Can you play a note that's already being played?

Question

This is piano sheet music for "part of your world", I have no idea how I can possibly play the last F4 of the triplet when that note is already being held down to end the measure

Answer 1

You simply let the minim F go early so you can play the triplet F. Judicious use of the pedal could help make it legato if you thought it needed it.

Answer 2

I’m pretty sure this has been asked and answered before, but I couldn’t find the duplicate!

TL;DR Just play the F again.

Even though it’s impossible to both hold the first F and then play the second, it’s written like this for two reasons:

1. It’s simpler. It would be more complicated to write the music in three voices on the one stave, only to make clear that the D lasts for two beats, the F lasts for 1 and a third beats, and also show the melody line. Sure, you could also notate this with ties, but again that looks far more complicated. In the end, this kind of “impossible” notation turns up all the time in music for chordal instruments (guitar, piano, organ etc.); you just have to interpret the intention of the composer a little.

2. This notation makes the role of the different elements of the music clear. There is a held chord (D and F) and there is a melody above it (which also happens to use the same F). Although you can’t actually keep the chord sustaining through the whole two beats, because you play the F in the melody, it shows how the music works. I suppose you could also say, this is how the composer “hears” the music. If you could hold the chord and play the melody note as well, you would! Think about how you might arrange this music to be played on a group of instruments, say a string quartet: the melody might be played by Violin 1, with Violin 2 and Viola holding the chord. Played this way, the chord can continue, with Violins 1 and 2 both playing the F at the end of the bar.

Finally, it’s worth pointing out that this notation (using different voices for different musical elements) gives clues about how to phrase the music here. Presumably you would play the D and F chord softer than the melody above it. This means the second F would be brought out more than the first, as it is part of the melody.