{"id":2058,"date":"2014-04-28T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2014-04-28T06:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.henle.de\/blog\/en\/?p=2058"},"modified":"2015-05-29T13:16:47","modified_gmt":"2015-05-29T11:16:47","slug":"the-accent-question-in-schubert-an-old-theme-with-new-variations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/2014\/04\/28\/the-accent-question-in-schubert-an-old-theme-with-new-variations\/","title":{"rendered":"The accent question in Schubert: An old theme with new variations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Franz<\/a>

Franz Schubert(Source: Wikimedia.org, Licence: PD)<\/p><\/div>\n

Anyone working with Schubert\u2019s autographs inevitably runs up sooner or later against the famous accent ques\u00adtion: that is, more precisely, the question of whether the sign notated at this or that passage means an accent or a decrescendo hairpin. Although both signs in modern music notation are very clearly distinguished one from the other \u2013 an accent is placed directly above the note head, the hairpin below or above the stave \u2013, they are closely related in origin. When in the expiring 18th cen\u00adtu\u00adry the signs for getting louder or softer (cres\u00adcendo and decrescendo hairpins) arose as alternatives or sub\u00adsti\u00adtutes for the written-out directives crescendo and de\u00adcre\u00adscen\u00addo, the > sign evolved as an abbreviated de\u00adcre\u00adscen\u00addo hairpin. The correlation becomes graphic for instance in Beethoven\u2019s songs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Fig.<\/a>

Fig. 1: Beethoven, "An die ferne Geliebte" op. 98, m. 328.<\/p><\/div>\n

The first example showing an accent for the word \u201cHerz\u201d actually presents an extremely abbreviated decrescendo hair\u00adpin at the next note, as can be deduced from the parallel hair\u00adpin in the piano:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At another place there is an ac\u00adcent, completely clear in the modern sense, where Beet\u00adhoven notates the > sign for the vocal part, but the typical sfp for the piano:<\/p>\n

\"Fig<\/a>

Fig 2: Beethoven, "An die Geliebte" WoO 140 (2nd version), m. 22.<\/p><\/div>\n

Whilst both signs can in general be clearly distinguished from each other, Schubert\u2019s specific way of notating involves prob\u00adlems. For representing ac\u00adcen\u00adtu\u00ada\u00adtion he also uses the ab\u00adbre\u00advi\u00ada\u00adtions sf<\/em><\/strong>, fz<\/em><\/strong>, ffz<\/em><\/strong>, sfp<\/em><\/strong> or fp<\/em><\/strong>, though increasingly also the accent sign >. Usage of ab\u00adbre\u00advi\u00ada\u00adtions and symbols is mostly as synonyms; combinations ap\u00adpear reinforcing (for example, fp<\/em><\/strong> with >) or even redundant (fz<\/em><\/strong> with >). Schubert, unlike Beethoven, Mendelssohn or Schumann, does not, however, place the > consistently at the note head or above the note, but wherever space is available below or above the stave, which very much complicates distinguishing it from the hairpin dynamic signs that he proceeds with all the same.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The new edition recently published by Henle publishers of the fa\u00admous Octet<\/em> D 803 from 1824 (HN 9562<\/a>; HN 562<\/a>) offers the op\u00adpor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to play new variations, so to speak, on this old theme<\/a>, for accents and dynamic signs in literally lavish a\u00adbun\u00addance are to be found in the Octet<\/em>. The complete autograph pre\u00adserved today in the Wienbibliothek (formerly Stadt- und Lan\u00addes\u00adbib\u00adli\u00ado\u00adthek in Vienna), from which the subsequent examples are taken, can be viewed online<\/a>. For easier orientation: Schubert notates the instruments in the order of high strings \u2013 winds \u2013 low strings, thus: (1) violin I, (2) violin II, (3) viola, (4) clarinet, (5) bassoon, (6) horn, (7) cello and (8) double bass.<\/p>\n

Ideally, the accent in Schubert differs from the decrescendo hairpin in length as well as also direction. Accents are shorter and tend upwards like arrows pointed towards the notes or the note heads. This can be very nicely observed in the first example in the clar\u00adi\u00adnet part (4th stave) where accents (m. 16) and decrescendo hairpin (m. 17) follow each other. That a decrescendo hairpin is meant in measure 17 also further emerges from the identical sign notated for the horn (6th stave), correspondingly preceded by a crescendo hairpin:<\/p>\n

\"Fig.<\/a>

Fig. 3: Schubert, "Octet", 1st movement, mm. 15\u201317.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Fig.<\/a>

Fig. 4: Schubert, "Octet", 1st movement, mm. 32\u201333.<\/p><\/div>\n

But all passages are, unfortunately, not so clearly configured; in par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar, the two formal attribution cri\u00adte\u00adri\u00ada \u2013 length and direction \u2013 are not in effect everywhere. We find just two pages later in the autograph a sign in violin I (stave 1, m. 33) and in the clarinet (stave 4, m. 33) that has to be a decrescendo according to length and direction (see also the difference from the accents, m. 32). The context, though, leaves this in\u00adter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion in some doubt. Be\u00adtween the accents in m. 32 Schubert notated a cresc. for violin I, that is, the p<\/em><\/strong> at the start is a \u201csubito<\/em> p<\/em><\/strong>\u201d, for which the accent is essentially more applicable than a subsequent de\u00adcre\u00adscen\u00addo. The notated p<\/em><\/strong> thus cor\u00adre\u00adsponds to the fp<\/em><\/strong> in the same measure in the clarinet part \u2013 and the combination of fp<\/em><\/strong> and > is frequently encountered in Schubert. In this sense a case can probably be made for placing accents here in the edition \u2013 but the passage is far from being beyond doubt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Fig.<\/a>

Fig. 5: Schubert, "Octet", 3rd movement, mm. 191\u2013193.<\/p><\/div>\n

One final example, this time concerning the end of the 3rd movement. Beginning with pp<\/em><\/strong> we encounter a cresc.<\/em> directive at measures 191\/192, leading to p<\/em><\/strong> in meas\u00adures 194\/195. The rise in dynamics in meas\u00adures 192\/193 is then once again dif\u00adfer\u00aden\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded through crescendo and de\u00adcre\u00adscen\u00addo hairpins. This means that within a dynamic increase there is a temporary de\u00adcrease (which is repeated at a later pas\u00adsage). Notated are cresc.<\/em> and hairpins on\u00adly for violin I (1st stave), clarinet (4th stave) and cello (7th stave), yet of course these ought to be in force for all in\u00adstru\u00adments. But confusing now is the effect of the isolated sign for the horn (6th stave) in m. 193 that from its length and dir\u00adec\u00adtion would have to be a valid accent. Should Schubert have given the horn here an additional accent for reasons of sonority? Not entirely out of the question, but rather more suggesting from the whole context \u2013 violin and horn are in\u00addeed running parallel \u2013 that it is a mistake.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hence the passage is reproduced in the edition as follows:<\/p>\n

\"Fig.<\/a>

Fig. 6: Schubert, "Octet", 3rd movement, mm. 190\u2013198.<\/p><\/div>\n

The few examples show that length and direction alone are not enough for interpreting the > sign, but also, unfortunately, the musical context does not always lead to the de\u00adsired clarity.<\/p>\n

Ideas on this old subject are therefore very welcome from your side!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone working with Schubert\u2019s autographs inevitably runs up sooner or … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,3,24,396,285],"tags":[649,181,180,7,182,185,187,186,179,183,52,184],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2058"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2058\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}