I think the point, David, is that the music we have inherited as "Bach's works for lute" doesn't have any linear provenance to actually connect them to an intention by Bach for them to be performed on lute. That said, transcriptions of any Bach music are as legitimately "lute" as the alleged lute works.
Sure, he may have dabbled on a lute in his own collection, but who knows with what music? While I own a Viennese ocarina, jaw-harp, 6-hole American cedar flute, chromatic harmonica, etc. there's little likelihood of me composing music for any of them within my lifetime. (Granted, I am not anything like a properly trained composer.) As Titmuss points out, there is some speculation Bach also rented instruments. If so, I wouldn't necessarily expect an intimate compositional familiarity with the pieces in his rental stable. Eugene -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David Tayler Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 2:17 PM To: lute Subject: [LUTE] Re: [LUTE] Re: [LUTE] Bach’s Lute Suites: This Myth is Busted Let's see, Bach owned a lute, but didn't play it. Probably used it for a planter. In all seriousness, this argument hinges on the idea of an urtext, which is simply not tenable for a composer who arranged and rearranged his own works as well as the works of other composers. We don't know how Bach--and others--played this music, but the lautenwerk, the organ, clavichord, lute, archlute, gallichon, all possibilities. Certainly a lute player might have come up with a scordatura that would be quite fabulous, and they of course sound great on the lautenwerk. Classic example? Toccata and fugue is really not by Bach and also for the violin. OK, or it really is by Bach and sounds great on the organ. The consistent model is that Bach composed for instruments in his house--the viol, the lute, the harpsichord, the lautenwerk, the violin, viola, and so on, as well as many other instruments. And while I think it is more likely, even very likely, that these pieces are for lautenwerk, it is quite possible that someone someday will play them on some kind of lute perfectly. Without 2000 edits :) Add virtuoso, rinse, take the repeats. __________________________________________________________________ From: William Samson <[email protected]> To: Luca Manassero <[email protected]>; "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, April 25, 2012 7:01:08 AM Subject: [LUTE] Re: [LUTE] Bach's Lute Suites: This Myth is Busted I won't believe it until it appears on Mythbusters :) Bill From: Luca Manassero <[1][email protected]> To: [2][email protected] Sent: Wednesday, 25 April 2012, 14:37 Subject: [LUTE] Bach's Lute Suites: This Myth is Busted An interesting post: [1][1][3]http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites- thi s-m yth-is-busted-part-i/ Luca References 1. [2][4]http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites-thi s-m yth-is-busted-part-i/ 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. [6]http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites-this-m 2. [7]http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites-this-m yth-is-busted-part-i/ 3. [8]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. mailto:[email protected] 3. http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites-thi 4. http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites-this-m 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html 6. http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites-this-m 7. http://www.classicalguitarcanada.ca/2012/04/bachs-lute-suites-this-myth-is-busted-part-i/ 8. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html
