Martyn,
On Mon, 11/3/14, Martyn Hodgson <[email protected]> wrote:
> If you believe the
> lute 'works well' and is 'quite audible' for
> continuo in ensemble, such as that
> required for a Bach harpsichord
> concerto, why do you think the theorbo was
> ever invented?
I've often wondered how the theorbo ever became a "thing" myself. What an
improbably solution it offers for musical issues! And what an awkward, ungainly
thing it is to master and use idiomatically! Strange fingerboard tuning...
Limited melodic range... inability to double most vocal lines for support,
especially when accompanying shaky singers... harmonic register placed in an
undistinguished mid-range that is easily covered by others in even small
groups... Campanellas are neat, but they take a lot of additional dedicated
practice time to master and are virtually useless in ensemble playing other
than in the most exposed passages. The basses, of course, sound great! They can
be used to incredible effect - IF the bass line is diatonic for the tuning you
happen to have during that section of the piece... and fairly slow moving...
sans lots of leaps... without requiring a surplus of articulation... or too
many ascending scalar passages that will ring...
and you've also spent tons of time practicing to securely find your way
through the forest of strings. (Know that the director will invariably want the
theorbo to be the sole accompaniment instrument for the prima donna's
passionate chromatic lament in B-flat minor at the opera's heart-rending
denouement. He will announce this only as you're tuning up immediately before
the opening show.) Volume is an asset. However, aside from the beauty of the
open basses, the overall sound doesn't project especially well and so is more
evident to the player than the listeners. It does look cool, however.
I speak as someone who has played a lot of theorbo. My very first album was
dedicated to solo theorbo music. I still love the instrument and its
repertoire. However, considering all the time I've had to put into becoming
competent and considering the challenges of the medium versus the acceptability
of then-current alternatives (i.e. Renaissance lute), I've often pondered why
the ancients ever bothered to embrace this cranky beast as enthusiastically as
they did. My guess is it caught on because it looked cool back then, too. ;-)
Chris
Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A.
Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer
www.christopherwilke.com
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 11/3/14, Martyn Hodgson <[email protected]> wrote:
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ren lute as sub for theorbo
To: "Geoff Gaherty" <[email protected]>, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]>
Date: Monday, November 3, 2014, 10:47 AM
If you believe the
lute 'works well' and is 'quite audible' for
continuo in ensemble, such as that
required for a Bach harpsichord
concerto, why do you think the theorbo was
ever invented?
__________________________________________________________________
From: Geoff Gaherty <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, 3 November 2014, 13:42
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ren lute as sub for
theorbo
On 2014-11-03, 8:18 AM, Christopher Wilke
wrote:
> Ren lute is absolutely fine. When I
played in the Collegium at
Eastman,
> Paul (O'Dette)
occasionally sat in with us continuo players. He
always
> used his 8 course
I played continuo on my 7-course
renaissance lute for many years in a
baroque ensemble class at the Royal
Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Although I own an archlute, the 7c was
much more portable, easier to
play, and sounded just fine. Some
chords were awkward because of the
tuning, but otherwise it worked well, and
was quite audible in our
ensemble of 5 or so. Heck, I even
played continuo in a Bach
harpsichord
concerto!
Geoff
--
Geoff Gaherty
Foxmead Observatory
Coldwater, Ontario, Canada
[1]http://www.gaherty.ca
[2]http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
To get on or off this list see list
information at
[3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
--
References
1. http://www.gaherty.ca/
2. http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
