On the few (well recorded) concerts I've seen, (always on TV), the theorbo
has contributed highly with its characteristic bass drone (reminding me of a
didgeridoo for some reason) to the events. But these were smaller ensembles,
where the instrument could really come to its full potential. And they were
also filmed and recorded proffessionally.
Is visual presence without being heard and just being an ornament in a huge
orchestra ok...I guess...but if not recorded and tweeked, probably few in
the audience (except perhaps the first few rows) could enjoy its sound. But,
the musicians next to the theorbo would be able to enjoy its gutsy basses,
and perhaps because of that play better. And the orchestra being an organism
of sorts, the theorbo could perhaps act as a uniting entity in the bass
register, contributing to the orchestral performance as a whole, theorbist
playing well of course ;)
G.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Winheld" <[email protected]>
To: "howard posner" <[email protected]>; "Lute List List"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014 5:25 PM
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ornamental Lutes
One caveat, and one caveat only, to add to Howard Posner's excellent
perspective- Don't be playing at any time when all the other continuo
players have stopped (or haven't started). Sometimes it's infinitely worse
for the theorbo to be heard!
Dan
On 3/17/2014 7:12 AM, howard posner wrote:
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, don’t worry about it, and relax knowing there isn’t
any pressure on you to carry the part.
It doesn’t 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 I’ll bet they can’t
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 isn’t like playing a lute concerto. It isn’t
necessarily about being heard as a distinct, identifiable sound. You’re
part of the mix. In a big group you’re there to make the overall sound
fuller, or mellower, or brighter, or whatever. The group should sound
better when you’re playing and worse when you’re not, even if it isn’t
obvious why. You’ve 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 doesn’t matter at all what
you play, just do your best, enjoy the show and chalk it up to practice
time.
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