On 12/08/13 10:45 AM, William Samson wrote:
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.
Interestingly enough, exactly the same situation exists among
professional astronomers. The universities crank out far more Ph.D.s in
astronomy than there are jobs for. Fortunately training in astronomy
includes a lot of mathematics, statistics, and computer studies, so
these people have little trouble finding good paying jobs, though not
doing what they want to do.
As an amateur astronomer and amateur lutenist, I have it made. I simply
do what I love doing. The astronomy side has actually started to earn
me a little money, writing articles and content for astronomy software.
Miles is right about continuo being the lutenist's bread and butter.
About 15 years ago, I never got the chance to play my lute in ensemble,
which was what I really wanted to do. Then I signed up for one of Scott
Paterson's baroque ensembles at the Royal Conservatory of Music in
Toronto, and got to play continuo every week with other serious amateur
musicians, which was terrific training. My fellow students all played
"real" instruments: flute, cello, harpsichord, even French horn!
Geoff
--
Geoff Gaherty
Foxmead Observatory
Coldwater, Ontario, Canada
http://www.gaherty.ca
http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
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