In America, I haven't found any lack of interest in lute or early music
from the broader public. Many people who are intimidated by
perceived
ritual and stuffy atmosphere of standard classical concerts are
drawn
in by the look and sound of early instruments. Some marketers have
recognized this: early music is quite well represented in classical
music station playlists. (I've just been invited to give a one hour
interview/lute performance on our local public radio station here in
Rochester, for example.) My own solo concerts and performances by
the
student early music ensembles I've directed have drawn healthy
crowds.
This is good, but there are larger issues.
The problem is lack of support - if not outright hostility - from
the
"mainstream" classical music establishment. While my perception of
what
I and other early music performers do is that we play classical
music,
many, many "official" classical musicians do not share this
view. Indeed, at colleges where I was employed, significant public
response was ultimately detrimental as it drew the flagrant ire of
at
least two tenured professors with great influence in the
departments.
Both of these professors actively petitioned against having any
early
music performance activities at their respective colleges,
ostensibly
on the grounds that it distracted students from giving full
attention
to the "real" program of instruction. (One of the professors had the
gaul to tell me to my face, "You're not a real ensemble because you
don't play in parts." WTF? The majority of what we performed was
renaissance polyphony!) I think they were afraid we were making them
look bad. Concerts were not free to the public; box office receipts
showed that we were bringing in actual revenue. And maybe, just
maybe,
my esteemed senior colleagues were jealous also of the fact that
students were learning and having fun. Oh well, those professors are
still there doing the same old thing and I am still struggling very
much to find work years later. Good for them.
Chris
Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A.
Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer
www.christopherwilke.com
----- Original Message -----
From: gary <[email protected]>
To: lutelist <[email protected]>
Cc:
Sent: Saturday, August 3, 2013 4:06 AM
Subject: [LUTE] Re: general public Lute awareness
I got into early music 'cause I hate crowds. My jazz performances
were
attracting too many people. Of course, you heard about the lutenist
who
won the lottery. When asked what he was going to do with his
winnings,
he said, "I'm going to work 'til they run out." Early music, like
jazz
and chamber music, is a niche market. Upon being asked how one can
make
money in music, Henry Mancini said, "If you want to make money in
music,
go into band uniforms."
Gary
On 2013-08-02 05:17, [1][email protected] wrote:
> I have done the same for a small baroque orchestra at the
University
> of Sao Paulo, USP,
> with little gain as well. The group has a lute and a theorbo in
it.
> Any hints are welcome.
> We have thought everything from flash-mobs to pairing music with
food,
> theater, baroque dance, text, whatever...
> So far our biggest hits have been opera and baroque dance, costly
> events which we cannot do on a regular basis
> due to budget size.
> Ernesto Ett
> 11-99 242120 4
> 11-28376692
>
>
>
> On 31.07.2013, at 22:46, Bruno Correia <[2][email protected]>
wrote:
>
> Dear members of the list,
>
> I have been at pains trying to raise interest in our beloved
> instrument down here in Brazil. I've given speeches, played solo
and
> chamber concerts... but despite all efforts the general public
and
> also
> the musicians (professionals or amateurs) simply don't get turned
on.
> It is a sad fact that the lute and the early music performance
> practice did not reach the University here. So we don't exist
> academically speaking.
>
> Would anybody be willing to list some strategies that could be
used
> to
> help disseminate the lute and its repertoire?
> --
> Bruno Correia
>
> Pesquisador autonomo da pratica e interpretac,ao
> historicamente informada no alaude e teorba.
> Doutor em Praticas Interpretativas pela
> Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.
>
> --
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
--
References
1. mailto:[email protected]
2. mailto:[email protected]
3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
