[email protected] wrote:
When I first played the lute, back in the early '70s, I essentially
played only ensemble music. My technique was quite limited, but I
could do well with a single line of part music. And at the early music
workshops I attended back then ( headed by a lutenist but for all
instruments and voices ), only ensemble music was played by the
attending lutenists - or lute songs. No solos. A memorable event for
me was spending most of an evening reading through Guillaume Dufay
trios with two other lutenists.
You all must have been really good sight readers! At a a very cursory
glance this three-part music can look like something beginners could
play after a few weeks but it only takes a few 'bars' (in modern
editions) to find rhythmic felicities you almost never see in later
music. I'd be happy enough sight reading any part in say, Gervaise at
the very basic and moving on to a fair bit more difficult - from the
following century - but I'm struggling with Dufay!
Stuart
Of course, the amount of music
available as part music is almost limitless, much like the solo music.
Ironically, I so enjoyed all this ensemble playing that I thought why
limit myself to 'early' music and so took up the cello to play ensemle
music (especially string quartets) of later eras. Learning this
instrument proved to be a great challenge, and consequently my lute
languished unplayed in my closet until recently. Ironically again, I
began to think about all the solo music available for the lute - and
to lose some motivation to play only etudes and scales when alone on my
cello - so out came the lute. Now, I'm working hard at being able to
play the solo literature, but would also like to find some players for
ensemble music. So. . . . I think the lutenist has the best of both
worlds; an almost infinite treasure chest of ensemble music (vocal or
instrument non-specific) and also of solo music. And that's not even
including continuo playing!
Ned
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