Dear Suzanne, I think you make a very important point. It is tempting to play pieces as fast as we comfortably can, even if a slower speed is desirable. I remember Diana Poulton once talking about the speed of Lachrimae and other lute music, and how we live in a jet age, when everything has to go so fast. She said that people in the past generally had a slower life style, and the speed they performed music might well have reflected that.
With regard to Francesco's fantasies, it is noticeable that the tempo of a solo slows down when someone else adds in a second lute part by Joanne Matelart. Ness no. 40 is a good example of this. If I were you, I would stay with the speeds you feel are best, let the music breathe, and savour the sound of each note, just as you might savour a good wine. Best wishes, Stewart McCoy. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Suzanne Angevine Sent: 12 March 2010 17:27 To: Lute List Subject: [LUTE] tempos in Francesco Fantasias Yesterday I got out a Francesco Fantasia I hadn't played in awhile. Its one of the easier ones, since I'm not that advanced a player. But I thoroughly enjoyed playing it - the counterpoint, the expressiveness of it. Later in the day I listened to a CD of a big name player doing Francesco pieces. What struck me most was the utter contrast between what I had enjoyed about playing the music, and what I heard. Not just on the same Fantasia, but almost the entire CD was BRIGHT, and very PERKY sounding. In thinking about it, I felt that this effect was due almost entirely to the fast tempos chosen. Now this player has exceptional technique, and can play fast and cleanly. And it is to be admitted that the CD is rather old, and may no longer represent the player's point of view on Francesco exactly. But it got me thinking about tempos. Someone on this list recently commented that folks generally try to play too fast. Is there some actual musicological evidence somewhere that says what tempos should be used? Or do moderns just play fast because we live in a fast paced world, and playing well fast shows off our skill? A moderate tempo on the Fantasia in question allows some time and space for expression of the music to bloom, but a fast, perky tempo just makes it sound like pyrotechnic display, not what would earn a player the name of "il divino". So, any musicological evidence for proper tempos in Francesco's music? Suzanne To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
