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.

Application to Mozart’s Sonata in F major, K. 332

Within this sonata, there are many opportunities for the prolonged touch based on what the primary sources around this time period say. However, only the performer can decide which passages can have this technique applied in good taste. Historical sources only give general guidelines as to where the use of prolonged touch might be most effective. The following material is about my decisions on where to use the prolonged touch in this sonata.

I. Allegro

Right from the beginning, a decision has to be made if the left hand will have the prolonged touch, prolonged touch with pedal, legato touch with pedal, or just a legato touch. Based on the slurs, it being a chordal passage, and the gentle, pastoral character with its clean harmonies, this passage certainly demands a more calming and rich sound that the resonance from sustaining a chord can provide. Therefore, the passage requires more resonance than just a legato touch can provide. Since these bars are all self-contained harmonies, any of the other three options work. My choice is to do a combination of prolonged touch with pedal to give myself maximum control of the sound produced. My left hand can hold all the chord tones to always give that resonance while the sustain moderator can add even more resonance and color to the downbeat of each measure.

Figure 4.1 K.332, movt. 1, mm. 1-41

The next passage that is a candidate for the prolonged touch is mm. 22-24. Here the character of the piece has drastically changed from a relative calm to a strong burst of energy like a storm. This is reflected in the louder dynamic, quicker right hand figuration, and the minor harmony. Because the harmony is so important and the right hand is giving a lot of rhythm itself, the prolonged touch in the left hand part can be an option due to what Czerny says about quick arpeggiation. The performer must decide if the passage is about brilliance or a full harmony. My view is that it is more about a full, dark, D minor harmony with the rhythmic energy coming from the right hand figuration. So I use the prolonged touch to fill out the harmony and add the sustain moderator only to the octaves in the left hand for an increased resonance and volume. However, it can be argued that the left hand is more about the change of energy and the brilliance it can bring. In that case, a driving, non-legato touch would be best.

Figure 4.2. K. 332, movt. 1, mm. 22-242

Shortly after that passage, a similar texture happens in mm. 31-36. However, the changes of harmony happen quicker and the tension therefore increases. The left hand isn’t in root position throughout these measures, contributing to the unstable feeling. The rhythmic energy of the right hand is creating an even more tense atmosphere. The debate, then, is a similar one compared to the previous passage: is this about brilliance or harmony? Here again I choose harmony, but even more strongly than in the last passage. The harmonic progression is where the most tension is felt by the listener. So I would use a prolonged touch in the left hand and play my right hand brilliantly (non-legato). In addition, I prefer the two sections to match and would therefore choose the same effect in each rather than changing something. Making the passages too different could potentially cause them to be heard as separate ideas while they are certainly related.

Figure 4.3. K. 332, movt. 1, mm. 33-343

After the tense storm of the previous passages, a contrasting, rather peaceful section starts at m. 41. When the phrase is repeated, it is embellished by Mozart in both the left and right hand. In this repeated phrase, there are two opportunities for the prolonged touch: mm. 49-50 and mm. 53-54. While the chordal triplets of mm. 49-50 are not slurred, the performer can choose to use legato since the right hand is slurred. The left hand in mm. 53-54 has a slur and is a broken chord. In both cases I choose to use the prolonged touch to add richness to the passages in this dolce and piano section.

Figure 4.4. K. 332, movt. 1, mm. 48-594

The final passage in the exposition that I see as an opportunity to use the prolonged touch is starting at m.86 with the broken chords in the left hand. My first decision was to determine whether such figures act as a brilliant passage or as a way to create a rich and full harmony. Since the notes are not well marked to me and seem to call attention to the harmony rather than attacks or rhythm, I decided to create a rich and full harmony by using the prolonged touch in this passage.

Figure 4.5. K. 332, movt. 1, mm. 84-925

II. Adagio

To me, the choice for the use of the prolonged touch happens immediately in this movement. If it is used, the left hand is full of passages where this effect can be used. The Alberti bass that appears starting in measure one of the left hand part unquestionably uses the prolonged touch. If that figure was only played legato, so many possibilities for color changes would be lost. A legato version would never achieve the same amount of richness a prolonged touch version would achieve. The sustain moderator can be used, but it will result in a choppy harmonic sound due to the need to clear the sound after or during each ornament. So I apply the sustain moderator for specific harmonies that are more intense, but I am alway using the prolonged touch in this type of figure.

Despite m. 3 being a different pattern, Mozart has put a slur over the group. To me this still indicates the prolonged touch since the texture still needs a certain richness. The notes are all chord tones except for one retardation. Additionally, the upper notes create a counter melody to the right hand.

Figure 4.6. K. 332, movt. 2, mm. 1-26

III. Allegro assai

The first passage in the third movement that made me think to use the prolonged touch was mm. 32-34. These passages also look like they have the long note in the bass to signify the use of the prolonged touch. Because of the highly chordal character and the soft dynamic, I use the prolonged touch to create a warm sound at a calming moment.

Figure 4.7. K. 332, movt. 3, mm. 31-357

The next location I felt the urge to use the prolonged touch was mm. 50-64. The piano character and broken chords in the left hand are a perfect fit. However, there was not slurring technically, and due to the staccato, it could be consisted a light passage rather than a sustained passage. What settled the debate for me was looking at the connection of the thematic material to the phrase starting at m. 15. The marking of dolce told me that the passage needed to sound sweet and warm. To add warmth, I decided to make the passage rich in harmony and use the prolonged touch.

Figure 4.8. K. 332, movt. 3, mm. 48-658

Figure 4.9. K. 332, movt. 3, mm. 12-209

Finally, the last passage that I decided to use the prolonged touch was at mm. 112-119. This piano passage comes from a quite stormy development. To create as much of a difference of character, I wanted to create a rich legato sound, as is notated by the slurs in the left hand. The frequent rests and short articulations also don’t allow for much sustain moderator to be used.