Re: Trill and nonstandard expressive mark

[Shane Brandes]

   The title page says for Clavecin or Pianoforte. So therefore not
the harmonium. In any event it is very idiomatically piano music. If
the marking "pf" is a straightforward expressive mark why is it not
hard coded into Lilypond? it has been necessary to construct it as a
separate markup.
  As a side note. Increasing the volume on a piano after the note has
been struck is entirely possible. The myth that a piano is a
percussive instrument and therefore this is impossible can be in a
small simple experiments disproved. There are two technical means by
which such a condition can be met and you may try them both to your
satisfaction.  Method 1.) depress the damper pedal through its full
travel after the note has been struck. This can take a little practice
to get the right effect as it must be done before the natural decay
becomes too apparent. Method 2.) (much more subtle but still
noticeable) After the note has been struck relax the wrist and while
maintaining contact with the note or notes shake your forearm all the
way from the shoulder right and left vigorously which especially in
chords will cause a noticeable bloom of sound. (note the second method
will likely not result in an noticeable effect on an upright.) It is
possible to combine both technical approaches in certain
circumstances. This knowledge is useful for performing things such as
the Catacombs in Moussorgsky's "Pictures at an exhibition" which has
lots of those "impossible crescendos" You can thank the Soviet
government for kicking out the professor that showed me those bits of
the obscure art of piano playing.

Shane

On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 1:35 AM, David Kastrup <address@hidden> wrote:
> David Kastrup <address@hidden> writes:
>
>> Shane Brandes <address@hidden> writes:
>>
>>> The other question is purely musical. I have been working on a second
>>> half 18th or early 19th century piece (prior to 1822) and keep running
>>> across the dynamic marking "pf." I was wondering if anyone else has
>>> seen the "pf" marking in a piano score. Presumably it means
>>> "pianoforte", a reverse \fp, but it could be a mistake on the
>>> engravers part or less likely some obscure indication for a non
>>> standard pedal do-dad we no longer have? Anyway it is a bit strange.
>>
>> <URL:http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textp/Pianoforte.html>
>>
>> A straightforward expressive mark, but hard to apply to a percussive
>> instrument like the piano. unless it is something like a Pohlmann piano
>> with a swell pedal.
>
> Oh, but a quite common effect on a harmonium.  Sure that the music is
> for piano?
>
> --
> David Kastrup
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> lilypond-user mailing list
> address@hidden
> https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/lilypond-user