I hope Francis won't mind if I add some food for thought by sending a slightly altered version of his message:
>>>There are many things the harpsichord can't do. No dynamics. ... Limited >>>opportunities for the player to adjust intonation. So an expert >>>concentrates on what the harpsichord can do better than many other instruments; that >>>precise delivery of notes of a multitude of durations and silences >>>perfectly timed. >>>Theres a lot to be said for artificial limitations, and a lot of great >>>art has come about because of writers' and performers' observation of them. You might also substitute "organ" for "harpsichord" (although both instruments can change their registration, which in a sense is changing the dynamics, i.e. "terraced dynamics"). Cheers, Paul Gretton -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Francis Wood Sent: 20 December 2010 07:21 To: inky-adrian Cc: Dartmouth NPS Subject: [NSP] Re: Doubleday On 6 Dec 2010, at 01:14, inky-adrian wrote: > Expression is emphasised in precision. Well, I think that says it perfectly, really. There are many things the pipes can't do. No dynamics. A relatively limited range. Limited opportunities for the player to adjust intonation. So an expert concentrates on what Northumbrian pipes can do better than any other; that precise delivery of detached notes with duration and silences perfectly timed. Theres a lot to be said for artificial limitations, and a lot of great art has come about because of writers' and performers' observation of them. Francis To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
