> Pluck on, Chris We're all just "pluckers" in the grand scheme ... Tom
Tom Draughon Heartistry Music www.heartistry.com 715-682-9362 Sent from my iPhone > On Nov 3, 2014, at 12:15 PM, Christopher Wilke <chriswi...@cs.dartmouth.edu> > wrote: > > > I think the real reason for the invention of the theorbo was to provide > easy fodder for an unending stream of juvenile phallic jokes. My > favorite was after a rehearsal for Monteverdi's Vespers. One of the > singers, a very attractive young lady, came up to me and said, "Oooooo, > that thing is ENORMOUS! I've been watching you and wondering, is it > true that a man who plays such a BIG, LONG instrument will also have a > HUGE..." > [Wait for it. Sexy, seductive eyes are being made at me.] > "...car trunk?" > I don't recall ever having been so simultaneously amused and > disappointed. Actually, that's not true. I have the identical feeling > when I see my paycheck after most gigs. > Pluck on, > > [1]Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad > > At Nov 3, 2014, 12:14:16, Mayes, Joseph<'[2]ma...@rowan.edu'> wrote: > > To find out why the theorbo was invented, you'd have to ask the > inventor: > Rube Goldberg > JM > On 11/3/14 11:56 AM, "Roland Hayes" <[3]rha...@legalaidbuffalo.org> > wrote: >> I suggest its origins were for the solo singer to accompany himself > (Peri, >> Caccini, others in Italy ca. 1600). Salamone Rossi calls for it in >> instrumental dances very early, and it makes sense with one on a part > strings >> - the chords and the basses plucked really stand out. From there to > the trio >> sonata and competent continuo players being included along with > lutenists and >> keyboardists in early productions, and a sort of tradition developed > despite >> the many drawbacks you list, Chris. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [4]lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu > [mailto:[5]lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf >> Of Christopher Wilke >> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 11:41 AM >> To: Geoff Gaherty; [6]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu; Martyn Hodgson >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ren lute as sub for theorbo >> >> Martyn, >> >>> On Mon, 11/3/14, Martyn Hodgson <[7]hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: >>> >>> If you believe the >>> lute 'works well' and is 'quite audible' for >>> continuo in ensemble, such as that >>> required for a Bach harpsichord >>> concerto, why do you think the theorbo was ever invented? >> >> I've often wondered how the theorbo ever became a "thing" myself. > What an >> improbably solution it offers for musical issues! And what an > awkward, >> ungainly thing it is to master and use idiomatically! Strange > fingerboard >> tuning... Limited melodic range... inability to double most vocal > lines for >> support, especially when accompanying shaky singers... harmonic > register >> placed in an undistinguished mid-range that is easily covered by > others in >> even small groups... Campanellas are neat, but they take a lot of > additional >> dedicated practice time to master and are virtually useless in > ensemble >> playing other than in the most exposed passages. The basses, of > course, sound >> great! They can be used to incredible effect - IF the bass line is > diatonic >> for the tuning you happen to have during that section of the piece... > and >> fairly slow moving... sans lots of leaps... without requiring a > surplus of >> articulation... or too many ascending scalar passages that will > ring... >> and you've also spent tons of time practicing to securely find your > way >> through the forest of strings. (Know that the director will > invariably want >> the theorbo to be the sole accompaniment instrument for the prima > donna's >> passionate chromatic lament in B-flat minor at the opera's > heart-rending >> denouement. He will announce this only as you're tuning up > immediately before >> the opening show.) Volume is an asset. However, aside from the beauty > of the >> open basses, the overall sound doesn't project especially well and so > is more >> evident to the player than the listeners. It does look cool, however. >> >> I speak as someone who has played a lot of theorbo. My very first > album was >> dedicated to solo theorbo music. I still love the instrument and its >> repertoire. However, considering all the time I've had to put into > becoming >> competent and considering the challenges of the medium versus the >> acceptability of then-current alternatives (i.e. Renaissance lute), > I've often >> pondered why the ancients ever bothered to embrace this cranky beast > as >> enthusiastically as they did. My guess is it caught on because it > looked cool >> back then, too. ;-) >> >> Chris >> >> >> >> >> Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A. >> Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer >> [8]www.christopherwilke.com >> >> -------------------------------------------- >> On Mon, 11/3/14, Martyn Hodgson <[9]hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: >> >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ren lute as sub for theorbo >> To: "Geoff Gaherty" <[10]ge...@gaherty.ca>, > "[11]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu" >> <[12]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> >> Date: Monday, November 3, 2014, 10:47 AM >> >> If you believe the >> lute 'works well' and is 'quite audible' for >> continuo in ensemble, such as that >> required for a Bach harpsichord >> concerto, why do you think the theorbo was ever invented? >> >> __________________________________________________________________ >> >> From: Geoff Gaherty <[13]ge...@gaherty.ca> >> To: "[14]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu" >> <[15]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> >> Sent: [16]Monday, 3 November 2014, 13:42 >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ren lute as sub for theorbo >> On 2014-11-03, 8:18 AM, Christopher Wilke >> wrote: >>> Ren lute is absolutely fine. When I played in the Collegium at >> Eastman, >>> Paul (O'Dette) >> occasionally sat in with us continuo players. He >> always >>> used his 8 course >> I played continuo on my 7-course >> renaissance lute for many years in a >> baroque ensemble class at the Royal >> Conservatory of Music in Toronto. >> Although I own an archlute, the 7c was much more portable, easier to >> play, and sounded just fine. Some >> chords were awkward because of the >> tuning, but otherwise it worked well, and was quite audible in our >> ensemble of 5 or so. Heck, I even >> played continuo in a Bach >> harpsichord >> concerto! >> Geoff >> -- >> Geoff Gaherty >> Foxmead Observatory >> Coldwater, Ontario, Canada >> [1][17]http://www.gaherty.ca >> [2][18]http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ >> To get on or off this list see list >> information at >> [3][19]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> -- >> >> References >> >> 1. [20]http://www.gaherty.ca/ >> 2. [21]http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ >> 3. [22]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> [23]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > > References > > 1. https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS > 2. mailto:ma...@rowan.edu > 3. javascript:return > 4. javascript:return > 5. javascript:return > 6. javascript:return > 7. javascript:return > 8. http://www.christopherwilke.com/ > 9. javascript:return > 10. javascript:return > 11. javascript:return > 12. javascript:return > 13. javascript:return > 14. javascript:return > 15. javascript:return > 16. x-apple-data-detectors://21/ > 17. http://www.gaherty.ca/ > 18. http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ > 19. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > 20. http://www.gaherty.ca/ > 21. http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/ > 22. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > 23. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
