[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Bach's bass lines

[Dale Young]

Martyn,
     I want one! Who built yours? I've been circling this idea that a 
gallichon is THE great, versatile continuo instrument for 18th century vocal 
and instrumental music.
Any savvy rhythm guitarist could step into accompaniment nirvana once (s)he 
adapted to the pitch variance.
        Dale
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martyn Hodgson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Rob MacKillop" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Baroque-Lute" 
<baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:05 PM
Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Bach's bass lines


Rob,

 I'd be happy to lend you my large single strung gallichon in A for a few 
months if you could pick it up and arrange insurance etc.

 regards,

 Martyn

Rob MacKillop <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
 I've just been thinking about Bach's bass lines (not the 
lute/violin/cello
suites) and the impossibility of playing them as written on either a 
baroque
lute (either swan or bass rider), an Italian theorbo or a German Continuo
theorbo - only the Gallichon seems capable, and even then a large c.90 
plus
gallichon in A would suffice. I've been listening to a lot of part music
these last couple of weeks, from Renaissance recorder consorts (in a
beautiful meantone temperament) to A Musical Offering and The Art of Fugue
on viols - and thought how wonderful it would be just shaping a single 
line
in a consort: something I haven't done for a long time, and even then not
very often. I'm sure it would help my line phrasing in solo lute pieces.

So...when my harpsichord friend asked me if I'd like to join her small
ensemble (harpsichord, violin, viola) with my new (Italian) theorbo
(arriving in a couple of weeks time) to explore A Musical Offering and
suchlike, I said 'Yes!'. But now I'm not sure what contribution one could
make on such an instrument in such a setting with such music. Doubling the
bass line would be odd as I'd have to leap octaves all over the place, the
viola is taking care of the tenor line, the violin the soprano line. The
harpsichord could play bass and alto/second treble line. There's nothing
left to play! We could look at those pieces with more than four voice 
parts,
but somehow it is all beginning to lack integrity. On the other hand, it's
just friends getting together - not a serious recording project. But I 
just
can't 'hear' where the theorbo would fit in. Can't afford a gallichon as
well...

What to do? Ideas?

Rob

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