dear sean, in their instructions "how to intabulate vocal pieces for lute" the german lute-teachers - judenkunig, newsidler, gerle - give very precice tips for repeating longlasting vocal notes on plucked instruments. its very useful to read this detailed instructions! greetings w.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Sean Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Lute Net" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 10:20 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Petrucci > > >> But take for example: Isaac's Benedictus which Jon Banks has used in >> several places as an example (and number one, in the Lute Society >> publication) - bar 34 in the lowest voice. The Bb lasts four bars. Even >> at a brisk pace, a very brisk pace or an outright gallop, a single >> plucked note isn't going to last four bars. So why write it? Banks is >> claiming that this music is actually, specifically written for plucked >> instruments. Why didn't Isaac put in a rest for a couple of bars or why >> didn't he repeat the note - rather than let it hang there inaudibly. >> >> Maybe musicians of the time both vocalised the notes and played them >> instrumentally (so both contestants in the modern debate: all-vocal >> versus instrumental performance would be satisfied!). After all, Jon >> Banks insists that this music is for a learned bunch of singer-players. >> > > Dear Stuart, > > Singer-players would probably understand that the note, written in its > first generation for singers, only gets one syllable and understand the > intent. Those that chose to play it on the lute would understand that > the composition needs that note to support the harmony and would > restrike it if necessary or maybe choose the viol for that part (or > section?). It's not that obtrusive to repeat a slow moving note while > the action is elsewhere. Spinacino often restrikes notes (such as does > Capirola and Newsidler). It was troublesome sometimes but wasn't seen > as a sin. Or some may have felt it was and didn't. And certainly no > more than jumping the octave or confusing voice-leading in the score. > They were flaws that could be got around often by loosening the > tolerances. And I'm just as sure there were folks who said it wasn't > suitable for lute then, too. > > Lute ensembles are interesting palletts. With all the parts decaying > more ore less similarly one's ear is more forgiving to this problem. > Differences of string/instrument/timbre all become more pronounced and > I, for one, am drawn into the overall sound and listening for the > individual flavors working up to a whole. When I heard the Venere Q > play Palestrina it was more like a vocal performance than I had > expected. The beauty of each person playing their one line is that they > can treat it like the vocal performance they might usually sing and not > get hung up on the technical aspects. > > By the way, the Benedictus was originally 4-voiced in Isaac's mass, > Quant j'ay au cueur; itself based on a chanson by Busnois. If they > could toss out a voice like that (Isaac was one of the early populizers > of the "4-voice" trend) I'm sure they knew how to deal with a > troublesome long note. > > Sean > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
