Roman -- what I wanted to ask was did they compose with shapes on the
fingerboard and translate that to tablature or was it composed like a
species counterpoint.
Well, I take as evidence of people composing in tabulature Weiss' own
"rosicrucian" entry in a friends journal, consisting of a few bars of
enharmonic modulations in tab.
I have no problems composing directly in tab, although this predetermines
quite a few licks at least for me.
And did professionals play from tablature or from
standard notation, aside from figured bass.
Both. Weiss certainly did.
RT
On 7/6/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
--- Michael Gillespie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Also, (just
> a thought) did the
> baroque masters compose in tablature? (that seems
> absurd). Are there any
> sources for learning notation on the lute.
>
I wouldn't compose in tab myself, but I don't see why
a baroque lutenist-composer wouldn't, at least for
solo works. Presumably, tab would have been a natural
language for them to think in since they would have
been dealing with it since their early days of
learning te instrument.
That doesn't mean they didn't think in notes as
opposed to fingerboard shapes. Professional lutenists
all knew their continuo chops, which would have been
improvised from a bass line in notation. There is
also a significant body of later works for baroque
lute in chamber settings in which the other
instruments would have been written out in mensural
notation. Writing this should have been no big deal
for our lute guys.
As for learning notation yourself - my best advice
would be to just do it. Pick up something in keyboard
notation and trash through it. Simple 4-voice
chorales are great for this. Play the parts
seperately, then the treble and bass clef "hands"
seperately and finally combine it all. (You could
also do bass and alto, tenor and soprano, tenor and
alto, bass and soprano, combinations of three voices,
etc.) This also gives anyone fantastic practice in
figured bass, even if you've been doing it for a
while. Although they may not be the most idiomatic
from a technical stand point for the lute, it'll be
like pumping iron for the finger coordination and
musical brain.
Chris
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Michael
>
> --
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
>
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
--
