Maybe it's my personal taste, but having worked with an Early Baroque
group at one time taught me something.
It consisted of Recorder, Violin, Viola da Gamba, Dulcian,
Theorbo/Guitar, Harpsichord and a big Double Bass.
Mostly the dulcian played with the Basso Continuo except for select sonatas.
I found that the sound of an ensemble with equal ratio of soloists to
continuo players is really powerful and colorful, possible to shape any
color, including very distict plucking/strumming sounds coming from
stringed instruments.
Or listen to this fine recording, it's clear that at least these guys do
not care about "silent backup". I like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naRNVnPvm7s
Also, if you read the 3rd tome of Praetorius' Syntagma Musicum, there
are all kinds of ideas rarely employed in today's Early Music scene -
mostly for obvious reasons. Having a huge number of lutes accompany a
solo altus is just not affordable in normal settings, even if it makes a
- according to Praetorius - church filling "crackling"/"sizzling" sound
that elevates the singer to angelhood. (I kind of would want to try that
though - does anyone know of any recordings except the boombastic
Christmas album by Paul McCreesh?)
Am 26.12.2017 um 05:27 schrieb Ron Andrico:
In an ensemble role, the accompanying instrument in question, whether
plucked strings or a diminutive box of whistles (chamber organ), should
be more noticeable by its absence when at rest than by its presence
when playing. One of the more ludicrous aspects of modern performance
practice applied to old music is to place the plucked string
accompanist at the edge of the stage in front of the ensemble. The
singers or other instrumentalists can't hear it, and neither can the
audience.
RA
__________________________________________________________________
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf
of howard posner <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2017 2:03 AM
To: Lute List
Subject: [LUTE] "lute volume" redux
Over the years we’ve had a discussion or two about whether lute/theorbo
continuo in larger (or at least less small) ensembles needs to be heard
as a discrete sound, as opposed to part of the mix.
A couple of Sundays ago I gave a pre-concert lecture before a
performance by the Bach Collegium Japan of four of the six cantatas of
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, which was done with 16 singers and a
continuo of harpsichord and organ, the latter being an instrument about
the size of a car, set up with its ornate back to the audience so that
it would not have been obvious to the audience what it was or what the
person with his head and shoulders protruding from behind it was doing.
As usual, during intermission of the concert I was approached by
patrons who told me how entertaining or informative my presentation was
(I assume the ones who think I wasted their time avoid me) or had
questions about the music or the performance. One of them said he was
disappointed because he expected that in a Bach work there would be an
organ. I told him the big box in the middle of the stage was an organ.
His brow furrowed and he shook his head a little as he said, “Couldn’t
hear it.”
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