I like to avoid the bass line when playing continuo with gamba,
especially with full re-entrant tuning. This tuning also makes continuo
playing easier; you don't even have to worry about where you put the
notes required; it just seems to fizzle out all together correctly.
Also, playing thirds to the bass and what not can be done while a chord
is still held and ringing (campanella)which lends itself to a fuller
sound. I suppose you can do this with any stringing but you will be
getting in the gamba's bass line's way.
What you are saying makes good sense to me. If you are playing continuo
with other instruments there is no point in trying to double the bass line.
Filling in the harmony is what matters.
On the other hand, an experienced cembalist once questioned my method
of leaving the bass out, there was gamba, cembalo, theorbo and guitar
for the continuo part. Also, Stephen Stubbs, not the other one, said
he just couldn't fathom playing continuo without playing the bass line.
I didn't know there were two! But I think it is quite clear that strumming
the accompaniment was standard practice.
I don't know why Grenerin's BC is so flimsy, Corbetta's is a bit
fuller, but they all still pluck the bass line?
Grenerin seems to reproduce the bass line a lot of the time. Corbetta does
so rather less - his accompaniments are predominantly strummed. I don't
think his vocal pieces work very well.
Monica
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