Dear Charles Congratulations on landing a great job! What a piece! I always want that aria when playing a Dido. I usually get it. :-)
Study the recit really well, write out the chords - some spicy ones! - in tab if you need it. In the aria, don't play chords on the first four measures, save perhaps a tentative f-sharp somewhere on the last low D, to make it obvious that the bass will return to the g. In the aria you don't need to give much harmonic support, as the strings play it all. Let your archlute be beautiful by rolling chords on moments with tension, and play block chords in quieter moments, or the other way around! Anyway, use the dynamic and harmonic tension in the piece to give variety in the sound you are making on your lute. Play the bass along if you want to, to give more punch to the cello/viol next to you, but make sure you're in tune with your f-sharps and e-flats, check them together. If your cello player is any good, he/she will be able to adjust him/herself to your fretting. You can figure the aria, or play from a condensed score (I'll send you my 'recital' version of the recit and aria off-list. It's what I use in, well the name says it all, recitals when no strings are present and I have to do it all by myself.), picking the notes that lay well under the fingers and leaving the rest to the strings. You can imitate the 'remember me' on a high d if you feel inclined to get a little spotlight on yourself, but you can also tastefully leave that out. ;-) enjoy! David On 12 February 2011 09:51, Charles Browne <[email protected]> wrote: > I am looking for advice about playing the archlute as continuuo in a school > production of Dido and Anaeas. The archlute is mainly for realism!! but I am > expected to accompany the final recitativ and aria ('Thy hand..' and 'When I > am laid..') I would be grateful for any advice from seasoned performers as to > how best to do this without ruining the performance! > thank you in anticipation > Charles > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > -- ******************************* David van Ooijen [email protected] www.davidvanooijen.nl *******************************
