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In Brhams intermezzo twice its written 'sostenuto' .



legato espress e. sostenuto.
espress e sostenuso

Is this an instruction for sostenuto pedal ? I've been told this is only on grand piano so what do you do if you dont have this pedal ?

Interesting -- it could be. This opus number would date from the early 1890's, when Steinway had sostenuto patented and in production for a few years.

Look at #14 here. It looks like you can do without the pedal.

Ok. I was going to play it on a grand piano next month so wanted to know opinions. I'm not really clear no how it works so might have to leave it out. Would be interesting to know opinions. I didnt really understand you link Tyrone. Thanks.

Not sure you read far enough in #14. The link says, "The sostenuto marking encourages the pianist to linger for a moment to highlight the arrival of A major." Doesn't mention a pedal. So I think you are supposed to be "lingering" there.

You have the wrong piece tyrone. I'm asking about Intermezzo op 117 no 2. You have a link of op 119.

OK, but if the composer put the sostenuto markings in himself, why would they have a different meaning in each of these two pieces? I think in 117, the sostenuto markings are probably also meant by the composer for you to linger.

Here is a research paper on this piece and in the last two sentences of the 1st paragraph of page 35, it lumps a number of these pieces together and says about them: "Another tempo-related term is sostenuto, suggesting a slower tempo throughout its duration as in Op. 118/3, bars 71-78, followed by poco a poco in tempo. This must be different from ritardando, as the term sost is followed by a rit. in 117/2, bars 26-30."

BTW, I found some performance suggestions for 117/2 here, which might interest you.

It's not a pedal marking. It just means sustained. What Brahms meant by this is open to interpretation.

Thanks

Yes, it's definitely not a pedal marking; it's an interpretive direction: sustain the melody, linger on it, by slightly slowing down the tempo. There would be no note(s) that could be isolated and held with the sostenuto pedal in this particular measure.

If it were the sostenuto pedal, the marking would undoubtedly be underneath the bass clef as are the damper pedal markings.
Moreover, although (from what I have read) it was American Steinway that introduced the sostenuto pedal in the 1870s (?); it was not common on European pianos until well into the 20th century.
I will go out on a limb and say that I doubt that Brahms had a sostenuto pedal on his piano(s).

Regards,

The link I pointed above even points out that sost. differs from rit. in 117/2 in particular:

Correction!

The sostenuto pedal was originally invented by Boisselot of Marseille in 1844. That invention was adapted and adopted by Claude Montal, and used in his pianos through 1865. The principle was reinvented in the United States by Hanchett. His invention seems to have been stolen by Steinway. Subsequent patent disputes were rendered moot by the discovery of Montal's previous (supposed) invention.

Regards,

Thanks again Bruce.

How have you learnt so much ? You're like a musical textbook !

Maybe it's because I'm old? Nah! I just know where to look!

(Some) old people are like (some) teenagers: they think they know everything, when, really, they don't!

But thanks for the compliment!

Cheers!

The Steinway patent was 1874, and they were including sostenuto on their entire line by the late 1870's. By the early 1890's there may have been a sufficient installed base for composers to consider calling for it. The earlier makers didn't produce enough pianos for that.

That being said, Brahms in his later years doesn't strike me as being the bleeding edge early adopter type -- not like Debussy or Ravel....

... and even Debussy didn't have a piano with a sostenuto, although we occasionally use it in playing his music.

Regards,

Yes there’s a passage in La Fille... that my teacher had me use the sustenudo pedal - M24-27. It’s marked ‘sans lourdeur’.