par Staruch-Smolec, Joanna
Référence Early Recordings: Diversity in Practice (mai 2021: en ligne)
Publication Non publié, 2021-05-05
Communication à un colloque
Résumé : The analysis of violin portamento found in early recordings is highly present in Performance Studies, notably in the research of Robert Philip (1992) or David Milsom (2003). Recent methods for computer-aided deconstruction of string fingerings (used, among others, in portamento analyses) have been presented by Johannes Gebauer at the 2020 conference ‘Early Recordings: Methodologies in Research and Practice’. However, it often remains difficult to draw clear conclusions regarding the exact gesture used by a performer on an early recording. In this paper, I explore the portamento employed by Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) in Walter’s Preislied by Richard Wagner (arranged for violin and piano by August Wilhelmj) by comparing his recording (1913) with a score annotated by him (held in the collection of Jannette Dincin in Juilliard School). Detailed analyses of both sources bring together two kinds of information about various types of Ysaÿe’s portamento. They appear to be to some extent complementary, offering deeper understanding of his gestures. Certain problematic cases are reexamined, which leads to an improvement of the methods used (notably with regard to computer-aided analyses). This material offers a unique opportunity to study Ysaÿe’s portamento. It allows to enrich the portamento’s typology and to revise the methodology of its analyses, providing a better ground for studying other recordings and annotations of Ysaÿe. It also participates in larger research on string portamento at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries.

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