Voice question - more complicated than usual
I have the following bit from Beethoven's 14th Piano Sonata (Opus 27, No. 2; "Moonlight Sonata"), part 3 ("Presto agitato"):
The only way I have come up with to notate this requires five voices, as indicated in the screenshot. Obviously, this is not possible. Can anyone come up with a way to pull this off?
Playback is not a problem at all. If I simply leave out the doubled notes, the pedal mark will provide the sustain that the doubled notes are intended to indicate. I'm trying to make it appear correct.
Comments
Good luck. Since this piano shorthand there isn't much correct about it.
What's your source for this? I'm not a great pianist but those up-stem notes look like nonsense to me.
In reply to What's your source for this?… by underquark
Ernst Pauer, ed. Sonatas for the Piano-Forte by L. van Beethoven with Biography, Historical Notes, Metronom, etc. 13th ed. London, Augener & Co.: n.d. (Clearly from the late 1870s/early 1880s, as the copy on IMSLP has an inscription of "Minnie Sola Moss" / "from her loving father" / "June 15th 1881"). https://imslp.org/wiki/38_Piano_Sonatas_(Beethoven,_Ludwig_van)
While it's certainly not impossible that a mistake had lasted through 12 earlier editions, I think it unlikely in the extreme. Especially in the 14th Sonata (the "Moonlight Sonata"): the most famous of the lot.
Upstem note the first 32nd is a eighth note, to be held through the entire four 32nd note run. Upstem note on the second is a dotted 16th note, to be held through the three remaining 32nd notes. Upstem note on the third is a 16th note, to be held through both remaining 32nd notes. Final upstem note on the fourth 32nd is another 32nd note. Each is tied to the following quarter note.
Roughly, press and hold the first note. Press and hold the second note; continue to hold the first. Press and hold the third; continue holding the first two. Press and hold the fourth; continue holding the first three.
This makes perfect sense. I've seen many instances of this kind of thing in two (maybe more?) of the previous Piano Sonatas, but they were only three notes long, so only required 4 voices.
It must be possible.... Look at all these editions with the same voicing:
I might suggest borrowing available voices from the lower-staff and using cross-staff notation at the moment of top-staff exhaustion, if you insist in copying how they're doing it ;)
In reply to It must be possible. Look at… by worldwideweary
I had this thought last night while not being able to sleep. I'll be trying it shortly. *crossing fingers*
You could do this with 2 voices.
Add the upright "decorative notes" as system text / insert special characters / musical symbols / individual notes.
![sonata.jpg]( "sonata.jpg")
I did this in Musescore 3.7
In reply to You could do this with 2… by rothers
I would have made the stem-up notes be the actual playing notes, as each is intended to hold through the figure and be tied to the quarter note. Instead make the stem-down, 32nd notes be the staff text.
But see above.