208 FROM FISH TO PHILOSOPHER 



ment not only involves finger speed and complex mo- 

 tions of the hands, but the control of accent on individ- 

 ual notes interspersed throughout the generally hvely 

 pattern. 



Chopin is well known for his compHcated passages, 

 among which musicians frequently mention the presto 

 from the B flat minor Sonata. This passage has 1760 

 notes, and, as played for Victor Recordings by either 

 Sergei RachmaninoflF or Artur Rubinstein, requires 1 min- 

 ute and 16 seconds. This is a speed of 23 notes per sec- 

 ond. Chopin's Etude Op. 25, No. 11 in A minor (the 

 Winter Wind' Etude), exclusive of the first four slow 

 measures, has 2043 notes in the right hand and 1081 in 

 the left. In Dr. Saperton's recording (Command Per- 

 formance Record No. 1203), this work requires 3 min- 

 utes and 1 second, a speed of 11 notes per second for 

 one hand, and 16 notes per second for both— the speed 

 is here limited by wide excursions of the hand and a 

 relatively slow bass, but the over-all pattern is one of 

 great complexity. 



Schumann's C major Toccata, Op. 7 (Victor Record 

 No. 14263) has 6266 notes and, as played by Simon 

 Barere without the repeat, requires 4 minutes and 20 

 seconds— a speed of 24.1 notes per second. The third 

 movement of Weber's Sonata No. 1 in C major. Op. 24, 

 contains 4700 notes and was played for the writer by 

 Mr. Randol Masters in 3 minutes and 50 seconds, or at 

 a rate of 20.4 notes per second. 



In such works as are cited above, the impediments to 

 speed are great, and as Dr. Saperton demonstrated for 

 the writer, there are several fairly compHcated passages 

 of piano music that can be executed at 29 to 33 notes 

 per second, though this speed is not compatible with 

 their good musical interpretation. 



The examples cited show, however, that the upper 

 range of fingering is of the order of 20 to 30 notes per 

 second. We beheve that Sir James Paget, in assigning 

 three muscle movements to each note, underestimated 



