Very well said, Daniel. There is also the problem of typographical errors which may exist in Fronimo files, PDF's etc. which are available on the Internet. If you know the piece, then you can tell where the typo's are and correct them; but if you don't know the piece, something other than the original may be preserved for posterity.
I agree with you that it's vitally important for us to be able to refer to the original sources, but I can see Ron's point also, inasmuch as one needs a performance copy of the music. We all have ring binders chock full of copies we have made from our primary sources. Whenever I'm working on a piece, I always make a copy of it, either by hand or with Fronimo, so that I can tuck away my SPES, Minckoff, whatever, edition safely back on the shelf. In fact, I practically wore out the binding of my copy of the Capirola Lute Book before I started making my own performance copies. As to extraneous marks and flyspecks, it's always going to be interesting and important to study them. Personally, though, I feel that their existence won't prevent me from performing. There are many different versions of our favorite pieces extant in the historical records, and that tells me that lutenists "back then" figured out fingerings and ornaments for themselves, just as we today can (should?) do. The thing is: even when the ornamentation is clearly discernable, it's the performer's prerogative, and IMO duty, to make his/her own personal decision as to when and how to use them. Regards, David Rastall On Monday, September 1, 2003, at 02:10 PM, Daniel F Heiman wrote: > Ron: > > Converting old prints and manuscripts to digital formats and media is > *not necessarily* the best solution, for a couple of reasons. > > First, there is the question of "extraneous" marks and flyspecks that > you > may ignore today when making your transcription, but next decade > someone > may discover are really fingering or ornament signs. > > Second, by using computer technology, you buy yourself the problem of > updating frequently both the file formats and the media types. How > many > of you still have available the means to restore the backups you made > with FastBack onto 5-1/4 inch floppies in 1990? Are the floppies still > readable even if you have the drive and software? > > I have recently encountered a distressing problem with a recording -- > although it is only about 15 years old, it will no longer play in any > of > the players in my possession. The CD, disk 1 of Monteverdi's Second > Vespers for Santa Barbara done by the Sixteen (with Nigel North, > theorbo), Hyperion CDA66311/2, was certainly not abused; it has spent > most of its life on the shelf in a back bedroom and has been played > only > a relatively few times. Nevertheless, the aluminium mirror has > apparently suffered some kind of chemical degradation from something > bleeding out of the label or atmospheric oxygen diffusing into the > plastic. When CDs first came onto the market in 1982, the major rap > expressed against them was that they are not an "archival medium" like > the plastic disk or cylinder recordings that are still playable over a > century after they were made, since they might be expected to have a > lifetime of only a few decades. The controversy.may have died down, > but > my experience indicates that the point is valid. > > Aside from carving the information into stone, it seems to me that the > best and most straightforward way of preserving our heritage as > lutenists > is still to create high-quality paper facsimiles and distribute them > widely around the globe. In short, I do support the work of Broude > Brothers, Garland, Minkoff, Scolar Press, SPES, Tree, etc. by buying > copies of their books for my personal library. I would encourage you > to > do likewise and to recommend them for purchase to your local university > library, provided they have a policy of retaining books in their > collection even when they do not circulate several times per year. > > Regards, > > Daniel Heiman > > On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 21:30:08 +0100 Ron Fletcher > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >> Hi all, >> >> Stewart's dilemma certainly seems good reason to make yourself some >> new >> performing copies of 'original' sources, in Fronimo, Django, >> Stringwalker, >> or whatever tab-setting program you prefer, before they become too >> illegible with use, fade, or discolour. >> >> Save and protect your primary sources. >> >> Best Wishes >> >> Ron (UK) >> >> Stewart McCoy wrote >> >> I had fun yesterday playing music from the Welde Lute Book. The >> stave lines are so faint you can hardly see them. There are lots of >> solos at the start of the book, but no-one ever got round to >> copying out any songs. Pity really. If you have an old photocopy or >> microfilm, hang on to it, because it could become a primary source, >> at least for some bars. >> >> Stewart McCoy. >> >> >> >> >> > > ________________________________________________________________ > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > >
