THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

Piano – Pedals and Their Effect on Composition

During the Romantic period
By: Kieran Dale
Teacher: Mr Hume
HISTORY OF THE PEDAL

The inventor of the piano himself, Bartolomeo Cristofori, first integrated the
pedal into the piano in 1722, but this pedal was nothing like the pedals we are
used to today. Firstly, it was operated by your hand, so that would mean a pianist
would have to stop playing one hand to use it, or hire an operator who would do
it for you. This was an “una corda” pedal (see Three Pedals and their Uses). This,
as he found, was very impractical and was modified to be operated by the knee.

The next alteration came in the form of the most significant pedal to Romantic
music composers. Its rise to prominence during the Romantic period was
important because of the notable difference between Classical and Romantic
music. This was the “sustain” pedal, invented by Gottfried Silbermann, and this
too was not a foot pedal. This was a contributing factor in its early stage of
development, as it was not very popular and not often used.

The middle pedal* was first featured in Boisselot & Sons pianos, during the mid-
1800s, and while not usually used, many Romantic composers saw the potential
in using this pedal to complement their music. These composers include Claude
Debussy, composer of the famous piece Clair
de Lune (See Figure C).

THREE PEDALS AND THEIR USES

On grand pianos, there are usually three

pedals. They all have different functions, and
are used extensively in Romantic music.

Una Corda – Literally in Italian this means “one string”, which probably is due to
the fact that it shifts the hammer which strikes the strings so instead of hitting
three strings as it would usually on a grand piano, it makes the hammer only hit
one, making a softer sound. On an upright piano, the
hammer only hits one string so pressing the Una Corda
pedal doesn’t shift the hammer to the left, but positions
it closer to the strings so the strings cannot be hit with
the full force.

To signify the use of this pedal, the words “una corda”

are placed above the stave, and to signify the release of the pedal, the words “tre
corde” (meaning three strings) are used. (See Figure A).

**
The middle pedal that is being referred to is the Sostenuto pedal, which most Romantic
composers would have. Today, that pedal would most likely be a “practice” pedal, because that
pedal is seldom used, and is only seen regularly on old American grand pianos.
Sostenuto – This pedal means literally in Italian
“sustaining”, but this does not accurately describe
the pedal’s function. The Sostenuto pedal is rarely
used, or even seen on grand pianos. When it is
used, it removes the damper on selected strings so
they resonate while other strings are free to play
staccato notes, for example, which can’t be done
with the sustain pedal.

This pedal’s use in music is started by the sign “Sost. Ped.” and is ended by a
large asterisk.

Sustain – This pedal lifts the damper off strings

so the sound resonates after the keys have been
lifted, and goes on for as long as the pedal is
depressed. This pedal is especially important as it
is used in almost every Romantic music piece.

This pedal has many signs indicating use:

 The sign “Ped.” followed by a large asterisk (see above).

 Senza Sordini (dampers off for the whole piece. See Figure B)
 This pedal sign, the upward arrow indicating a lift in the pedal.

THE RISE OF THE PEDAL

Most importantly, the pedal was critical to the

Romantic period, because it enabled the performer
to play with greater expression and allowed for
more atmospheric harmonies to be heard by
blurring sounds together with the sustain pedal.
This rise to the most well known characteristic of
Romantic piano music is evident in the vast
difference from piano pieces in the Classical period to pieces in the Romantic
period. Almost every Romantic piece has some pedal in it, and this is a clear
indicator of its popularity by the notable composers in the period, and by the
audience and people listening to it. Perhaps the most significant factor which
contributed to the rising use of the pedal in the Romantic period and its relative
lack of popularity in the Classical period is the fact that the pedal and its
mechanics weren’t refined or as advanced as piano makers had it in the
Romantic period. This increasing usage was very effective because of the change
in the style of music.

THE PEDAL’S EFFECT ON COMPOSITION

Composers in the Romantic period also brought about distinct changes in the
bass part of a piano composition. While a Classical piece would use mostly block
chords, Romantic composers sought to spread out these chords – the result was
increasing usage of broken chords. These provided rhythmic interest and
enriched the harmonics of a piece. Why the pedal was important in this is
because the sustain pedal could sustain what couldn’t be sustained by a single
hand. This is particularly evident in Claude
Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Claude being a
famous late-Romantic to early twentieth-
century music composer (See Figure C).

