compositions were often wrong. Whether this is a comment on Chopin or on his editors,
or on Anton Rubinstein himself, is left open.
Although Chopin marked detailed indications throughout his manuscripts for the use of
the sustaining pedal, most publishers and editors were not scrupulous in reproducing
these accurately and they removed, added and modified some of them. Part of the reason
for this was that the pianos of Chopin’s day had a thinner sound and less sustaining
power than those of today and literal adherence to the markings might in some cases
seem too blurred on some modern instruments or in modern concert halls or other
acoustics. In the present writer’s opinion Chopin’s pedal markings should always be
carefully considered and respected. It may be better for the pianist to modify his or her
touch to make the accommodation.
When Chopin was playing, his foot sometimes seemed to vibrate rapidly in certain
passages. Kleczynski said that Chopin often passed unnoticed from the forte [sustaining]
pedal to the left [soft] pedal especially in enharmonic passages. Chopin used the pedals
with marvellous discretion. He often coupled them to obtain a soft and veiled sonority.
Even more frequently he would use them separately for brilliant passages, for sustained
harmonies, for deep bass notes and for loud ringing chords, or the soft pedal for light
murmurings. Chopin himself said of the sustaining pedal: ‘The correct employment of it
remains a study for life.’
Chopin never marked the use of the soft (una corda) pedal although we know from
contemporary accounts that he used it frequently. It has been said that the soft pedal on
the Pleyel grand piano of Chopin’s time had a very ethereal sound. Chopin left the
decision as to the use of the soft pedal to the good taste of the performer.
It could be used in places such as the slow movement of Chopin’s Fantasy in F minor
opus 49, or the final movement of his Sonata in B flat minor opus 35 and in countless
other pianissimo passages and shorter phrases. The soft pedal on a grand piano shifts the
entire set of hammers sideways a very small distance. This not only reduces the volume
of the piano tone but imparts a different quality partly due to the sympathetic resonance
of the undamped strings. On pianos where the soft pedal has a very ethereal tone it
would seem best to reserve its use for the somewhat rarer cases where such a tone seems
especially called for.
Chopin never marked the use of the sostenuto pedal as it was not on the Pleyel and Erard
pianos with which he was familiar. There may be a few places, such as in his Scherzo
no.3 in C sharp minor opus 39, where it could be used to good effect.
In Chopin’s autograph manuscripts and copies the marking ‘ped’ was followed by an
asterisk which he represented by means of a circle with a diagonal cross superimposed.
Chopin’s pedal markings appear in the printed editions as ‘ped.’(or ‘p’ in the Henle
edition) followed by an asterisk. Even where the printed edition closely follows the
original placement of the asterisk this often leaves open the question in any individual
case as to whether the pedalling is syncopated, that is, legato, or whether there is a gap in