Dear Jon, Many thanks for your thoughtful message. Just to remove any scintilla of doubt, I have not been in the least bit offended by you or by anyone else on this list, and I am sorry if I have ever given that impression.
As subscribers to this list we are indeed most fortunate. I have great respect and admiration for every one of its many contributors, both old and young, wise and foolish, interesting and boring, witty and prosaic, learned and ignorant, makers, scholars, players, enthusiasts of all kinds, from divers countries, with different backgrounds, experience, knowledge, languages, beliefs, and aspirations. We can understand and misunderstand, agree and disagree, contribute or lurk silently. Occasionally threads go a bit sour, and things may get said which are perhaps later regretted, yet even then, it often helps to be blunt to clear the air. Let's get back to theorbos. I need to send you another e-mail. Best wishes, Stewart. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Murphy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 8:49 AM Subject: Re: Fw: Lute fraud warning, and concert notices. > Craig, > > I understand your frustration with my pontifications. I have been known for > them for sixty odd years (which is why the domain is called MurphSays). > > First, as to the warning on spamming. It was only a warning, and based on > twenty years of managing on-line lists - going back long before the massive > spam of today and the ease of that spam by the use of the road map called > the Web. > I apologise for suggesting that a legitimate address (Lute Society of Great > Britain) was possible spam. But their message fit my rules, developed over > many years, for suspicion. None of us can check every site and every message > for legitimacy, but neither should we hesitate to express doubts - they can > easily be allayed by a polite message from one such as yourself who knows > the site and source. Too often I've seen a good list like this blown by > responding to an "unknown" message that purports to be real. > > I don't remember the trigger for my comment on the concert notices, but I > think it was an "all CAPs" opening. In internet manners that is called > "shouting", and is normally considered either "flaming" or "spam", or just > rude. > > But I can't fault your comments, you haven't seen my direct mail to those I > may have "offended", and their responses. I am not confrontational, but I am > also not new to strings or old music. Just to the specifics of the lute, as > defined on this list as specifically Renaissance. If Stewart is offended I > ask him publically here to say so, but he hasn't informed me of any > offense - unless you consider disagreement to be offensive. > > I don't know your lute, nor do I even know mine. I'm not even sure what a > lute is, given the many incarnations from the early introduction of the Oud > to Europe before the time of the polyphony of the Renaissance. It is the > early instrument played with a plectrum (oh hell, here we call it a "pick") > or the two finger pluck of the early Renaissance? > > You have been playing lute for four years, I have been singing Motets and > chants, and various ancient music for sixty years (started at eight), and > guitar (folk style Appalachian pickin') for fifty. I am also a young and > undereducated student of the lute, as such. But I have a bit of background > in both the music and the physics of the strings. > > You may easily avoid my emails, as can anyone else. Just set your Message > filter to ignore anything sent by [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you are using M$ > Windows you'll find that in the Tools menu under Message Rules. > > And this to the list, should any agree with Craig, as he implies, then write > me directly. I am here to learn from you, but just because I am learning > the lute doesn't mean I have to forget all I know of strings and how they > work. My silly little flat back sounds a lot more like a lute than it did > when first made, and that is because of what I've learned here. > > Best, Jon
