Hi Chris, With all due respect to Messrs North, O'Dette, Barto and Smith ('NOBS' for short- sounds rude but better than 'SNOB' I think) , there are a LOT of younger lutenists who are every bit as good as they were at that age. What the younger ones lack is the immense experience and judgement of the old guard ('old'? Sheesh! They're all younger than me!). When these guys were in their 20s they had few rivals. Most of the older lutenists from the post-Dolmetsch era weren't the greatest performers (Bream being an exception) though they were right up there with their musicology and teaching ability. The intervening generation produced Rooley, Tyler, Bailes and of course Schaeffer and Dombois - but that was about it* - so there were many more opportunites for them than there are now. That was still the case for the young NOBSs.
Nowadays, of course, there are very many more great quality lutenists than there were forty years ago, but there's not nearly enough work to go round to keep them all busy as concert performers. Probably their best hope of earning a crust is through teaching - either in academia or with private students - and grabbing a performing opportunity when it presents itself. I can't really see any way out of supply outstripping demand - 'the economics of the market-place'. Of course this makes it a cut-throat business to be in; something nobody thinks about very much when they enrol at college to study music. Bill * Apologies for any names I have inadvertently omitted - old age, you know . . . From: Christopher Wilke <chriswi...@yahoo.com> To: t...@heartistrymusic.com; lute@cs.dartmouth.edu; Stephen Stubbs <fartrea...@gmail.com> Cc: 'Stephen Stubbs' <fartrea...@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, 12 August 2013, 15:00 Subject: [LUTE] Re: general public Lute awareness Stephen, I think you are correct. This is essentially what I was getting at about the concert fee for less-than-established artists. Paul O'Dette, Hoppy Smith, Nigel North and Bob Barto are all about the same age. When they were my age, they were already well regarded. Looking around, however, I know of no lute players in my age group who have comparably established reputations. Make no mistake: all of these guys are still making interesting, vital music of the highest caliber. I hope and expect they will continue to do so for many years to come. But there has to be fertile ground to nourish a new guard, too. The big guys may not be getting all they're worth, but, at the fees offered to the second string players, concertizing can be downright unfeasible. If players can't get out in front of people, it is hard to build a following. Once the four players mentioned at the top of this message become less active, will there be players to take their places? Chris Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A. Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer www.christopherwilke.com -------------------------------------------- On Mon, 8/12/13, Stephen Stubbs <[1]fartrea...@gmail.com> wrote: Subject: [LUTE] Re: general public Lute awareness To: [2]t...@heartistrymusic.com, [3]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Cc: "'Stephen Stubbs'" <[4]fartrea...@gmail.com> Date: Monday, August 12, 2013, 9:24 AM [Stephen] There is an interesting book by Phyllis Tickle entitled The Great Emergence. It deals with modern Christianity and how it is evolving. I think her main theme applies to the lute world as well. The 'traditionalist' or 'fundamentalist' lute group will decline, and a rise of a 'hybrid' (Phyllis had another term for this, but I've forgotten what it was) lute group will occur. If not, the lute will slowly fade away. The lute world needs to reach out to the non-traditional audience. The SCA and the followers of Sting are a prime resource that should be cultivated and encouraged. For What It's Worth "The Other" Stephen Stubbs Champaign, IL USA "Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." Benjamin Franklin (American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer, and Inventor. 1706-1790) -----Original Message----- [Tom] Are we trying creatively to increase general audience for lute music here, or are we practicing exclusivity? I'm looking at SCA and Ren Faires solely as a group of potential music buyers. Why not encourage the interest and point it in the right direction? To get on or off this list see list information at [5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:fartrea...@gmail.com 2. mailto:t...@heartistrymusic.com 3. mailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu 4. mailto:fartrea...@gmail.com 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html