On Mar 16, 2014, at 4:51 AM, Edward Chrysogonus Yong <[email protected]> wrote:
> so i was asked to play continuo for a Händel Concerto Grosso and spent some > time working it out. at the first rehearsal i discover that the continuo line > is also being played by 3 violoncelli, an electronic harpsichord, and a > double bass all 'playing out'. > > all of these are modern instruments, played aggressively by players more > accustomed to symphonic music. full chords on my large archlute and twiddling > nonstop means i am audible to the celli and to the conductor. the tutti > violins on the other side of the semicircle have said they can't really hear > me, so i wonder if i'd even be heard by the audience. > > i'm sure other lute players have done gigs like this, so what does one do in > situations where one's lute seems largely ornamental? do i just make sure i > look pretty? You play continuo, dont worry about it, and relax knowing there isnt any pressure on you to carry the part. It doesnt matter whether the violinists think they can hear you. If you were playing with a big French harpsichord and baroque instruments, they might say the same, most of the time. And Ill bet they cant distinguish the sound of one of those cellos from the other two, and none of those cellists is writing to the cello list about his predicament. About once a year on this list I have occasion to remind someone that playing continuo isnt like playing a lute concerto. It isnt necessarily about being heard as a distinct, identifiable sound. Youre part of the mix. In a big group youre there to make the overall sound fuller, or mellower, or brighter, or whatever. The group should sound better when youre playing and worse when youre not, even if it isnt obvious why. Youve done your job when the listeners like the sound, not when someone in the third row says, really nice voice-leading on that last six-four chord by the guy playing that weird giant mandolin. And if the sound is really so thick that it doesnt matter at all what you play, just do your best, enjoy the show and chalk it up to practice time. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
