Bravo Richard! My opinion on the whole Sting thing is...well... ..maybe it will produce more work for lute players....a little pop "exposure" can't hurt! The ship has come in.....
SS --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Dear Luters, > > I find it interesting that some people get so > ruffled at the idea that > someone approaches what is beginning to seem like a > "sacred" repertoire from an > alternative perspective. > > But more to the point, speaking from a historical > perspective, we know that a > number of Dowland's songs continued to be circulated > in "continuo" settings > throughout the first half of the 17th century > (Oxford mss). Would these not > have been played on a single strung theorbo? > > Secondly, keyboards have the option to change ranks, > use single strings > (spinets-and these were certainly used in 17th > century English domestic music > settings), depending on the instrument they can use > a variety of timbral options. > And doesn't Dowland (as well as almost every other > Elizabethan composer) give > us numerous options as performance settings? > Thereby offering us a wide > timbral palette? > > Also, isn't it possible that there were some > lutenists who (in the 17th > cent.) might have played with single strings on an > archlute? I raise this issue > again because I recently came across an English > musical dictionary > (London;1740) whose publishing was overseen by > Johann Pepusch in which the "theorbo" is > described as (and this is a direct quote): > > "The only difference between the Theorbo and Lute is > , that the former has > eight bass or thick strings, twice as long as those > of the lute.... > All of the strings are usually single, although > there are some who double the > bass strings with a little octave, and the small > strings with a unison; in > which case it bearing more resemblance to the lute > than the common theorbo; the > Italians call it Arciliuto or Archlute." > > Given that there are numerous examples from things > like the Charles Coleman > manuscripts in which (and remember this instrument > is called a theorbo) there > is a 4 - 3 suspension between the first and second > course, or just a leading > tone f# on the second course resolving to an open > first course g...why is so > hard to imagine that there wouldn't be a single (as > well as double) strung > instrument called a theorbo in England with a high > g? And let us not forget that > there are so many publications which call for a > "theorboed-lute," I know of > Linda Sayce's article on this subject, but I am not > completely convinced...and > think that it was a more diverse situation. > > And then look at the painting of Lady Mary Sydney > holding her theorbo...are > we to conclude that the string length of that > instrument supported a re-entrant > tuning? Even if she is standing on a platform of > some sort the instrument > still appears quite small (as compared to a 17th c. > Italian theorbo). I know > that this is conjecture, (and I am trying to rattle > a couple of cages), but > there is something to this.... > > On a number of different Handel opera engagements I > have recently shown up > with 3 instruments: standard single strung a > re-entrant theorbo; single strung > English Theorbo (in G with only the top string > down); and finally a single > strung "theorboed lute" (as I like to call it). On > every occasion the directors > (and these have included : Chris Hogwood, Roy > Goodman, Harry Bickett etc...) > have chosen the latter do to it's ability to > realized high harmony as well as > offer a strong bass; they all felt that this was the > most appropriate musical > choice...frankly, for Handel I had to agree with > them given the fact that I was > the only plucker....(if there had been two, the > decision might very well had > been different. > > Finally, I always come back to two articles that I > regularly assign for my > students which both suggest a greater timbral > variety than what is normally > accepted today: Paul Beier's great essay on Right > Hand Lute Technique (LSA) and > Paul O'Dette's essay on timbral variety from the > Utrech Lute Festival (c. > 1988??) which he concludes with the enlightened > comment "different strokes from > different folks." > > That Sting might want to approach this repertoire > from a later perspective > (if that was indeed his intention) should not offend > anyone, since we know that > Dowland's songs circulated for quite a while after > his death (his performance > is another thing and that is where personal taste > and subjectivity come into > the discussion). > > But to just condemn it out of hand seems to be (once > again) assembling the > EMP (early music police). Let's celebrate that he > is hopefully going to make > Dowland a more familiar name. > > Cordially Yours, > > R Savino > > > -- > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
