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Re: Tempi getting faster generally?

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Home Forums Forum Archives Professional Harpists Tempi getting faster generally? Re: Tempi getting faster generally?

#148088
paul-knoke
Participant

I’ve been doing some performance practice research using early 78s and reproducing piano rolls, and what has struck me is not just the upwards creep in tempi, but the loss of phrasing. It seems that musicians used to phrase things very broadly and deliberately, with a clear sense of both structure and breathing whether they were singing or at the piano. Now it feels like too much is metronomic, and the phrases and shape of the music get run together in a headlong dash!