piece. I'm the only one in my family who cannot play, but love the piano solo music. I like the deliberate tempo & quality of your play.
Thank you... Much appreciated! As I write in comment section, this is my "old" record from the time of graduation the conservatory in Prague. It was 10 years ago, which is quite a time, considering I'm 33 now... :) Somehow, I am surprised this video gets quite lot of "hits" - probably because of the pictures instead of just video of me playing it... Anyway - again, as I mention there, I might be playing it liiiittle bit different today. I remember these times, my teacher had to fight with me a loooot... example: I remember I could NOT play those trills on the beat that time... I was too much used to play it before the beat. That time, I had no experience with french baroque music and so on... So that might be all changed today. This record is full of little mistakes on many places, but of course - as it was one of my "final exam" pieces, it was well "observed" by my teacher and I can hear it today... Also, that time I had looooooot of time to study (sweet student life...)
... To your question, I must say that I have no answer in my mind... This piece is definitely not the "most played" repertoir, and I definitely don't have any rendition of some "star pianist" in my mind... like I could name Gaspard de la Nuit with Argerich or Michelangeli, or Miroirs with Richter for example, but these are other pieces :) I remember I've heard some nice orchestral version here on RUclips of Tombeau... but I just do not have any piano solo version in my head which I would recommend... I'll come back here if I hear something, oki?
And thanks for listening and leaving a comment..!
Thanks so much for your informed reply. No doubt you can say quite a bit about this piece of music, from many different perspectives. I didn't notice mistakes, because i am not of the milieu that can speak to that. I am looking for the definitive recording though, and although it might be said your playing it is solid ( even with "mistakes"), and might not be that one, it is very beautiful. Thanks for putting it here!
There's a wonderful performance of this piece by Susan Starr on LP.
I really like the tempi you use - very fast compared to other recordings I've heard. 10 years after, would you use those same tempi?
No idea... We will see one day when I play it again. I think I will do it again. But there are sooo many pieces to play. :) and only one life-time. :)
Anyway - thank you for spending the time by listening..!
(took awhile before I heard the piano original though! :D ) Wikipedia should make it clearer that the orchestral version changes the order of the movements substantially too, though that's easy enough to find out- one can e.g. just have a look at the scores @ IMSLP, say. Still, a moment's editing of the Wikipedia text should clear that up later...
hey! Someone is humming
+alikia Piano No no... It is a person I always hire for my concerts to "humm" the melody for me so I don't forget... Like in opera, they have this hidden person who helps them when they get lost with words..
Hmmm... or Hummmm?
Just got the music and oh boy oh boy The Prelude alone makes me feel very, very small....question though...does anybody know why the grace notes have a slur, or tie? Isn’t it understood that grace notes segue into the principal note smoothly (legato) as opposed to staccato, which would be notated as such...anyway, if I can ever play this piece, well, I mean, just the Prelude alone I can die a happy man!!!!
I think the way how he notates this - he wants to tell you to play the little trill "on the beat". If there was not a slur, people would tend to play it like a trill in Mozart (which many play "before the beat").
I remember, this was a big task for me that time. Before, I never used to play trills on the beat so it was somehow "uncomfortable"... But that's only the brain thing.
Good luck with the piece.. Cheers!
Dušan Holý Yes, thank you...I did translate the French of “Les petites notes...” and knew that he wanted the-it’s really an upper mordent-trill on the beat, but I wasn’t sure if the first note is held as there is a tie there. For example, if you have the score handy, in measure 2 of the Prelude the first “grace notes” there is an ‘a.’ Is that held so that the next note you play in the R.H. Is the ‘g?’ Or do you strike the ‘a’ again? Confusing for me. This is really a virtuosic piece and I don’t know how I’m going to manage this...I didn’t know what I was getting into when I bought this. Oh well, thanks for the reply!
nono... you just play A B A G A where those first 3 notes (A B A) you play together with left hand D note... The first A in RH you press very much together with D in LH (when you practice this, try to make little gap before the trill, lift both hands to the air a bit and try to fall on the keyboard together).
And than G in RH goes already together with C in LH...
Dušan Holý oh thank you very much for clarifying that! Helps incredibly! So you have played this piece? How does one get it so fast? In the Prelude, I mean. Every recording I’ve heard it’s played like the devil....any suggestions, or advice? You seem very knowledgable...what is your primary instrument? Piano, organ?
Well... do not stress so much about tempo. Learn it first slow with being able to play it comfortably. Tempo will come automatically afterwards. But note that these pieces are not really the easiest to play. :)
Yes.. I have played that. If you check my name and the description of the video, you might find out that I am the same person.. :)