A Tie Is a Tie Is a Tie: Reflections on Beethoven's Pairs of Tied Notes

Author(s): Paul Badura-Skoda

Source: Early Music , Feb., 1988, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Feb., 1988), pp. 84-88
Published by: Oxford University Press

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3127050

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Paul Badura-Skoda

A tie is a tie is a tie

Reflections on Beethoven's pairs of tied notes

It is an age-old rule that two notes of the sameExpitch

la

connected by a slur are to be tied. The value of the

second note is added to that of the first one without
producing a new sound. In many cases a tie is equal to
a prolongation dot; Mozart, for instance, preferred the
notation rto r . According to some pianists
b proposed modern notation
only Beethoven is supposed to have taken occasional
exception to this rule. However, there exists a nearly
equally old convention for repeated notes that should
be ever-so lightly separated. The notation of this is a
combination of a slur and dots- - called In three of his works Beethoven created confusion by
portato or portamento. Strangely enough thisadding the fingering
notation is 4-3 to pairs of tied notes, begging
often misunderstood by pianists and string players
the question of why two different fingers were required
who play the notes far too short. Perhaps for one sounding
it might be note. These notations occur in the
useful to change the conventional notation to avoid
Scherzo of the Cello Sonata op.69,1 in the Adagio of the
Piano move-
misinterpretation, for example in the variation Sonata op.106 and twice in his Piano Sonata
ment of Beethoven's Piano Sonata op. 109, op.110: see ex.2. It is interesting to observe that all
bars 153ff
(ex.1). these ties occur on syncopated notes. Furthermore

.Allegro motto dJ.= os .

24 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3

The ties in the right hand and

something wholly peculiar. Thus
ner with the 3 rd finger, so tha
4 3 4 3 4 34

that is, the fir

ger) smartly
therefore glid
1 Carl Czerny's comm

84 EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1988

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Ex.2a Cello Sonata, op. 69, opening of scherzo most of them could have been notated simply in
Scherzo double note values, avoiding the ties. Before drawing
Allegro molto
any conclusions we must look at similar notations in
several other works and reflect upon their intended
Allegro molto meaning.
Pairs of tied notes can be found in the Adagio of the
E minor String Quartet op.59 no 2, the Grosse Fuge
op.133, the second movement of the Piano Sonata
op. 11, and of course in the cello part of the Scherzo
op.69: see ex.2a. The most intriguing examples are
those in op.59 no 2 and op. 111. What caused Beethoven
to use a complicated and time-consuming notation
3 4 3 4 3 4 3 44 when the simpler one would apparently produce the
same result in performance? (Compare ex.4a with 3a,
and 4b with 3c.)

Ex.3a String Quartet, op. 59 no 2, molto adagio, b. 8ff

1stv Molto Adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento J=60
b Piano Sonata, op. 106, adagio, b. 165

Aar l , 'IL 1W

b Grosse Fuge, op. 130, beginning of fugue

c Piano Sonata, op. 110, 3rd mvt, b.5
1st v. Allegro

Fuga
sempre tenuto

r It I' - da 'd Icantabile

a corda (3)1
dim.

d Piano Sonata, L ran

| ............
op. 110, 4th mvt
... 1 "Z
05-' " -' I--,,,
r, -W F_ X I. ai
I cresc.
A L I ,Ie p
... - _.." . _ ,. .
EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1988 85

Thef.f.
w ......m/ I m i I i i i i I i i F r-.n ,1 -o8f
,1-,
A*[
M" iE.

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c Piano Sonata, op. 111, 2nd mvt, b.65ff Ex.5a Haydn, Variations in F minor, andante

Andante

2 oop11 on aI de e c d hv p
pP
mezza voce cresc.

