Christopher Smith wrote:
On May 29, 2006, at 6:36 PM, David W. Fenton wrote:
In short, there is no hard and fast rule about whether repeats are
obligatory just because they are found in the score, even if it's the
composer's autograph.
Wow. Really? I would have thought that something like a repeat in the
composer's hand would be a sure sign that he intended it.
Wrong notes and other mistakes, of course, might be subject to scholarly
dissection, but a repeat is hard to put in by accident, I would think.
Well, if it is alright to interpret what you think of as a "wrong note"
even if in the composer's own hand in any manner you think best, given a
scholarly approach and comparison with other similar situations, why
wouldn't interpretation of repeat signs be allowed the same latitude?
Why be rigid with one but not the other?
Personally, I think the composers would laugh over our constant
discussions of their intentions with regards to repeats -- I bet they
were much like us, using the same music in any number of different
situations, some of which would require longer time while other
situations would require shorter times. And I bet that it is referred
to so infrequently in writings about music of the time simply because
everybody thought it was so obvious.
The same way folks like Haydn and Mozart and Beethoven might be very
surprised that we perform symphonies as single long works with only
brief pauses between movements, instead of inserting pantomimes, arias,
dancing bears, whatever in between the movements, using the symphony as
a framework for an evening's entertainment.
This discussion occurs from time to time on orchestralist, and never
gets resolved because until we get some correspondence or essay or other
writing in Haydn's own hand or Mozart's own hand or Beethoven's own hand
where they state categorically one way or the other on the taking of
repeats in da capos and even in the second half of many first-movements
in sonatas and symphonies.
I do know that the times I have tried taking those minuets with repeats
on da capos, the balance seems totally wrong with some of them when the
repeats are taken, I (and others) have gotten the feeling of "oh god,
not again" when yet another insipid minuet melody is played for the 4th
time. With other minuets, the repeats on the d.c. aren't as bad, but
never have I had the feeling "wow! So THAT's what Haydn meant! It
turns a boring minuet into a gorgeous work of art!"
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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