Dear Arto and Henk
I have been told by a lutist, who briefly swapped lutes with him,
that Hoppy's lutes do not have the greatest projection. Following the
swap, Hoppy had more projection, but his own was somewhat reduced.
Perhaps, Hoppy considers this as of no great importance.
I recently heard (a year ago) two very contrasting concerts from this
point of view, one by Jacob Heringman followed very closely by
another by Hoppy, both on Renaissance lutes.
Both have a sort of zen presence, but Hoppy has such an interior
sound that the listener has to be drawn-in. I would call him the
master of silences and of the narrow space between a silence and a
whisper. I understand from a guitarist who has followed his master
classes that he gives just as much importance to the use of silences,
as to the sounds that the lutist or guitarist produces.
The contrast with Jacob Heringman is striking. Jacob seems to be
holding his lute exactly as an archer would a bow, with his right
hand drawn back so as to inscribe a line quite parallel with the
floor; the sound seems to be projected outwards like so many arrows.
The concentration of those Japanese kyudos archers, who hit their
target without ever looking at them, comes to mind.
A friend said he appeared to be floating suspended over the line of
his music.
Looking at Jacob's right-hand shape on the American lute page (at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~lsa/download/video/Jacob.avi) reminds me
so much of the presumed Il Divino picture, shown on the American lute
page (at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~lsa/) that I can well believe
that his projection is closer to that of the Renaissance masters,
than that of Hoppy, but who can tell?
Although Jacob's little finger, is usually nearer the rose than that
of this Renaissance lutist.
(On P27 of Lute News N° 79. we are told, however, that « the famous
portrait (...) turns out (...) to have been cut down from a larger
picture of a group of musicians» so perhaps not Il Divino, after all)
Perhaps, the Rutherford lute that Jacob was using could also be part
of the explanation for this greater projection (in spite of, or
helped by, the gut diapasons). I am told it is a fabulous instrument;
but it is mainly their approach to the performance that is just so
different. I enjoyed both, but in a completely complementary fashion.
Regards
Anthony
Le 18 sept. 07 à 15:36, Arto Wikla a écrit :
> On Tuesday 18 September 2007 15:21, henk wrote:
>> .[..] I went to a concert [...] given by Hopkinson
>> Smith [...]. Although I was sitting in the third row I
>> could almost hear nothing of what he was playing [...]
>
> I have the same experience of nearly silence in Hopkinson Smith's
> concert. That time it was a renaissance lute. As beautiful as it may
> be, lute playing could not have been so quiet in the 16th and 17th
> centuries...
>
> Opinions of that?
>
> All the best,
>
> Arto
>
>
>
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