Lucas,
What about the dm lute in ensemble music, period?
We know that there is actually a significant amount of
music for baroque lute with other instruments.
Supposedly, Weiss worked to invent the swan neck lute
especially so that it could be heard in instrumental
groups. And, although we can presume that he played
(dm?) theorbo in orchestral situations, there is a
letter from Weiss in which he describes accompanying
an aria on the lute - which he thought worked well in
terms of balance only _because_ he was joined by just
the basses and harpsichord. They must have worked
something out in regards to temperament.
I don't have much practical experience (make that,
none) with this music, though. Did players of this get
around the temperament issue by usually not including
lute AND harpsichord in the same group?
Chris
--- Lucas Harris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I have been wondering what B. Narvey and other
> players who do continuo in
> dmi tuning do about temperament. Normally I use
> some sort of 1/6 comma
> meantone arrangement in this repertoire in order to
> match the
> harpsichord/organ (at least on the notes of the
> natural scale). However, in
> dmi the sharps on the F strings (i.e., f# & g#) end
> up on the high frets
> (1&3), which I've found to be a problem.
>
> I suppose that with this 'sans chanterelle' tuning
> (d,a,f,D,A,G, etc.) there
> is only one F string, which would make the issue no
> more a problem than in
> G-lute tuning. And those high thirds are easier to
> bear when they are down
> on the lower F-course, in the middle of a chord
> rather than exposed up on
> the top voice.
>
> Or do you guys just play in equal temperament (and
> when playing with
> keyboard instruments just hope that the tuning
> blends somehow)? Or just
> play with high sharps, or use tastini? Does anybody
> move frets 1/3 around
> when playing in sharp keys?
>
> I would be grateful to know if anybody has
> experience with this or has
> thought about it.
>
> - Lucas Harris
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rob Dorsey [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2006 8:54 PM
> To: 'Nancy Carlin'; 'David Rastall';
> lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Another Theorbo Question
>
> David and All,
>
> The article by Narvey is excellent, scholarly and,
> given that it is factual
> and not opinion, definitive. After 1680 the tuning
> nuveau in Dm spread with
> the "Enlightenment" movement to include lutes and
> theorbos played in
> northern Europe. Only the Italians and those under
> their influence - aka
> Vienna - are reported to have stuck with the
> renaissance tuning. Very large
> theorbos and chittarone handled the problems of
> string length - 89cm on the
> fingerboard not unusual - by either adopting a mock
> reentrant tuning and
> lowering the first or first and second course an
> octave or, more
> inventively, just dropping out the first course
> tuning and opting for
> d,a,f,D,A,G, etc.
>
> Having played continuo in Dm tuning on my 76/120
> "theorbo" lute, I can say
> that it falls readily to hand and many chords (in
> keys popular with the
> bowed instruments, barokflaute and recorders, like
> F,C & G, are easier in
> the Dm tuned lute. All this is my opinion, I could
> be wrong.
>
> Best,
> Rob Dorsey
> http://RobDorsey.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nancy Carlin
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2006 6:46 PM
> To: David Rastall; lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Another Theorbo Question
>
> The Lute Society of America just published a nice
> article on this subject
> written by Benjamin Narvey. Some of you who are not
> members might not have
> seen it. Anyone who thinks they might want to join
> the LSA can email me off
> the list and will send them a copy of this issue.
>
> Nancy Carlin
> LSA Administrator
>
>
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
>
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
>
>
>
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