VIOLE
Rudolf Viole (1825-1867) was a composition pupil of Liszt. His Sonata in B flat opus 1
was published in 1855, only one year after Liszt’s Sonata was published. A copy has not
come down to us but, according to Bülow’s review in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 95
(1856), it was based on Liszt’s Sonata and used a theme which Liszt gave to Viole in the
course of his studies. Bülow, who was the dedicatee, described it as ‘sweepingly
innovatory music of the future in the highest degree.’
VOICING
Voicing in piano playing
In the context of the performance of a piano composition, voicing is the provision by the
pianist of a different dynamic level to each thread of a texture. It is used throughout all
piano music and in all piano playing. It is a vitally important part of all piano playing.
Composers of the classical period, such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, did
not usually mark voicing. This does not mean that it should not be used. Of composers
from the romantic period, Chopin rarely marked it explicitly but Liszt marked it
occasionally. Of the twentieth century composers, Prokofiev marked it more liberally.
In a phrase of a Mozart sonata marked piano (soft), the right-hand melody is played
mezzo piano (moderately soft) while the alberti bass in the left hand is played pianissimo
(very soft).
In a phrase of a Chopin nocturne marked piano (soft), the right-hand melody is played
mezzo forte (moderately loud), the bass is played mezzo piano (moderately soft) and the
chords in the middle part are played pianissimo (very soft).
Voicing is a vitally important part of all piano playing as are nuance and rubato. It is also
a vitally important part of the cantabile style. To what extent voicing should be used in
playing on the piano a contrapuntal keyboard composition, such as a fugue by Bach, is
more controversial, because voicing could not be achieved on a harpsichord, although it
could be achieved to a subtle degree on the clavichord. Many would say that when
playing a fugue on the piano the fugal entries should be clearly marked and Bülow’s
helpful advice in this regard was that, to achieve this, the other threads could be played
more softly during the fugal entries.
Voicing applies to notes in a chord where there is melody note, which is usually the top
note in a chord played in the right hand. Sometimes, as in Chopin, the melody is in the
middle of the chord so that particular care has to be taken to subdue the other notes of the
chord.