howard posner wrote:
On Dec 18, 2009, at 3:43 AM, Monica Hall wrote:
to which I would respond - is there any authority for David's
proposition other than his own whim?
I'm not sure what David's proposition is, but yours seems to be
something like, "there was no church in Italy in the first half of
the 17th century in which a guitar was ever used for continuo." This
seems extreme enough to ask for some support.
How about the proposition that "there was no church in Italy in the
first half of the17th century in which the singers all performed in the
nude?" Well.. who knows? But how likely is it?
That the guitar was considered (by absolutely everyone?) a secular,
even vulgar, instrument doesn't really get us anywhere. The same was
true of the violin for a generation or two, but then became perfectly
normal in church.
Any other examples of 'secular, even vulgar, instruments' becoming
accepted in the church? (strohfiedel? bagpipe?)
It is not dispositive that the guitar is not mentioned in the
published books of liturgical music that represent a small part of
the music that was heard in churches. Absent some "guitarra taceat
in ecclesia" pronouncement from the Pope, we should keep an open mind
about church practice.
Well, it's probably a virtue to keep an open mind on things but the
evidence suggests that it is really rather unlikely that guitarists
would be strumming along with the Vespers - and no evidence that they did.
But briefly I don't think that the guitar would have been used in 17th
century Italian (or other) religious music intended to be performed
in a
liturgical context. I can't see why it should be necessary.
Necessary? Necessary??? NECESSARY??????
too much badinage with RT?
O, reason not the need! Our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous.
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man's life is cheap as beast's.
It's not NECESSARY to perform the 1610 Vespers at all, particularly
if you're not Catholic. It's not necessary (shudder) to use
theorbos, or any member of the lute family, if you do perform them.
It's not necessary for singers or instrumentalists to sing any
particular ornament, or a continuo player to voice a chord any
particular way, but what they do sing or play isn't wrong for being
unnecessary. "Necessary" is not relevant.
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