The pedal also created a resonant effect that

was not evident in the Classical period. Many
composers wished to create flowing sounds
imitative of something they are trying to
capture within their song. For example, Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Moonlight
Sonata. Beethoven includes very low bass notes and a melody that is a recurring
broken chord pattern sustained by the pedal. Beethoven wishes to create flowing
sounds, which he described as “voices from a vault”.

The sustain pedal is not the only pedal that was used during the Romantic period.
The una corda pedal, which wasn’t used extensively in the Classical period, saw a
few uses by composers, one of the most notable of these being in the Piano
Sonata No.28, Op.101 by Ludwig Van Beethoven (See Figure A). This pedal made
nuanced dynamics – softer sounds could be made easily.

The blurring effect was also used by composers to

create unique tone colours, which wasn’t seen in
the Classical or the Baroque period. (See Figure C).

THE PEDAL’S EFFECT ON MUSIC TODAY

These pedal effects are all due to the advancements of engineering and
technology, which is ironic, because it gives composers greater range to express
themselves. The piano’s inner mechanics developed and give way to a period
where the evocation of emotion was the aim of all Romantic composers, who
sought to create “musical tension” to achieve a corresponding intensification of
response through passionate music rich in dynamic and modulation. This was
helped by the effects of the pedals, which became instrumental tools in their
composition. The pedal was pivotal in the progression of Romantic music to
today.
 Figure A – Piano Sonata No. 28, Opus 101 by Ludwig Van Beethoven
Use of Una Corda pedal in this excerpt.

Adagio Sostenuto – slow and sustained.

Appassionato e con molto sentimento – passionate with

the use of the Una Corda pedal to soften the dynamics.

Mezza voce – Subdued volume

Low bass notes played by left hand joining with modul

wed by an asterisk to indicate release of pedal.

con grand expressione “with lots of expres

Tutte le corde – The Una Corda pedal is released (literally “all the strings”)
 Figure B – Sonata No. 14 Opus 27 “Moonlight Sonata” By: Ludwig Van
Beethoven. This excerpt shows the use of broken chords and pedal throughout
the whole piece.

Sordino – Without the mute. This meant play with sustain pedal throughout the whole piece.
Melody is consisted of broken chords, this being a C minor 2nd inversion chord repeated

empre – The same throughout.

p – played very quietly.

Modulation in melody adding to harmonies, accentuated by the “blur” e

Very low bass notes complementing right hand melody.

 Figure C – Clair de Lune from the Bergamasque Suite by Claude Debussy. This
excerpt shows the sustaining effect of the pedal carrying on chord progressions
that are further than the hand can stretch apart.

e piano shown here with 8va (one octave higher) notes played by the melody.

“Blur” effect sustaining what could have been just a block chord in

n chord progressions accompanying a right hand melody.

Rolling chords were another popular tool used by Romantic composers.

markings usually meant pedal is to be used at your own discretion.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Internet Sites

Richard Fuller (2010) Romantic Music 1850-1900 (online), Place of Publication

Unknown. Available from: http://www.rpfuller.com/gcse/music/romantic.html
(Accessed 24th March, 2010)

Barbara A. Ehrlich (2010) Keyboard Technique – Sustaining Pedal in Romantic

Period Music (online), EzineArticles. Available from: http://ezinearticles.com/?
Keyboard-Technique---Sustaining-Pedal-in-Romantic-Period-
Music&id=3157919 (Accessed on 23rd March, 2010)

Brandy Kraemer (2009) Piano Foot Pedals: An Illustrated Walk-Through (online),

Place of Publication Unknown, About.com: Piano. Available from:
http://piano.about.com/od/partsofthepiano/ss/3_pedals.htm (Accessed 22nd
March, 2010)

David Robinson (2010) The Bizarre History of the Piano Pedals (online), Place of
Publication Unknown, About.com: Piano. Available from:
http://piano.about.com/od/partsofthepiano/a/piano_pedal_history.htm
(Accessed 22nd March, 2010)

Wikipedia (2010) Sustain Pedal (online), Place of Publication Unknown,

Wikipedia. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustain_pedal
(Accessed 24th March, 2010)

Books
Wade-Matthews, Max (2010), The Encyclopaedia of Music, Southwater
Publishing, Sydney.