A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Pedal Point

by Frederick Corder

PEDAL POINT, or Point d'orgue, in Harmony is the sustaining of a note by one part whilst the other parts proceed in independent harmony, and is subject to the following strict laws: (1) The sustained note must be either the Tonic or Dominant of the key; (2) Consequently the other parts must not modulate; (3) The sustained, or pedal note, when first sounded or finally quitted, must form part of the harmony.

The mere sustaining of a note or a chord against one or more moving parts does not constitute a pedal: as in the following examples from Beethoven—

nor does the simple sustaining of a note through harmonies to which it is common; though this is the true origin of Pedal, as we shall presently see. Example from the Mass known as 'Mozart No. 12'—

These remarks also apply to the long drum-passage in the middle of the first movement of Beethoven's 4th Symphony, and in Wagner's Prelude to 'Das Rheingold,' both of which are sometimes spoken of as Pedals, but which are merely cases of a long sustained note or chord. In a true pedal the harmony must be independent of the sustained note and occasionally alien to it, as for example the grand instance in the 'Cum sancto spiritu' of the above Mass, which begins thus:—

and increases in development for 13 bars more, forming as fine a specimen of true Pedal as can be quoted.

The rule that the Pedal-note must be either the Tonic or Dominant would seem to point to the Drone as its origin. This Drone, or sustaining of the keynote as an accompaniment, is probably the very oldest form of harmony, though it may not have been considered as such at all, having no doubt originated in the mere imperfection of ancient instruments, the persistent sounding of a drum or pipe with one note against the inflected chant of voices, etc. Among the first rude specimens of harmony given by Guido in the 'Micrologus' is the following:—

But it is probable that all such Drones, even down to their high development in the bagpipe and hurdygurdy, rested on no theoretical basis, but were of accidental origin. Looked at in the light of modern knowledge, however, we see in the drone an unconscious groping after the truth of the Harmonic Scale, on which all modern harmony rests. We now perceive that either the Tonic or Dominant, or even both together, may with perfect propriety be sounded through any Tonic, Dominant, or Supertonic harmonies, since these must always consist of harmonics generated by the Tonic or its harmonics, and the generator is therefore always a true bass.

But to leave theory and come to practice, it is to be observed that in the contrapuntal music of the 16th century the desire for some relief to note-against-note counterpoint gave rise to the sustaining of a note in one part so long as the others could be brought to sound consonant with it, and thus the fact of a Dominant forced itself into notice. The following two examples from Palestrina show how the idea of a long sustained note as a climax or warning of a conclusion was at this time growing.

The second of these is especially curious, as being a real and perfectly modern-sounding Dominant Pedal.

With the development of Fugue and the introduction of discords the Pedal, as a means of climax, grew in importance, and in the works of Bach and Handel we find it an almost indispensable adjunct to a Fugue. The single specimen from Bach which space allows of our quoting is interesting from the boldness with which the composer has seized the idea of making a Pedal which shall be first a Tonic, then a Dominant, and then a Tonic again. In the Prelude to the great Organ Fugue in A minor there is a very long Pedal, which after 4 bars modulates thus—

and after 5 bars more modulates back again. There is nothing contrary to rule here, as the Pedal is always either Tonic or Dominant, but it is none the less a precedent for modulation on a Pedal.

A curious example of apparent modulation on a Pedal is to be observed in the concluding bars of a Dominant Pedal which joins the first and second subjects of the 1st movement of Chopin's B minor Sonata—

In the fourth bar of this quotation we seem to have got into a Dominant seventh of C♮, but this is not really the case, the C♮ being, as before, an appoggiatura over B♭, the Dominant minor ninth of A, and the real third (C♯) being ingeniously omitted in order to carry out the delusion. Not till the very last group of semiquavers are we undeceived.

A Pedal may occur in either an upper, middle, or lower part, but it is easy to understand from its nature that it is most effective as a bass, the clumsy name of 'inverted Pedal' applied to it in any but this position, seeming to stamp it as unnatural. The Trio of the Scherzo in Beethoven's 9th Symphony offers a good example of a Pedal taken in all positions.

