Pedal Shading in Chopin and Debussy Thomas Mastroianni

Pedal Shading The Pedal is not an “on/off” device

Pedal depth and timing influences tone color and intensity The amplitude and overtones of string vibration is influenced by nearness of the damper to the string during vibration.

Sympathetic vibration of unstruck strings influences tone color.

Pedal, String and Damper

Dampers String Pedal 100% 40% 15% 0

Dampers

Degrees of separation from strings

Partial pedal depression Partial pedal release

Pedal Timing

LEGATO PEDALING Tap Pedaling

Pedal Slur

Ballade # 1 end of 1 st theme

“Bel Canto” Accompaniment

Ballade #1 1 st Theme L.H.

Selective Pedaling (Timing) Pedal Melody notes for warmth Avoid pedal on Accompaniment notes

Pedal Shading

Ballade # 1 2 nd Theme: Various Degrees Of Pedal Depth To Shade Line Of The Melody (Greatest warmth on the Eb harmony)

Quarter Pedal

Ballade # 1 closing theme: Misty, blurred effect – dampers touch but do not press to arrest string vibrations

Progressive, Incremental Changes of Pedal Depth to Create Distance Perspective

Opening of Ballade # 4: Introduction begins in the distance and gradually becomes more resonant as it approaches the entry of the 1 st theme.

Begin with ¼ pedal depth, progress to ½, ¾ and finally full pedal depth.

Progressive, Incremental Changes of Pedal Depth to Create Distance Perspective

Ballade # 1 Opening of Introduction: Begin with full pedal depth and gradually reduce the pedal depth through the opening bars to reach the apex of the first ascending passage to create a distance perspective for the tenderness of the arrival point.

Ballade # 4 - 1 st Theme in 6/8

Greater clarity of pedal changes on bar lines helps to delineate 6/8 time and prevent the feeling of 3/8 time. Repetition of melodic figures beginning on the bar are thus differentiated from similar melodic figures off the bar.

3 Variants of Theme I in Ballade # 4

Pedal Changes for Variety and Clarity in Countrapuntal Variants

Impressionistic Effects

Recapitulation of 2nd theme in Ballade # 4 Fluctuations between 1/8 and ¼ pedal depth to clarify the thick broth of left hand scales in the bass.

Very shallow pedal attenuates and strains out the dense mixture of overtones resulting from adjacent bass notes.

Final Variant of 1 st Theme in the Recapitulation of Ballade # 4

Clear pedal changes rob the fioratura of mystery. Too much pedal hinders tone quality and creates density rather than mystery in the f minor section. As the fioratura recedes into triplets in the Ab major phrase, more pedal and higher energy leads to the brilliance of the 3 rd phrase.

Short pedal length enhances clarity and rhythmic excitement in the Coda of Ballade # 4

Extending the Length of the Damping Interval

Harp Etude (Chopin Op. 25 # 1)

Reduced Length of Pedal Depression

Pedaling The Inner Voice Rather Than The Melody

Harp Etude (Chopin Op. 25 # 1)

Claude Debussy

No Customary Pedal Indications.

Context and Notation Implies Pedaling

Holding Sustained Bass without Sostenuto Pedal

Clair de lune - P. 2

Blending Colors

Les sons et les parfumes tournent dans l’air du soir.

p.13 m. 1 Distant French Horn Effect - bottom p. 15

Bass Note Length Indicates Pedal Duration

Prelude v. 1, # 1, p.1

Whole note bass vs. two half note basses Prelude v. 1, # 3, p.9 (Le Vent dans le plaine)

Slurs Across Bar Lines

Prelude v. 1, # V, p.16 (Les collines d’Anacapri) L’isle joyeuse - B theme - final bars

Verbal Indications In The Score

Prelude v. 1, # 9, p. 33 (La sérénade interrompue) (“les deux pédales)

Sostenuto Pedal and Retaking Notes

Prelude v. 1, # VIII, p. 31 (La fille aux cheveux de lin) p. 32 final bars

Listening for Better Pedaling

The Pedal is a Partner for Good Phrasing and Good Tone No Pedal Technique Can Make an Aimless Phrase Sound Beautiful The Ear Dictates Pedaling Once the Music is Comprehended, Just as the Tone of Voice Carries the Meaning of a Verbal Sentence.