The Prolonged Touch: Finger Pedaling and Legatissimo in Classical and Early Romantic Piano Music

Blake Proehl

The term prolonged touch comes from Carl Czerny and is synonymous with finger pedaling, legatissimo, overlegato, and, in some cases, legato. This was a common technique used by the early pianists who took it out of the practices of harpsichord, clavichord, and organ playing. Its use in piano music declined during the Romantic period and beyond, due to the development of the piano and its sound, the advancement of damper pedal technique, and a more "literal” reading of notation. My research aims to understand how and where in music the prolonged touch was used in Classical and early Romantic piano music. Passages describing this technique were found in treatises and works by C. P. E. Bach, Türk, Milchmeyer, Adam, Hummel, Moscheles, Czerny, and more. From these passages, I examined the ways the aforementioned composers notated or indicated the use of this technique in their compositions. Next, based on what the treatises tell, I organized categories of musical applications of the prolonged touch. And then I gave examples from piano literature to further illustrate their use within each category. Finally, I demonstrated my artistic use of the prolonged touch in Mozart’s Sonata in F major, K. 332.

To Enrich the Harmony

In Classic piano music, the most common usage of the prolonged touch is for the harmonic accompaniment part. This also means that the left hand primarily used the prolonged touch, since it is most often in the accompanying harmonic role. When the prolonged touch is to be used, the broken chord is often set within the span of an octave so that all the notes may be sustained. This is unlike later composers when techniques changed, as demonstrated in chapter one.

C. P. E. Bach in his treatise refers to two lessons that demonstrate this important touch in two different notations. Figure 2.1 demonstrated the French style notation as a left hand accompaniment. Figure 3.1.1 demonstrates the slurred notation in the left hand part as an accompaniment.

Figure 3.1.1 Bach, Sonata III, movt. 3, mm. 1-81

Türk initially demonstrates the prolonged touch with the bass clef and shows recognizable accompanying figures in figure 2.5. The second part of the example where three quarter notes are slurred and there is a single quarter note afterwards is almost an exact copy from C. P. E. Bach’s example in his E major lesson, figure 3.1.1. Milchmeyer as well gives recognizable and popular accompanying figures to show where the prolonged touch is possible in figure 2.6. Adam specifically mentions the left hand broken chord accompaniment in his treatise. Adam states that “[t]he joining of chords must be applied to bass lines…, that is to say that if the left hand has broken chords and there is a slur, it should be executed” as the prolonged touch shown in figures 2.7 and 2.8.2

Beethoven in his annotations to Cramer’s Studio per il Piano Forte gives the instructions that “the finger holds firmly [on the first note of each group], except in those groups in which there is a progression of a second.”3 This appears to be a prolonged touch description, especially since the left hand is chordal and marked with a slur. However it is only the first note of the group. (For a more detailed discussion of this idea, go to the third part of this chapter.)

Figure 3.1.2. Cramer etude 15, mm.1-24

Similarly to Brahms’ passage in figure 2.11, Beethoven uses two types of notation in his Sonata in G major, Op. 14, no 2 (figure 3.1.3) to demonstrate the prolonged touch. In measure one, Beethoven uses the French style to tell the performer to sustain the left hand broken chord accompaniment. He does this for the first four measures and then the pattern slightly changes. The harmonic rhythm speeds up and the broken chord no longer needs to sustain an extra beat. However, the broken chord, despite being shorter starting in m. 5, is the same pattern and it is very likely that Beethoven desired the same prolonged touch as in the opening. It is simply notated with a slur instead since the chord does not have to be extended another beat as in m. 1. The use of the prolonged touch then likely continues in m. 8 and throughout that passage.

Figure 3.1.3. Beethoven’s Sonata in G major, Op. 14, no. 25

Czerny, in his discussion of the legatissimo touch, gives an example where the opening left hand is notated to require the prolonged touch. With this example, Czerny also provides additional details of where the legatissimo touch is to be employed. He states that it can be used in a “richly sounding succession of harmony.”6

Figure 3.1.4. Czerny’s legatissimo in Op. 500, pt. 37

The richness of the prolonged touch is a reoccurring theme in several treatises when they give details of its effect on the instrument's sound. Hummel states that when using this touch, “the execution becomes richer and more harmonious.”8 Milchmeyer states that this touch “makes the tone of the pianoforte both soft and, as it were, velvety.”9

Within this last statement, Milchmeyer states that the tone becomes softer with the use of the prolonged touch. This is most likely related to the hiding of the attack of each note within the previous sound. However Czerny also example states that in his in his legatissimo example and says that prolonged touch passages “are generally played pp, p, or m.f.; seldom forte or ff.”10 This of course aligns with his example.

The idea of a soft and rich sound fits perfectly into a slow movement type of work. Türk even specifically states in his definition of the prolonged touch that this technique is to be used “when there is a curved line over harmonies which are to be slowly arpeggiated.”11 When he gives his example of a slowly arpeggiated harmony, it is of two common left-hand accompaniment patterns. Czerny’s legatissimo example from Op. 500 is an adagio, and C. P. E. Bach’s second lesson he gives as an example of this touch is an adagio as well.

However, this touch is demonstrated to be used in faster speeds, too. C. P. E. Bach’s first lesson that he uses to demonstrate the prolonged touch is an allegro. Czerny in his Op. 335 first demonstrates the legatissimo touch with an allegro piece as well. Not only this but Czerny specifically states in his Op. 500 treatise that quick arpeggio chords that are not in a brilliant style but that “enliven and [i]ncrease the effect of full harmony” can have the prolonged touch applied.12 The brilliant style of execution according to Czerny is”[i]n a peculiarly clear, and marked, as well as energetic manner of touching or attaching the keys; by which the tone comes out with striking distinctness.”13 This is quite the opposite of a legato style of playing, making the prolonged touch certainly not a part of the brilliant style.

Figure 3.1.5. Czerny and quick arpeggio chords14

Despite this description brilliant style of playing, Czerny describes four types of brilliant passages earlier in part three of Op. 500. The third type of passage is in the brilliant style. The fourth passage uses the prolonged touch to emphasis the whole of the harmony of the chords rather than any single notes.The touch must not be a brilliant style touch, but legato or prolonged.