Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Schubert's Ländler (Classics to Modern Bk 1, p19)

I'm having some trouble making sense of the mechanics in this piece. The right hand has two notes per beat, slurred together. The left hand is moving in crotchets, with the first beat pedalled into the second.

I can only find one recording of this piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=809gEJZ7qVE

Am I right in thinking Alan is only pedalling into the second half of the beat here? That's what I hear, anyway. I can't see how one can connect the bass note into the chord but separate the right hand cleanly.

Ländler always makes me think of Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews. *sigh* So romantic when they dance!

sounds to me like he is pedaling each beat, lifting the pedal to clear the sound between beats (pretty standard).

I have watched Alan Chan for years, especially his take on the Australian AMEB syllabus which I study. As good as he might be technically, his overall performances are quite lifeless in my opinion.

Try this link instead.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R61weO2lLlw

superb!
Ian

Lovely, but unfortunately a completely different piece.


Yes, that's what I hear too, and what I would do in the absence of pedal markings, and the only reason I have a question mark over it is that Agay's edition, which is supposed to reflect the composer's arrangements, clearly shows the pedal continuing into the next beat, connecting the bass note and chord.

Can you post an image of a part of the score in the Agay edition ?

Here we go - hope that's readable:

I have a lovely version of another pair, called "Waltz in A flat (Landler)", which has a matching "Trio" in D flat, which was in an old Toronto Conservatory book from the 1950s, I think at the Grade 8 level. It shows full markings for performance throughout. The pedalling is the same as shown above.

If anyone wants it, I have it in a PDF which I could send. 2 pages. Particularly nice.

Yes it is clear. Now if you want to have a clean melodic line, you can put the pedal on the second half of the first beat and cut it with the second beat.

But personally, i think that Agay suggestion to keep the pedal on for the entire first beat is a good one. It gives more fluidity and softness to the line which otherwise may sound very dry like in the not so good video you posted.

I’m pretty sure all of the Schubert waltzes I’ve played so far (around 8 of them) were pedaled like this. Pedal lifts just after the second beat. It gives the left hand a short sustain.

I wouldn't be too strict about that; in fact in the second full measure, given that it's a G major chord, the pedal could be held to the third beat and then lifted, and still give a "lilt" to the Landler without muddying it. Similarly in the third measure where it's a dominant seventh chord. Indeed, in my Universal Edition (ed. Eduard Beninger), the pedal indication is to the third beat of these and similar measures.

As is often the case, pedal marks in scores should be taken as only suggestions as the resonance of the individual piano and even the room in which it is being played can have some influence on how much or how little pedal could be used. I don't think that the video in the OP displays a good example of pedaling for this Landler.

Regards,

Thanks everyone - I feel much more confident about this now! Been scratching my head over it for a while.

I think that notation means slightly before or on the second beat.