Every time I'm in this position (and it happens remarkably often, even when playing amplified electric bass!) I am minded of Peter Schikele's introductory speech for PDQ Bach's Sinfonia Concertante S. 98.6 for Lute, Balalaika, Ocarina, Bagpipes, Left-Handed Sewer Flute, Double-Reed Slide Music Stand, and Strings, where he notes that the lute is such a quiet instrument that it is very hard to hear it if another instrument is in the room, even if the other instrument is not being played. He ends by noting that in these days, the visual aspect of music is often neglected.. "It's a lovely lutea| think of it while you're listening to the bagpipes."
On Sun, Mar 16, 2014 at 7:51 AM, Edward Chrysogonus Yong <[1][email protected]> wrote: dear collective wisdom, so i was asked to play continuo for a HACURndel 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? Edward ======== II?III? I.I>>IuI-oIII?I 1/2I^1I-oII 1/2 II+-III'II?I 1/4IuI-I?I 1/2 IuI-o IuI-I|II 1/2I?I IuI 1/4IuI IuIII 1/4II,I.. HA| litterA| electronicA| ab iPhono missA| sunt. aeCURe>>aaeuae>>P:c, 1/4eae-oe-aaa 3/4iPhonea This e-mail was sent from my iPhone. To get on or off this list see list information at [2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
