I am learning the last movement of Schuman's Piano Quintet, and at letter F (Peters Edition) one gets a series of bars consisting of a minim chord followed by a minim rest in each bar. Now, " Ped" is indicated under the first minim and an asterisk is placed after the minim in the next bar and this pattern continues for some fifteen bars. This seems to indicate that the pedal is kept down during the minim rest which occupies the second half of each bar. I would have expected the pedal to have been lifted after each minim chord in order to create the following minim rest as indicated by the score.

Can any one tell me what is intended here? Sorry if it sounds a bit complicated but basically it seems to indicate that one should hold the pedal down over a series of rests. Any help would be much appreciated.

Well it sounds like you keep the pedal down, thered be no point holding the pedal down for a minim chord, unless there were other notes changing

From what you've described, it does seem to indicate that you need to keep the pedal down through the rests.

Don't forget though, that pedalling directions aren't always obligatory (with the exception of some modern pieces) and also that different editions have different ideas, so it may be worth checking out the piece as printed by a couple of other publishers, to see whether tey agreee or differ on this point. One of the editions might have editorial notes or an appendix that could explain to you why the pedal is marked like this.

Even if no notes are moving holding the pedal down still makes the chord sound richer, so it wouldn't be pointless.

Yes I think the pedal is kept down during the rests on reflection and I will as you suggest look at other editions.




Very much agree with the point you raise here.