Chapter 9. Piano Scores

As far as musical innovations are concerned, the invention of the pianoforte with touch-sensitive dynamic functionality, sustain-pedal support, and an expansive range arguably ushered in a golden age of creativity and expression. Never before had an individual been given simultaneous power over so many aspects of the music. How hard should I strike each key? When should I depress the damper? Or, much later, with what implement should I reach into the piano and pluck the strings manually? Despite this new tool’s complexity, composers delighted in exploiting the bounty of options to their fullest, and virtuosos spent lifetimes mastering them.

While our instrument also includes a bounty of options, I sincerely hope you will not spend a lifetime mastering them. That old phrase “the first 10 years are the hardest” doesn’t have to carry over into software, and your decision to read this book is a good indication that it doesn’t apply to you. But, whether you are using Finale, SCORE, or ink and vellum, if you have notated virtuosic keyboard music, you are well aware of the challenges. Ever since wily pianists began pushing those limits, surly engravers have been shaking their fists in enraged bemusement, blotting their scores in tears. With that in mind, let us dip a toe into the world of keyboard music and see what bites.