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Octave glissando
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An octave glissando is a glissando played on the piano by maintaining a constant distance of an

octave between the thumb and finger used to execute it, and shifting the whole hand in the direction
of the glissando.

Due to the positions of the thumbs on the player's hands, octave glissandos are almost always
executed upwards with the left hand and downwards with the right. However, exceptions include
Balakirev's Islamey, where players are instructed to execute the glissando upwards across three
octaves with their right hands in the Tempo di Trepak section.

Due to the slight damage (and resultant pain) which octave glissandi may cause to the flesh of the
fifth finger, they are infrequently used in the piano repertoire. However, their inclusion offers a rare
and unique musical effect.

Contents
1 Examples
2 Injuries
3 Variations
4 References

Examples
Pieces which utilise the effect include:

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 (third movement)
Carl Maria von Weber: Konzertstück in F minor
Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Paganini.
Mily Balakirev: Islamey
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor
Igor Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka
Georges Cziffra: Fantasy on William Tell; La Fantaisie Roumaine
Marc-André Hamelin: Cadenza for Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody
Fazıl Say: Paganini Jazz

Injuries

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Octave glissando - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_glissando

Due to the nature of this technique, over-practicing without awareness can lead to injury, which
includes superficial wounds, bruises and tendinitis.

Variations
One-handed double glissandi are sometimes executed at intervals other than an octave, the most
common being sixths. Franz Liszt's piano transcription of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique
contains, in an ossia (optional replacement measure) in the finale, a glissando in sixths played
upward with the right hand. The Alborada del gracioso from Maurice Ravel's Miroirs contains
glissandi in thirds and fourths in one hand.

References

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This page was last modified on 12 January 2015, at 22:20.

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