Dear Stewart, I understand what you are saying and it makes sense. As a matter of fact, this is precisely how I count Campions' Fire, Fire (Third Book of Ayres, XX). However, there is a difference: Fire, Fire goes from C to 3 and, whereas My sweetest Lesbia goes from 3 to C-slash. The implication is that there is no difference between C and C-slash. Or do you have a different solution of Fire?
One of the possibilities I mentioned, which would have made C and C-slash different, was to play the C-slash section twice as fast as you suggest. However, in terms of the music and the lyrics this makes no sense at all: according to my taste, "night" might be longer than "sleep", "paine" and "loue", or the same, but not shorter. Thanks and regards, Peter. PS If anyone is interested, I have tab versions of both songs. On Tue, 8 Jun 2004, Stewart McCoy wrote: > Dear Peter, > > For those who are unfamiliar with this lute song, Campion's "My > sweetest Lesbia" is the first song in Rosseter's _A Booke of Ayres_ > (London, 1601). As you say, it starts in "3" time. The lute > tablature starts like this: > > |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ > | |\ |\ |\ |\ > | | |. |\ | > _e____c____a__a_______ > _a____a__|_a_____e__|_ > _________|_______a__|_ > _c____b__|_c________|_ > _________|_______c__|_ > _________|__________|_ > > After the C-slash the tablature continues like this: > > |\ |\ > | |\ > | | > _____a_________a_______ > _e___c___e___________|_ > _f_______f_____c__d__|_ > _e__________e________|_ > _c___a___c___________|_ > _____________________|_ > > It is important to understand what the rhythmic relationship is > between the two sections. There are times when it can be difficult > to decide, but in this case I think it is very straightforward. > Something has to stay the same from one section to the other, and by > and large it is the slow pulse which remains constant. This means > that the beat of the dotted minim in the "3" section is the same as > the semibreve in the "C-slash" section. In other words > > |\ | > | = | > |. | > > To get the proportion right in performance, it is important to feel > that slow pulse, which means counting in dotted minims at the start. > So for the first two bars > > |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ > | |\ |\ |\ |\ > | | |. |\ | > _e____c____a__a_______ > _a____a__|_a_____e__|_ > _________|_______a__|_ > _c____b__|_c________|_ > _________|_______c__|_ > _________|__________|_ > > count "one , one ", not "one, two, three, one, two, > three." > > When you come to the C-slash section, the first two chords last as > long as a dotted minim of the previous section. It helps to keep > counting the same old "One" as before. This means that you would > count "One and" for those first two chords of the new section. > > Best wishes, > > Stewart McCoy. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Peter Nightingale" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, June 07, 2004 5:38 PM > Subject: My Sweetest Lesbia > > > > Dear List, > > > > Campion's My Sweetest Lesbia is mostly in 3/4 (indicated by a 3 in > the > > original tab), but the last two measures are in 4/4 (or perhaps > 2/2 would > > better reflect the C-slash in the original). > > > > How should this be played. Does the duration of the 1/4 notes > stay the > > same throughout, or should the tempo speed up by a factor 4/3 so > that the > > time between down beats stays the same? If neither, then what? > > > > Peter. > > > -- the next auto-quote is: The dead cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do so for them. (Lois McMaster Bujold) /\/\ Peter Nightingale Telephone (401) 874-5882 Department of Physics, East Hall Fax (401) 874-2380 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 02881
