Dear Monica, I didn't actually send my response to your mailing about Jaques-Martin Hotteterre to the entire list - just to you. But no matter.
Most decent solo mezzos can do a two octave range of a below the treble clef to a'' above it. Similarly solo basses two octaves from E below the bass clef to e above it. Corbetta's ranges are not therefore especially exceptional for soloists. Also generally I perform these at A415 or 392. In short, it really doesn't require particularly 'brilliant' singers to perform the pieces well. As said, it's not a matter of vocal fireworks or stentorian tones as may be expressed by the Italian band you heard (I didn't, in fact, know anyone had recorded the pieces) but of sensitive articulation aided by gesture. The weakest song, paradoxically, is 'Allemande aymee du Roy' - a vocal setting of the well known guitar solo and may not have been conceived as a vocal trio in the first place. But the Allemande cherie du Duc D'York, Tombeau de Madame, and Gavotte aymee du Duc de Monmouth are particularly fine. I urge you to try them when you have appropriate singers to hand. You are right though about the need for decent translations to be provided for auditors - those I've used are passable but too literary to always ensure the appropriate English words is placed on the right note: hence my current search for better. Regarding Purcell's bass this was the famous John Gostling with a range descending to D below the bass stave even at low pitch! But these pieces wouldn't have required his exceptional abilities - though it is far from impossible that Gastling himself may have performed these pieces dedicated to the highest at the English court and published in 1671: he was born in 1644. Martyn --- On Mon, 21/2/11, Monica Hall <[email protected]> wrote: From: Monica Hall <[email protected]> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Jaques-Martin Hotteterre To: "Martyn Hodgson" <[email protected]> Cc: "Lutelist" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, 21 February, 2011, 14:23 That was a bit of a sweeping statement on my part. I have never had a chance to actually perform the Corbetta pieces myself but I have heard a recording of some of them - by Italian singers - which I wasn't too impressed with. (No English translation of the words!) So I am very interested in your experiences of performing them The problem seemed to me to be the voice parts especially the bass part which covers a huge range from F below the bass stave up to middle c' or even d' but on the whole lies high. The soprano part also occasionally goes up to a" above the treble stave. Whatever pitch they are performed at there is going to be a problem for one of the singers. I wonder how experienced Corbetta was at writing this kind of thing. Of course he may have had some brilliant singers at his disposal. I seem to recall that Purcell had a bass singer at his disposal with a huge range. Monica ----- Original Message ----- From: [1]Martyn Hodgson To: [2]Monica Hall Sent: Monday, February 21, 2011 10:44 AM Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: Jaques-Martin Hotteterre Dear Monica, You wrote ' Corbetta does so rather less - his accompaniments are predominantly strummed. I don't think his vocal pieces work very well.' Well, it's obviously a matter of opinion but all I can say is whenever I've done Corbetta's songs in concert they have always gone down very well and, indeed, have been among those the items exciting the most positive comment after the show. I will allow though that they do need good singers who understand the language and the meaning of the words and can even act a bit (ie gestures) but the tunes are also often very good (easily comparable with Lambert and Le Camus) and some of the harmonies rather more startling than the French composers. I always find it interesting that in many comtemporary French operas (noteably Lully of course) stage performers are frequently reffered to as 'actors who sing' showing, I think, where the drama of the performance lies. regards Martyn --- On Sun, 20/2/11, Monica Hall <[1][email protected]> wrote: From: Monica Hall <[2][email protected]> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Jaques-Martin Hotteterre To: "Dominic Robillard" <[3][email protected]> Cc: "Lutelist" <[4][email protected]> Date: Sunday, 20 February, 2011, 18:19 > 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 > To get on or off this list see list information at > [3][5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:[6][email protected] 2. mailto:[7][email protected] 3. [8]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 2. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 3. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 4. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 6. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 7. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 8. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
