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I'm transcribing a piano reduction of Suppé's Light Cavalry into MuseScore.

This particular score has pedal notation P. *, Pw. *, and then some parts where there's no *. I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that when the * is absent, it means to pedal until the next mark. However, I'm not sure what Pw. means: Even if MuseScore doesn't support it, I'd like to know for my own understanding.

I looked at two other piano reductions of the score, and unfortunately, they have no pedal notation at all.

Suppé's Light Cavalry Allegretto brilliante

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    Maybe this is a hint--none of the Pw. markings are preceded by an asterisk (*). At this point, I suspect Pw. means to lift and put down the pedal very quickly (a la the -^- marking in more modern pedal notation), but I need proof this hypothesis is correct.
    – Dekkadeci
    Jun 6, 2019 at 5:13

2 Answers 2

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Following the hint in Dekkadeci's comment, if this excerpt is from a German publisher, Pw may mean Pedal wieder or Pedal wiederdrücken "pedal again (push)," meaning to momentarily release the pedal.

Edit: Rosie F's commented suggestion Pedalwechsel "a change of pedal" is more likely, because that word is actually used in German textbooks.

  • The period after Pw, just like the one after P, suggests an abbreviation of a word.

  • Pw is easier to typeset and easier to read than an asterisk crammed against a P.

  • This meaning agrees with the musical context, letting certain chords ring while also letting the sixteenth note horses gallop staccato.

The notation is certainly archaic. I'm not surprised that MuseScore omits it.

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    The publisher is Braunschweig, circa 1920, and the arranger is Schultze-Biesantz... Probably German. :)
    – Nevin Williams
    Jun 6, 2019 at 18:58
  • Most of the scores I've been transcribing have been public domain, and pedal notation I've encountered has been the archaic "Ped.....*" style. Am I right to suppose that "Ped....Ped...Ped....*" would be the same as "P.....Pw......Pw....*", and also "|__/\___/\__|" ?
    – Nevin Williams
    Jun 6, 2019 at 19:10
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    Yes. It couldn't mean "pedal harder!"
    – Camille Goudeseune
    Jun 6, 2019 at 19:14
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    Or Pedalwechseln, change pedal?
    – Rosie F
    Jan 2, 2020 at 12:50
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Re-try:

Based on the responses and comments, here's how I notated the pedal for the above the measures in modern notation:

2nd try

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