On Feb 4, 2008, at 2:22 PM, Chris Nogy wrote:
Sorry if this is long and boring - I am warning at the beginning
that it will be, so if you don't want to be bored for a long time
delete this now.
Alden commented that 'We have moved on from that sound".
I think that might be an overstatement - some have moved on from
that sound. Maybe the professional HG industry has moved on from
that sound. But there is still a lot of interest in the old sounds
and methods. They are not all hideous to everyone's ears.
'snip'
One would also be tempted to think that, back, whenever, whoever, was
building whatever, was:
1. either attempting to be as modern and as up to date as possible,
(since we are always in-not to say, trapped- our own present, or
immediate past, however you want to look at that)
2. just building it as best they knew how, without worrying about the
above, or,
3. neither/both.
Something I just read has a repeating theme in the approach. 'what is
IS what was, without bonechilling evidence to the contrary'
I tend to couch it as 'there's nothing new under the sun', but it
seems to be the same thing.
We also like to use the word 'evolution,' but,,,,,,,
Which is why I'm thankful for the written music, such as we have it,
be it transcribed in modern times by folks listening to people
playing traditional gurdy music in the mountains of the Auvergne, or
the music as notated by Niel and Nathaniel Gow, and William Marshall,
or John Roche, The Great Northern Tune Books, et al, besides all the
Romantic composers(whose music the symphonies still play exactly as
written, and always have, so that any great changes would probably be
beyond the notice of the performers and listeners,,being gradual over
time, as, and, continually played), and just pray my inner Muse makes
contact in at least, a pleasing way, if nothing else.
At the onset of recorded music,,,wax cylinders, the like, I'm
inclined to think folks were going a bit wild with not usually used
instruments(I'm no expert on this, though), the influence of Tin Pan
Alley, etc. 5 strings banjo's and pianos used in genres not usually
their territory(though Niel Gow liked a piano when he played,,,cello,
too),,and these old recordings were not consistent in representing
the actual tempo at which they were recorded, my ears tell me, due to
the physical exigencies of recording and replaying. etc. and lack of
control thereof, concerning the finer points of the same.
In the book, The Ironbridge Hornpipe, Gordon Ashman, Dragonfly Music,
1991, there is a picture of three performers at the Lion Inn,
Shrewsbury, 1831, two men and a woman playing,,one fella on a fiddle,
the lady on a guitar, and the other guy with a jaw harp, and a guitar
sitting on a chair behind him. Much more of what we'd think would be
proper in 'traditional' music. But there is also a picture, undated,
and unlocated, of four church gallery musicians, playing a cello(or
church bass), a fiddle, some sort of brass euphonium looking horn(not
far from an Eb baritone in size), and a flute,,so we never know.
In that much of it was dance music, I think they'd hear from the
dancers, if things got too fast(Tam O'Shanter's experience
notwithstanding) :-)
Just a thought.
Pat
