The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Amy
Date: 1999-01-29 00:40
In my all-state cuts there is a piece that I'm not sure what the tempo should be. It's Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss. It begins with a quarter note=120, then 128. And then above the cut it says Tempo di Waltz. I wasn't sure of an exact tempo to take. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 1999-01-29 12:52
Amy wrote:
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In my all-state cuts there is a piece that I'm not sure what the tempo should be. It's Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss. It begins with a quarter note=120, then 128. And then above the cut it says Tempo di Waltz. I wasn't sure of an exact tempo to take. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Amy -
Waltzes are, or should be, done one beat to the bar. Many conductors will beat three to the bar, but you should be able to feel it in one after you get started and catch the "swing." 120 is too slow to feel in one. 128 is just possible. You should work up the part to at least 144, and preferably 156, which is about as fast as it's possible to do the dance steps.
The Rosenkavalier is an opera, and the waltzes were not written for ordinary dancing. Rather, they would have been performed by professional ballet dancers, who can do the steps faster than ordinary folks. Still, a waltz always must feel relaxed.
It will help you to listen to recordings of waltz music. A quick Alta Vista search found a midi of the Rosenkavalier waltz sequence at http://www.prs.net/midi-n-s.html and another at http://home.netvigator.com/~kenyuen0/classic.html. However, to get the feel of waltz tempo, you really need human performers. The waltz originated in Vienna, and the Viennese still give the best performances. Those conducted by Willi Boskovsky are particularly good (though these may be out of print).
Never play a waltz faster than lovely.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Al
Date: 1999-01-29 15:54
If you're talking about the Lucien Calliet arrangement,the mm. markings that you refer to are for the introduction, which is in 4/4 and 2/4. The Tempo di Waltx starts at #3 which is in 3/4. This is conducted in ONE; a typical Viennese waltz. The previous post should help a lot. The section at #3 is approx. < Dotted half note=60 or quarter notes=180>.
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Author: Al
Date: 1999-01-29 22:09
Actually, Viennese waltzes can go slower than my above post.....and there can be great flexibility in the tempo too. Between MM50-60, with nuances.
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