On 05.09.2007 dhbailey wrote:
And of course that means with violins using gut strings and tuned
to Bach's pitch, correct? Lit by candles?
No only gut strings but baroque setup and proper baroque bows, yes,
and tuned to one of the several different baroque pitches Bach would
have known in different locations, mostly lower than 440. Anyone who
has never heard the unique sound of a good baroque chamber orchestra
has no idea of the sounds Bach was used to hearing, very different
from what we hear today.
As to the candles, that's part of the setting. They won't affect the
sound, but they can definitely affect the way the audience hears the
music. That's long been the case with concerts at the Governor's
Palace in Colonial Williamsburg here in the U.S., as well as nearby
Bruton Parish Church.
At the end of the academic year, my late wife used to take her
Choristers (youth choir) to Williamsburg to sing at Bruton (with the
following day devoted to the nearby theme park). I well remember the
afternoon that they were rehearsing as it got progressively darker,
and one of the younger kids spoke up and asked, "Can't we turn on the
lights?" The older ones pointed to the candles in the chandeliers
overhead and said, out of their lofty knowledge, "Those are it!"
That kind of lesson sticks!!
John
--
John R. Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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