Being apparently alien to the harmony, it is always desirable that the Pedal should lie far removed from the other parts, which is impossible when it occurs in a middle part. Even in orchestral compositions, where the Trumpets and Horns are frequently, from their nature, employed on a middle Pedal, much harshness results, although the pedal stands out in relief through contrast of timbre. Thus the following passage in Grieg's Pianoforte Concerto sounds very strange, though really it is quite simple:

In the duet in the first Act of Bizet's 'Carmen,' however, a concealed tonic Pedal in a middle part is productive of novel and charming harmonious effect:—

Here, on dissecting the arpeggios of the accompaniment, the B♭ is seen to be a Pedal, though not sustained.

This brings us to 'figured' or 'florid' Pedal. The Pedal note need not be merely sustained or reiterated, but may bear any ornamental figure, varying from a simple alternation with the note next above or below (as in countless 'spinning-wheel' pieces), to a scale passage or figure of any extent, provided this do not suggest harmony of itself. Thus in Beethoven we find

and many similar passages (Finale of Symphony in A, etc.) of striking effect: whereas the following, from Wagner, is harsh, from the clashing of Tonic and Dominant harmonies:

When both Tonic and Dominant are simultaneously sustained we have a Double Pedal, an effect much used in modern music to convey ideas of a quaint or pastoral character, from its suggesting the drone of a bagpipe. This is a very ordinary form of accompaniment to the popular songs and dances of almost all countries, and is so constantly to be found in the works of Gounod, Chopin, and Grieg as to form a mannerism. Beethoven has produced a never-to-be-forgotten effect just before the Finale of the C minor Symphony by the simple yet unique device of placing, in his long double Pedal, the Dominant under the Tonic instead of above, as is usual. This passage stands absolutely alone as a specimen of Pedal.

Several modern composers have attempted a Triple Pedal—that is, the sustaining of the Tonic, the Dominant, and its Dominant (major ninth of Tonic). Especially noteworthy in this respect is the passage of 30 bars opening the Finale of Lalo's Spanish Symphony. All such attempts are futile, however, as the three notes form a harmony of themselves and preclude the possibility of being treated as a Pedal. The fact is to be strongly insisted on that only the Tonic and Dominant can be Pedals. The famous passage in the 'Eroica' Symphony

may be thought exquisite by some, and a mere blunder by others, but it is not a Pedal, or anything else that Harmony has a name for. But what then is to be said for the following extraordinary passage in Grieg's song 'Ausfahrt'?

Is the D♭ here a Pedal? If so, the passage might be cited as a possible quadruple Pedal, for B♭ and a low A♭ might be added to the bass without bad effect. The true explanation—namely, that here we have no pedal at all, but a melody in double notes moving against one continued harmony—will hardly be accepted by every one, and the passage must stand as a remarkable exception to rule.

Beginning with Schumann we find that modern composers have all striven to invent new Pedal effects by breaking one or other of the three governing laws. In Schumann's 'Humoreske' occurs the following typical passage—

where, on a sustained F we modulate from B♭ into C minor, D minor, E minor, and F major, successively. Schumann frequently on a Tonic Pedal modulates into the relative minor, as in the Trio of the Scherzo in the E♭ Symphony, etc.; but such harmony being open to another explanation than 'pedal' the law remains in force. Raff goes still farther. In the slow movement of his Spring Symphony he modulates through numerous keys for a space of 40 bars, always contriving that a high G may be sounded on the first beat of each bar with some bearable degree of concord. Again, the following passage from the last movement of the same composer's Forest Symphony—

which is so far a pedal passage—he repeats in B♭, D♭, and G, still with the F in the bass, producing an effect which is certainly novel, if nothing else.

The only point remaining to be noticed is that our 3rd rule, forbidding motion to or from the pedal note when it does not form part of the harmony, has been occasionally violated without unpleasing effect. In Hiller's F♯ minor Piano Concerto, the following occurs on each repetition of the main subject

Spohr has used the Pedal perhaps with greater frequency than any composer, but his mode of treatment is invariable and calls for no notice.

Songs and short pieces have been occasionally written entirely on a Pedal bass; and the longest Pedal extant is perhaps the introduction to Wagner's opera 'Das Rheingold.'

[ F. C. ]