Preface
As a modern piano work, Reverie is known for its complex and changeable compound rhythms, which has attracted the attention of many music scholars and pianists.
However, the characteristics of the compound rhythm, the interpretive method of the performers, and the rhythm, stress, and pedal use in Reverie have different effects on the music.
But is it possible to effectively convey the emotion and theme of the work while maintaining the complexity and variety of the rhythm?
The diversity of compound rhythms and the musical expression of Reverie
In fact, another characteristic of the compound rhythm in "Reverie" is that it uses eighth notes as the basis for the rhythm, and forms a highly variable compound rhythm through different combinations.
Although the left hand is a constant eighth note, it expresses the beat of the compound rhythm in different combinations.
For example, at the beginning of the first 4 bars of the piece, the introduction of the first two measures is in the form of "8/8" time, and there is only a left-hand part, which provides the player with rhythmic guidance in the rhythm pattern of "3+3+2", that is, "starting time".
However, as we enter the main body of the piece, as the right hand part begins to join, the second measure immediately changes the combination of the compound rhythm to "12/8" time.
The theme melody part of the right hand is also added, and both hands appear in a regular combination of "3+3+3+3" at the same time.
Surprisingly, in the fourth measure, the combination of the compound rhythm changes again, that is, it becomes a "9/8" time of "3+3+3".
In addition, a change was made to the melody on the right hand, with dotted quarter notes as a rhythmic guide, so as to stabilize the very fast changing tempo;
At the same time, the left hand performs in a regular "3+3+3" eighth note combination.
As a result, in just four bars, there are three different combinations of compound rhythms, which shows the diversity of rhythmic changes in the song "Reverie".
The complex rhythm of Reverie and the interpretive challenge of the performers
However, as a performer, if you can effectively translate the beatmap information into your own understanding of the music and put it into practice in the performance of the music, you can be called "interpreting" a work.
And in the process of Xi "Reverie", how can we better interpret the voice, accent, and pedal on the basis of the compound rhythm running through the whole piece?
In addition, unlike the relatively serious and regular classical music, under the action of complex compound rhythms, the performer has to make certain adjustments to the shaping of the voice, and the placement of accents is inevitably affected by it.
And in the pedal setting, the player should also make corresponding adjustments according to the beatmap information.
However, Chinese music, which uses melody as a guide to convey the central idea of the music, has high requirements for the performer to shape the voice level.
In Reverie, which focuses on horizontal linear development, the key to making the music richer and more three-dimensional lies in the performance of vertically expanded chords and various quarters and halves of single notes.
However, it can be seen from the score that these vertical melodies often appear in the bars where the compound rhythm changes irregularly.
Then, in measures 34-37, the time signature changes four times, and the left and right hand voices change accordingly.
Measures 34 and 35 are "12/8" and "9/8" time, respectively, and both combine the eighth notes of the left hand in units of "3", that is, the combination of the compound rhythms of these two measures is the same.
However, the right hand begins to change the longitudinal melody from measure 35 onwards.
But unlike the two-handed eighth-note combination in measure 34, the right hand in measure 35 forms the lower part of the right hand melody with dotted half notes and dotted quarter notes.
On the fourth beat, the right hand takes the C of four groups of small characters as a clue, which instantly makes people feel the level of the high voice of the right hand.
In addition, the holding mark that appears on the C of the four groups of small characters can also be used as a cue, and the holding mark requires the player to play the note relatively full, and the time value is sufficient.
In order to play such a layered feeling, the fingertips of the high voices should be deep, and the control of the palm joint should be fully used to play the sound full and bright, but do not "press" the piano in order to play the sound.
At this point, measure 35 presents three voices, and the phrase completes the introduction of the vertical development.
Then we move on to measures 36-37, but the compound rhythm of the "8/8" time means that the combination of beats will inevitably develop towards uneven combinations.
However, from the left hand, which still maintains a single part, it can be seen that the rhythmic combination has changed to "3+3+2", and this rhythmic combination also has a guiding effect on the shaping of the voice.
Looking at the voice of the right hand, it is not surprising to find that the high voice of the right hand, which was originally located in the third and fourth groups of small characters, is in the form of dotted half notes and quarter notes.
At the same time, it also became the pillar of the "3+3+2" compound rhythm in the two-handed voices, and the chords that shaped the vocal layers also happened to appear on the seventh beat of the measure.
In measure 37, which maintains the rhythmic pattern of the previous measure "8/8", the sound created by the previous two measures is continued in a sustained manner.
And by observing the beatmap, it can be found that the sustain line and the notes still follow the guidance of the compound rhythm, and the "3+3+2" is used as the beat point.
As a result, this method of shaping voices guided by compound rhythms is constantly present in the music, and can even be found in each phrase.
Therefore, the player must have a certain understanding of the compound rhythm on the beatmap, which is one of the important links in shaping the sound level.
The influence of rhythmic nature on the musical form of Reverie
As we all know, rhythm is one of the most authentic forms of music, which combines melodies in a variety of combinations with its own order, so as to form phrases, sections, and compositions, that is, music.
The rhythm itself uses the strong and weak beats as clues as the clues, and forms different rhythm patterns with a certain law of strong and weak changes.
However, the compound rhythm in Reverie is characterized by diversity, and if the player wants to accurately express such a frequently changing rhythm, he should use the compound rhythm as a clue, follow its changes, and find the accent landing point.
However, from measure 66 onwards, it is emphasized that "the rhythm is clearly combined with the playing experience", and this section is one of the guides for the ups and downs of the melodic lines of the piece.
At the same time, it is from this measure to the end of the piece that the accent is marked, and the accent is marked with a certain pattern.
Measures 66-67 are then presented in a compound rhythm of "8/8" time, while both hands are combined with the same but uneven "3+3+2" eighth notes, and the accents are marked on the first, fourth, and seventh beats, which are exactly the first beat of each combination.
It can be seen that this accent landing method gives the player an excellent hint that it is not easy to lose the beat point in a phrase with a highly similar sound pattern, that is, to "particulate" the phrase.
Phrases, on the other hand, are broken into musical phrases, which can help the player better understand the passage to a certain extent.
And only by finding the accented "E", "B", "E", "E", "B", "E", and "e" can the player interpret the symmetrical and highly similar melody with the correct rhythmic pattern.
Immediately after measures 68-71, although the compound rhythm changes three times, the accent can also be found to change accordingly.
However, following the uneven "8/8" composite rhythm of the first two measures, measures 68 and 69 are combined into "9/8" and "6/8" times with the average "3" and "2" as the combination units, and the compound rhythm of the two measures is regular.
Therefore, the accent falls on the first beat of measure 68 of the rhythmic transition, and there is not much hint in these two measures.
Moving on to measures 70 and 71, the player will find that these two measures are exactly the same as measures 66 and 67, and the rhythmic pattern shifts back from "6/8" to "8/8".
And the accent drop point is the same as before, and it reappears at the first beat of each group.
This accent drops continue until the tempo slows down and the piece stabilizes at the end of the piece.
Therefore, looking back at the "rhythmic distinctiveness" in measure 66 of the score, the performer, under the easy-to-understand and detailed stress guidance, should correctly land the accent on the changing beat of the compound rhythm during the finger run, so as to correctly divide the phrase.
The piano pedal uses a fusion with the musical expression of Reverie
In addition, in piano playing, the pedal also plays an auxiliary role that cannot be ignored.
However, there are three piano pedals: left, middle, and right, which are the "soft pedal", "mute pedal", and "damper pedal".
One of the most frequently used is the damper pedal on the right, the sustain pedal, which can play the role of extending the sound to produce a certain acoustic effect.
The western name of the piano is "Pianoforte", which means that it can be strong and weak, and the pedal is used to make each note of it express itself in the form of strength and weakness.
At the same time, it can be seen from the beatmap of "Reverie" that the stepping method of the damper pedal is marked in great detail.
Similar to the accent drop point in the previous section, it can be found that the design of the pedal is also based on the unique compound rhythm of the music as an important reference.
Then, in measures 86-87, the rhythm is unevenly combined in the "8/8" time, and when adding stress, the stress is chosen to fall on the first beat of the "3+3+2" rhythm combination to stabilize the rhythm.
Looking at the beatmap, we can see that the pedal design also follows this rule exactly.
In addition, the compound rhythm of these two bars also has a symmetrical expansion, which will require the player to control the rhythm even more, and it will be changed to "2+3+3" immediately after "3+3+2" in measure 86.
The player plays through the pedal designed in this way, and the right pedal is pressed on the head beat, and the auditory sensation released is quite clear, and the changing rhythm can be well controlled.
In the following measures 88-91, the compound rhythm is presented in "6/8" time, "12/8" time, and "9/8" time.
However, they all have in common that the rhythmic patterns are evenly distributed in units of "3", and the pedal design has changed compared to the first two bars.
In measures 88-89 of the same "6/8" tempo, the pedal is uninterrupted until the end of the phrase before the pedal is released.
At the same time, these two measures are the introductory phrases before the peak of the piece, and on the basis of the uninterrupted pedal design, the phrase already has a certain reverberation when it enters measure 89.
In addition, playing the crescendo on the score can make the whole phrase go "up" and push the piece to a certain height.
This is followed by measures 90-91, and the rhythmic combination of these two measures is the same, so the pedal is also pedaled in two measures in succession, and it is not released until the end of measure 91.
However, through the promotion of the first two measures, the beginning of the 90th measure is the most enthusiastic and surging part of the whole work.
However, when playing, it is important to note that the chords at the octaves and trebles that run continuously with the right hand have hold marks, and the fingertips should have depth when playing single notes and octaves.
At the same time, in order to prevent the sound from "turbidity", the left hand should control the volume in this part while pressing the right pedal, so as to fully set off the melody of the high voice of the right hand, so that the whole phrase can be interpreted very infectiously.
However, through analysis, it can be found that compared with voice shaping and accent landing point, the design of pedals should consider more factors, including rhythm, music direction, etc.;
Although the melodic Reverie is a modern piano music work, it retains the smooth and melodious melody of traditional Chinese music.
Therefore, on the basis of Western piano performance methods, performers should deeply experience and explore the national rhythm of traditional Chinese music.
Therefore, from the perspective of compound rhythm, the pedals in Reverie provide excellent guidance to the performer in terms of integrating rhythmic characteristics.
epilogue
It is the full use of compound rhythms in Reverie that allows the performers to see the infinite possibilities of musical expression.
At the same time, under the guidance of complex rhythms, the performers are able to understand and express the music more deeply.
However, if you want to perform Reverie well, you must not only have superb skills, but also have a deep understanding of the rhythm of traditional Chinese music.
In this way, a unique oriental aesthetic can be integrated into the western piano playing method.