In my music theory class we’re currently studying Beethoven’s 3rd symphony (which, by the way, is unbelievable).
We’re working from a reduced piano score (none of us are music majors). As I’m looking it over I came across a few measures of notes I haven’t, in my 16 years of reading music, seen before. The entire piece is in 3/4 time, but there’s several measures of what look like dotted half notes, connected with a double bar (as you’d use with a group of 16th notes. Picture here.
I have no idea what that is. Obviously they’re not neither half notes nor sixteenth notes, as neither of those would work rhythmically. I can’t quite pick out what’s going on in the recording I have, as my ear is not quite fine enough to pick out specific notes from a full orchestra. So, once again, I turn to the Dope, hoping for an answer to soothe my fears.
They can’t be dotted half notes, as two of them fill three beats. They’ve got to be dotted quarter notes. I’d advise looking at the original score to get more information, as this just doesn’t make sense.
They are dotted half notes, sort of, representing the full measure count of 3 quarter notes. The notation represents tremolo, or very quickly alternating between the two sets of notes shown: in this case the (I may have my terminology slightly wrong) the inverted E (minor? can’t make out the key signature) chord above the staff and the E below. You just kind of shake your hand back and forth as fast as it will go for the indicated measure of time.
Does that help? (Sorry, not up on theory, just play a lot of piano, or at least used to.)
('Scuse while I test out something interesting about the edit feature.)
It’s not tremolo, exactly. It’s a shorthand way of indicating that you should alternate between those two notes at the speed of a semiquaver (as indicated by the bars) for the duration of a dotted minim (indicated by the dot and the unfilled circle). Generally speaking, it’s really something only the strings do, which might explain why you haven’t seen it before, since it’s not particularly uncommon in violin parts.
If you want to look through the complete score, IMSLP has it here.
If you want to see more of this notation, the end of the cadenza to Tchaikovsky’s 2nd Piano Concerto is a great example (first movement, roughly page 54 and a bit more on page 56).
Ah, a much more precise definition than my hamhanded one. Thanks!
One thing I don’t understand (as a non-violin player) is this: How would a violin alternate between a three-note chord and a single note at the speed described? Are different sections playing different notes of the chord? Or is this just the way it was translated from strings to the piano score?
The section pictured there is, being a piano reduction, probably meant to represent what several section are playing at once. So in the orchestral score (I haven’t checked this, mind you), the violins are likely playing just one repeated note each, or perhaps a chord, without alternating. When it’s written that they should alternate between notes, chords aren’t usually a part of it because it’s generally difficult to play chords quickly (and restrictive for the composer, as to play a chord on a violin requires one string per note, so fingering and so on have to be taken into account).
It’s not quite as Scarlet67 says, though it’s close.
It’s indicating that there are actually three beats of 16th notes, alternating between the triad (Eb?) and the tonic.
Notice in the fourth bar there are the 16th notes written out? That’s how you should play the dotted half note pairs, over 3 beats.
It’s a way to conserve space on the score. The measures would have to be rather large to show all the 16th notes. Since they just repeat a pattern, this is a convenient way to show it.
It’s been a while since I’ve played in any organized group, but unless I’m mistaken, violinists will very rarely get handed more than two notes at a time. This is because it would be very, very difficult.
Then again, taking a formal music class this year has taught me that my “start learning by ear at the age of 4” method didn’t really give me a very strong basis.
