{"id":6448,"date":"2021-09-13T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T06:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.henle.de\/blog\/en\/?p=6448"},"modified":"2021-09-07T08:15:46","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T06:15:46","slug":"g-sharp-or-g-about-a-bass-trill-in-schuberts-a-flat-major-impromptu-d-935-no-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/2021\/09\/13\/g-sharp-or-g-about-a-bass-trill-in-schuberts-a-flat-major-impromptu-d-935-no-2\/","title":{"rendered":"G sharp or G? About a bass trill in Schubert\u2019s A-flat-major Impromptu D 935, No. 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Franz Schubert\u2018s piano music is almost an infinitely magical wonderland. As is well known, he can modulate amazingly to the most harmonically remote regions within a minimum amount of space \u2013 and back again. So also in the much-played <a href=\"https:\/\/www.henle.de\/en\/detail\/?Title=Impromptus+und+Moments+musicaux_4&amp;setgeolang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Impromptu<\/em> in A-flat major D 935, No. 2<\/a>. Its middle section in D-flat major has always been one of my absolute favourite Schubert passages. A pleasurable shiver runs down my spine every time the gentle triplet section begins with its hidden melody:<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul Lewis - Franz Schubert\/ Impromptu no. 2 D935\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/en47cW11-UY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<em>Paul Lewis plays Schubert A-flat-major Impromptu D 935, No. 2, Trio at 1:30\u20133:37.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Almost unnoticed, Schubert leads us here from the previously well-established key, D-flat major, into an impassioned expanse with a key signature devoid of accidentals, in which then nothing more than an A major (!) triad sweeps up and down over seven measures. A major in D-flat major? \u2013 not exactly friendly neighbouring keys. But, how to get back again to D-flat major?<\/p>\n<p>No problem at all for Schubert. To do this, he applies his magic wand for a brief moment: Continuing the triplets\u2019 rising and falling seemingly innocuously, he reaches the minor parallel f-sharp minor and the subsequent enharmonic equivalent and with it the harmonic reinterpretation (A major = I | <em>f-sharp minor<\/em> = VI \u2259 <em>g-flat minor<\/em> = IV of d-flat minor \/major | <sub>A flat<\/sub>D flat = <sub>5<\/sub>I | A flat<sup>7<\/sup> = V<sup>7<\/sup> | D flat = I) back home to the cosy D-flat major.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6449\" style=\"width: 628px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/HN4_T-67-80.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6449\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6449 \" src=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/HN4_T-67-80.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"618\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/HN4_T-67-80.jpg 884w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/HN4_T-67-80-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/HN4_T-67-80-768x616.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6449\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Henle edition, Trio mm. 67\u201380.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The trill in the bass on the very low F-sharp (bass progression: <em>A<sub>1<\/sub> \u2013 F sharp<sub>1<\/sub> \u2013 A flat<sub>1<\/sub> \u2013 D flat<\/em>) seems to me in the process particularly ingenious. This F-sharp trill derived from A major \u201cmoderates\u201d the wonderful harmonic change, so to speak; its deep murmuring also momentarily distracts our attention a bit from the actual \u201cbreathtaking\u201d happening.<\/p>\n<p>Here, dear reader, is a question for you about this trill: Should it be trilled from the upper whole tone (<em>G sharp<\/em>) or from the slightly more \u201cdangerous\u201d semitone <em>G<\/em>? The question does, of course, have a philological background. For, in Schubert\u2019s manuscript there is clearly a <em>G<\/em> \u2013 no # at the trill:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6450\" style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/Autograph.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6450\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6450 \" src=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/Autograph.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/Autograph.jpg 1293w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/Autograph-300x90.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/Autograph-1024x308.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/Autograph-768x231.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6450\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.themorgan.org\/sites\/default\/files\/pdf\/music\/115649.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Autograph in the Pierpont Morgan Library,<\/a> New York, Trio mm. 67\u201381.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One can, of course, argue that Schubert most likely just simply forgot to write the \u201cobvious\u201d # above the <em>tr<\/em> sign. Diabelli, as editor of the posthumous first edition \u201cOp. 142\u201d (published in 1839, dedicated to Franz Liszt), evidently saw it and clarified it very pragmatically by adding a small engraved <em>G sharp<\/em> before the trill:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6451\" style=\"width: 627px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/EA-Ausschnitt.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6451\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6451 \" src=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/EA-Ausschnitt.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"617\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/EA-Ausschnitt.jpg 1541w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/EA-Ausschnitt-300x121.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/EA-Ausschnitt-1024x411.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/EA-Ausschnitt-768x308.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/files\/2021\/09\/EA-Ausschnitt-1536x617.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6451\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">First edition, Trio mm. 70-79.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>All editions accessible to me, whether Urtext or not, have since added the # to the trill\u2019s upper note (= <em>G sharp<\/em>). BUT: all previous Henle Urtext editions haven\u2019t, because for ages we followed the autograph reading (<em>G<\/em>). Now, though, following the suggestion of a pianist, then discussing this in detail within our editorial department, we have decided to add the first-edition\u2019s \u201cnatural\u201d sounding # in our edition.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll admit that you can barely hear the difference between <em>G <\/em>and <em>G sharp<\/em>. At best, only in a direct comparison on the piano. Even in various recordings by the great pianists (for example, Radu Lupu in his wonderfully slow recording, where you hardly notice the bass), I can often not be sure whether the piano is trilling with <em>G <\/em>or <em>G sharp<\/em>. (Paul Lewis, in the above recording link, plays <em>G sharp<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<p>What is your opinion and why? I would be very happy to continue our Henle in-house discussion a bit further with you. Many thanks!<\/p>\n<p>PS: About another, even more famous bass trill in Schubert\u2019s piano music, none other than Andr\u00e1s Schiff once stated <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/2016\/04\/04\/the-trill-of-doom-%e2%80%93-the-pianist-andras-schiff%e2%80%99s-revelatory-study-of-schubert%e2%80%99s-final-sonata\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">something well worth reading.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Franz Schubert\u2018s piano music is almost an infinitely magical wonderland. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/2021\/09\/13\/g-sharp-or-g-about-a-bass-trill-in-schuberts-a-flat-major-impromptu-d-935-no-2\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,322,285,320],"tags":[767,768],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6448"}],"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\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6448"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6456,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6448\/revisions\/6456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.henle.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}