not yet1 h

Ex. 4a

t tenuto

b Beethoven, Piano Son

tenute

In order to give a correct answer to this question we

need to examine the habits of interpretation that were
radically changed during the 19th century. The late
18th and early 19th centuries emphasized a clearly in performance. With the notation as given in op.59 no
A) --------

articulated method of playing, long legato lines being

2 or op.lll only a dilettante could have played
the exception to the rule, whereas in the course of something
the like ex.6a instead of the intended 6b. I have
19th century legato execution became the predominantnot yet heard a single string player or pianist repeat the
manner of performance.2 That is, the normal touchtiedup notes in op.59 no 2 or 111. In the Grosse Fuge
to about 1800 was non-legato, which implies a particularly a repetition of the tied notes would distort
shortening of the note values: 'For notes which are to
the theme beyond recognition. Besides, there are a few
be played in the usual way, that is, neither detachedentries of the theme in 'straight' notation (see ex.7).
nor slurred, one lifts on g the 19th key a little
Ex.6a
earlier than the value of the note demands.'3 It seemarly
that in Beethoven's time a crotchet without an artic-

ulation sign was generally shortened to the value of athe

__ 1110 0 ---I I .I I. .

quaver or a dotted quaver. It is unlikely that the great

b
Viennese composers approved of this habit which
deprives many a movevaluent of its intended expwhich aression.
The one way to give the performer a hint to keep thed ten. ten.

note values correctly was the added 'tenuto' or

'sostenuto'. Thus we understand why in late Haydn
Ex.7a Grosse Fuge, b.167ff
and early Beethoven the word is so often used in places
where it appears unnecessary to us: for example, in
Haydn's Variations in F minor (Hbk xvii/4), or the 'fi
second movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata op.7
(see ex.5). In ex.2c we find 'sempre tenuto' in the chord
of the left hand. ff

A written word is, however, easily overlooked by the

performer. Therefore Beethoven chose a personal &i? '4 ,.. . I
method of notation that made the longer holding of
the notes clearly visible, so that it had to be observed

86 EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1988

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b Grosse Fuge, b.273ff continued bowing.9 Similarly, according to Schenker,
the tied pairs of notes in op. 106 ought to be played as
real ties, just as in the preceding bar (see ex.8).10
Indeed it is musically wrong to produce the sound of
twelve repeated semiquavers instead of the obviously
AR - a- ,-
intended interpretation given in ex.9. A third option
does not exist: either the second note of a tie is heard
or not.

Ex.8 Piano Sonata, op.106

Ex.9

8f ben marcato . f
As stated before, our problem
that two different fingers on
two sounds despite the tie. The
By far the most controversial group of ties is the one
it this way was Carl Czerny,
found in the 'recitativo' of op.110 (ex.2c). Schnabelw
Sonata for cello
states that: and piano o
Since Czerny was Beethoven's p
When the third finger touches the key, it should bring forth
that his interpretation was co
an added pulse, something between a real and imagined
was followed by generation
sound, but audible in any case. It might be helpful to think of
Hans von Billow5 and
a word to represent Artur
the desired sound and expression, one S
doubtful whether
syllable for the group of twoCzerny
notes: perhaps the word 'Du' (in r
from Beethoven himself.
English, 'you' is closest in meaning and the sound Althof its
that he studied a
vowel is identical; number of
but 'Du' is more intimate, expressive and B
works with the
warm), its vowel tocomposer,
be given soulful emphasis, varying in
Beethoven intensity between
must have a most tender ethereal
become sigh and a most
naive to passionate invocation.11
assume that Czerny h
with Nobody denies
Beethoven Schnabel's achievements as an imag- pr
concerning
such contacts, had
inative pianist, they
but to imagine exis
the word 'du-u' being
traced in the conversation books. In a conversation pronounced 14 times in succession borders on the
with Nottebohm Czerny gave a list of the worksridiculous.
which Moreover, Schnabel's interpretation prod-
uces
he had studied under Beethoven's supervision; a serious handicap. What looks like a gradual,
op.69
was not among them.' written-out accelerando becomes in his way of playing
The first musicologist to realize that this interpre-
an irregular rhythm with an unexpected standstill on
tation must have been erroneous-in op.69 as the
wellone
asnote without tie: the sixth, notated as a dotted
op.106 and op.110-was the eminent Heinrich semiquaver.
Schenker. His edition and commentary of op. 110 is a The clearest explanation to date of this passage was
monument of precision and insight, by far the bestgiven by Schenker. 'We can see that in the authentic
analysis ever made of one of the last Beethovenversion the tone a is repeated continuously at ever
sonatas.8 Czerny's interpretation was, he claimed, closer
a intervals, its duration being at first three
misunderstanding: despite fingering indications the sixteenths, then twice two sixteenths, again twice one
tied notes should not be repeated. His reasoning wasand a half sixteenths and finally nine times one
sixteenth note.'12 He also gives a graph of these
that the cello can reproduce Beethoven's text only by

EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1988 87

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Ex.10 P. Badura-Skoda, Interpreting Mozart on the Keyboard (New York,
R1986), pp.54f
4C. Czerny, On the Proper Performance of all Beethoven's works for the
Piano, ed. P. Badura-Skoda (Vienna, 1970) [facs. edn. of Czerny's
Viertel: 1 1 2 3 1 4 Pianoforte-Schule op.500, iv, chapters 2f]. No explanation was given
by Czerny concerning the similar passages in the Piano Sonatas
op. 106 and 110.

5H. von Billow, Beethoven's Werhe fiir Pianoforte Solo (Stuttgart,

2 3 4 1886)
(Hier fehit ein 32 tel-Paar)
6A. Schnabel, Beethoven: 32 Sonate per Pianoforte (Milano, 1981)
7Czerny (ed. Badura-Skoda), op cit, p.5
Ex. 1I 8H. Schenker, Beethoven: Die letzten Sonaten (Sonate As dur op. I 10)
(Vienna 1972)
9Schenker, op cit, p.71
'0lbid
"Schnabel, op cit, pp.235f, fn.
'2Schenker, op cit, pp.66f; this translation by P. Badura-Skoda
syncopations (see ex. 10). He insists that Beethoven's
'3Bilow, op cit, pp.53, 108 (fns)
fingering 4-3 does not suggest a repeated sound but a
silent change on the key for expressive reasons. I find
this interpretation-a quasi vocal 'messa di voce',
EARLY MUSIC
transcribed into the sonorities of the piano-fully
convincing. The fingering 4-3 (with silent change) May 1988
offers two advantages: first, the pianist is induced to
stay on the key as long as possible; and second, a Christopher Page
beating of the key, playing from the wrist like a piano Alejandro Planchart
tuner, is prevented by inducing the fingers to a David Hiley
Peter Lefferts
caressing touch.
Let us finally consider the last occurrence of
repeated ties, namely in the Arioso dolente. Some
pianists connect these notes using the 'double escape-
ment touch' (see ex. 11); but they ought to be reminded
that Erard's grand patent was not yet known to Beet-
hoven. Again it is more likely that real ties were
intended. Even the 'Bebung' of the clavichord has
been quoted in order to justify the (slight) separation
The 5th Hilliard Festival of Voices
of the tied notes, as if Beethoven had tried to imitate a
peculiarity of a virtually extinct instrument.13 It is Lewes, August 7-13, 1988
ironic that the sign for this vibrato effect was not the
England's most challenging summer school for
tie but the portato. Furthermore, a note with 'Bebung'
singers this year presents:
was not repeated at all. Instead, the end of the key-
Heinrich Schfitz: Resurrection History
lever, the tangent, remained constantly in touch with Arvo PArt "in residence":
the string while a gentle up and down motion of the Stabat Mater-Fratres-De Profundis
fingertip produced a slight change of pitch. And it is Gavin Bryars: First Performance
difficult to see a reason why Beethoven should have English Song from Dowland to Purcell
developed a nostalgia for an instrument that meant English Madrigals
little or nothing to him. So in conclusion, I propose to concerts - workshops - masterclasses
treat Beethoven's ties just as ties. faculty & guest artists include Paul Hillier,
David James, John Potter, Rogers Covey-Crump,
'In my opinion the fortissimo sign in bar 1 found in many editions Stephen Stubbs, Andrew Lawrence-King,
is simply a misread dal segno in the lost autograph, indicating the Rosemary Hardy, Chameleon and Fretwork
entrance of the da capo.
25 places only - early application advised!
2It is typical that Beethoven's indication'non legato' in the Finale
movements of the Piano Sonatas op.31 no 3 and op.106 was Full details from Lena-Liis Kiesel, Administrator, HFV. Monks House,
Rodmell, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 3HF
'corrected' into 'ben legato' in the complete edition (c.1880).
3G. D. F. Tfirk, Klavierschule (Halle, 2/1802); see also E. and

88 EARLY MUSIC FEBRUARY 1988

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