Hi people
This whole discussion begins to approach the (almost ZEN) question of: "What
is the "pure" lute sound?"
And: "What did the lute sound like yesteryear?"
As for myself, I have to say that I admire the quest for finding the
"perfect" lute sound of the ancients. Those persuing it today are the
present sound scientists. The creme-de-la-creme of exquisite sound
epicurees, who wish to replicate the old sound of the "LUTE". All kudos to
you, and I admire your work, effort and almost religious dedication to the
"cause". (At the same time, I wonder how many you actually are :)
As a lover of multiple plucked string instruments, I have to wonder though,
if this is a quest that will ever be achievable. After all, the human ear
endears itself to all kinds of sounds.
Look at how a lute will sound in different environments. Out in the open
nature (bird song and all), or confined within larger or smaller spaces
(warm tapestried wooden rooms versus cathedrals). The sound will vary
immensely. The stringing may vary, the construction of the lute may vary,
etc. etc.
This means that there are a quantum of factors that will affect the final
sound of any lute (or plucked instrument) in a different setting.
So should we persue this quest for the "perfect" lute sound, and can we?
IMO Yes! By all means, if you are so inclined. But more important is to make
the music come alive. In that respect, I don't believe the actual "sound" is
paramount, but the quality of the "music". The musicianship. (And I'm
extremely ambiguous about the 1001 editings to CD's to make them "perfect
sounding" cf. Glenn Gould). Perhaps CD's should have a "live" label, or
specify that they've been variously edited. (If only for honesty). But let's
face it, surely, any CD or album, has since time immemorial been edited and
most mistakes weeded out. (I have a live recording I consentingly made of
Paul'O at a concert in 1985 though, and the faults are impressively minimal!
And the musicianship optimal already then!)
A piece may sound wonderful (and touch the listener) on any instrument or in
any combination of instruments. But, there must also be a reason to why
f.ex. guitarists wish to alter the sound of their playing so much with all
kinds of wave manipulation and distortion. (There must be 1001 or more ways
to alter the sound of any note on a guitar string with the help of todays
electronics), (I know, I know, another point for the fundamentalists...)
But as I see it, human ears just love diversity. A piece by f. ex. Bach or
Weiss, played on multiple instruments or if plucked on: an authentic gut
strung 13 course German baroque lute, a harp, an 11-14 string alto guitar, a
lautenwerck etc. may be equally moving as well as equally JUSTIFIED.
I for one, greatly admire the fundamentalists, but also heartily applaud the
innovating "modernists" (for need of a better word).
If this rambling sounds self-evident, its because it is. I just had to put
it down...
TXS and Best
G.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Edward Mast" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 10:22 PM
Subject: [LUTE] Re: What's the point to 'historical sound'
Good points, Tom. I recently listened to (on FM radio) a Spanish lute
piece played by Hopkinson Smith. Had I not been familiar with the
instrument, I would have guessed that it was about the size of a grand
piano. I can understand recording engineers wanting to 'enhance' a sound
that to their ears may appear too 'small', but I would hope that players
would have some say in the ultimate sound of the recording. Very positive
examples of players having input into the recorded sound are the
recordings done by Ron Andrico and Donna Stewart.
-Ned
On Jul 11, 2011, at 4:01 PM, [email protected] wrote:
Playing in churches or stone-built castles is fine, and I can see
why people like the reverberative acoustics. Lots of different kinds
of music sound very good in these spaces.
BUT - are we talking about HIP Renaissance lute, Baroque lute, or
Medeival music? Stone-built castles were largely a medieval thing,
and the residents heavily draped walls, etc. with tapestries and the
like to make the spaces warmer and more habitable. This would have
deadened the acoustics of those spaces. When we go to a place like
Warkworth we're not seeing the space as it was when it was lived in,
but a mere skeleton of that.
If we look at Jan Vermeer's "A lady at the virginals with a gentleman
(`The
Music Lesson´)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_Vermeer_van_Delft_014.jpg
we see a typical upper middle class room environment from the mid 1660s.
I think a lot of lute music was heard in spaces like this.
Note the heavily draped table. The smaller dimensions of the room,
the beamed ceiling, plus the addition of furniture, paintings on the
walls,
drapery, and even the way the walls were constructed (not stone), would
all have contributed to moderating the reverberation (echo) in the room,
with the end result being much less reverb than a church or castle.
Hence the point of my earlier comment: I'd like to hear some HIP
recordings
done in a less-echoy, warmer setting ; )
Tom
Mathias wrote...
Don't know why so many of us like to play in churches, but I for
one won't hesitate to accept speakers if I'm offered.
For my 2 pence, I suggest that the acoustics are better (more
authentic) in a stone built church being the closest resemblance of
castles and the homes of nobility. Churches fulfill this role,
with the bonus of seating for an audience. Almost every town and
village in the UK has one, so venues are common enough to set up
for a recital. Castles are fewer and far between and, historic
houses may not always be so accommodating for a recital with seated
audience.
Why historic sound?
This is what every listener who enjoys the lute or simply wants to
experience, comes to expect. If we `evolve' from this, as other
more modern instruments seem to be doing, it will become `lost'
again.
Will some future generation research and try to recreate the
`historic sound' as much as we have been trying to do, if we move
on from tradition?
Kind regards
Ron (UK)
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