I think the real reason for the invention of the theorbo was to provide
easy fodder for an unending stream of juvenile phallic jokes. My
favorite was after a rehearsal for Monteverdi's Vespers. One of the
singers, a very attractive young lady, came up to me and said, "Oooooo,
that thing is ENORMOUS! I've been watching you and wondering, is it
true that a man who plays such a BIG, LONG instrument will also have a
HUGE..."
[Wait for it. Sexy, seductive eyes are being made at me.]
"...car trunk?"
I don't recall ever having been so simultaneously amused and
disappointed. Actually, that's not true. I have the identical feeling
when I see my paycheck after most gigs.
Pluck on,
Chris
[1]Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
At Nov 3, 2014, 12:14:16, Mayes, Joseph<'[2][email protected]'> wrote:
To find out why the theorbo was invented, you'd have to ask the
inventor:
Rube Goldberg
JM
On 11/3/14 11:56 AM, "Roland Hayes" <[3][email protected]>
wrote:
> I suggest its origins were for the solo singer to accompany himself
(Peri,
> Caccini, others in Italy ca. 1600). Salamone Rossi calls for it in
> instrumental dances very early, and it makes sense with one on a part
strings
> - the chords and the basses plucked really stand out. From there to
the trio
> sonata and competent continuo players being included along with
lutenists and
> keyboardists in early productions, and a sort of tradition developed
despite
> the many drawbacks you list, Chris.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [4][email protected]
[mailto:[5][email protected]] On Behalf
> Of Christopher Wilke
> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 11:41 AM
> To: Geoff Gaherty; [6][email protected]; Martyn Hodgson
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ren lute as sub for theorbo
>
> Martyn,
>
> On Mon, 11/3/14, Martyn Hodgson <[7][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
> [8]www.christopherwilke.com
>
> --------------------------------------------
> On Mon, 11/3/14, Martyn Hodgson <[9][email protected]> wrote:
>
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Ren lute as sub for theorbo
> To: "Geoff Gaherty" <[10][email protected]>,
"[11][email protected]"
> <[12][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 <[13][email protected]>
> To: "[14][email protected]"
> <[15][email protected]>
> Sent: [16]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][17]http://www.gaherty.ca
> [2][18]http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
> To get on or off this list see list
> information at
> [3][19]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
> --
>
> References
>
> 1. [20]http://www.gaherty.ca/
> 2. [21]http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
> 3. [22]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
>
>
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [23]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
>
--
References
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2. mailto:[email protected]
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8. http://www.christopherwilke.com/
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15. javascript:return
16. x-apple-data-detectors://21/
17. http://www.gaherty.ca/
18. http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
19. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
20. http://www.gaherty.ca/
21. http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
22. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
23. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
