Sorry. That didn't work. I try again without the magic word. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Lute Net" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 7:36 PM Subject: Lute song with low male voice
> Sorry. Just testing my connection. I sent this message to the list > the other day, but I never received a copy of it back as a > s********r. > > Stewart McCoy. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Lute Net" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 12:38 AM > Subject: Lute song with low male voice > > > > Dear James, > > > > Finding suitable lute songs (not theorbo songs) for a bass singer > is > > difficult. The 16th century was the Age of Polyphony. > > Sixteenth-century lute songs - by and large, generally speaking, > and > > a host of cavils and caveats - were for a high voice, where the > lute > > played the lowest voices. Unlike the theorbo, the lute is a > treblish > > instrument better suited to accompanying ladies' voices rather > than > > men's. > > > > We know that English lute songs were occasionally sung by a tenor > > rather than a soprano, but I believe that when the cantus is sung > an > > octave lower by a tenor, it is wise to have a bass viol double the > > bass line. The vocal cues in Robert Dowland's _A Musicall Banquet_ > > (London, 1610) show that a tenor voice (rather than a soprano) is > > intended, but there is always a bass voice or bass viol to offer > > support, rather than leave the lute alone to do all the > > accompanying. > > > > The answer, I think, for 16th-century music, is not to try to do > the > > impossible. Don't try to force the bass singer to be a latter-day > > soprano or tenor soloist. Don't help his range with bass lutes > > sounding down a 4th, and all that carry on. Do what Fuenllana does > > (and possibly Terzi - it's too late at night for me to check now), > > i.e. the bass singer simply sings the bass line. As long as the > lute > > covers all the parts, the music is complete in itself, and the > > singer sings the part which naturally suits his voice. If there > are > > other singers who can join in, fine, but a lone bass singer is > fine > > too. After all, if the music is purely polyphonic, where each > voice > > is equally important, why favour the highest voice all the time? > You > > could as well favour the lowest instead. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > Stewart. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "James di Properzio" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 8:00 PM > > Subject: Lute song with low male voice > > > > > > > Does anyone recommend--or have advice from experience with--lute > > songs > > > that work well with bass or baritone voice? It doesn't seem > that > > pieces > > > written for high voice sound right when you pitch them down. > > > > > > If there is some obvious repertoire that I'm missing, let me > know > > that, too! > > > > > > -James di Properzio > > >
