Dear Daniel,
In my view the heart of the matter is ensuring that you're playing with
period instruments: they are much less strident than their modern
counterparts and also the players are generally used to hearing gentler
tones and working with them. It's not that period instruments always
sound soft - they can play out in orchestral contexts (say Handel
concertos) - but that they have an ability to still be able to phrase
well etc and sustain legato without forcing even when playing gently in
chamber music. For violins it's not just the strings: it's at least as
much to do with using a period bow and technique.
As has also been pointed out, playing closer to the bridge with a more
'edgy' sound will also help the lute's projection and ensemble balance
and allow the lute to be heard. Incidentally the English harpsichord in
the eighteenth century often had a 'lute' stop (sometimes also called a
'theorbo' stop). This was an extra row of jacks placed even closer to
the bridge than the others and giving a very bright, nasal sound.
So, against what many might now suppose is the 'right' sort of sound
for the lute of the time, this provides yet further evidence of how
contemporaries expected the lute to sound.
regards
MH
__________________________________________________________________
From: Daniel Shoskes <kidneykut...@gmail.com>
To: Lute List <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Sunday, 27 December 2015, 12:43
Subject: [LUTE] Performing lute in ensemble
Dear list: I've been having fun with the Lauffensteiner g minor
"concerto" (andante:[1]https://youtu.be/q9dV2QbcBc8
<[2]http://youtu.be/q9dV2QbcBc8>). In the Brussels Ms it has parts for
2 violins and 1 cello (OK, 2 treble clef instruments and a bass clef
instrument with figures). In performance of pieces like this, how do
people handle balance of instruments? Clearly having the other
instruments in gut would help but it's still a struggle to have the
lute loud enough in comparison with the strings. Mics? Mutes? Just play
as loud as you can all the way through?
Thanks
Danny
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References
1. https://youtu.be/q9dV2QbcBc8
2. http://youtu.be/q9dV2QbcBc8
3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
