Jon, Thank you for your comments - I agree with them on the whole. Your remark on the C# in particular is interesting. Still, even if the transcription was done for keyboard or a more modern harp than Carolan would have used, the arrangements are interesting for what they are: late 18th century Irish harmonizations of tunes familiar to those people at that time. I am sure that there is much more to the engraved music than I can actually personally dig with my meager musical education, hence my interest in sharing them with potentially more knowledgeable people. I should say that I am primarily concerned in this work as a software developer who is trying to build tools to make it easier for people to make their own arrangements, rather than provide final documents. From that point of view, the applications are rather wider than just a transcription of a couple of pieces of Irish music. Anyone dealing with music from the 17th century all the way to the classical era will know what I am talking about. Even when you are given the continuo figures, the range of possible interpretations is truly staggering. One way of resolving that problem is to actually use an actual realization from the period, even though it may be for another instrument. In that type of situations, I see three phases of work: the plain transcription of the realised continuo, a quick and dirty adaptation for your instrument done by the software, and the final and most important phase, the reworking of that adaptation done by the player on the instrument to fit the natural qualities of his instrument and own personal skills. My goal is to minimize the time and effort needed for the first 2 phases, so that musicians can go as directly as possible to the third phase. Of course, real continuo players don't need software - or pen and paper - to play their part, or at least that is what they will claim if they are not very honest with you. .. But there is much to be learned from that exercise anyways. Even if O'Carolan never played a gig with a luter. Alain
Jon Murphy wrote: >Alain, > >Thank you, although I'll have to drop the 10 course back to the 7 course. >But I have the harp to try the "originals". And I'm sure you are aware that >there is no original of O'Carolan - he was blind and didn't write down any >of his music. I've seen a number of versions of the same song, as >transcribed by a listener - but all have that flavor of the composer - and >I'm sure he never played any of them exactly the same way twice. Not only >that, but the staff transcription is a variation, in that one could play the >F natural in a G tuning on his wire strung harp by a very skilled finger, >the hooks weren't used yet. A modern harpist (whose name I've forgotten) >does that. But the C # in the 7th measure would be difficult (except on a >double strung, which existed but wasn't in O'Carolan's hands). On the whole, >the melody and the open chords of the bass would appear to be the song, the >rest being an interpretation by the transcriber. > >Printed them all, looking forward to playing them. > >Best, Jon > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Alain Veylit" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "lute list" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> >Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 5:03 PM >Subject: Re: Bob Jordan > > > > >>Tired of the political banter? Eager to dust off the old lute from its >>case? In love with the noble Celtic music of Ireland? Unwilling to do >>your own transcriptions from barely legible old documents in grand old >>fart staff notation? If the answer to all the above is yes, you may be >>interested in checking out my absolutely magnificent transcription of >>O'Carolan's tune "Bob Jordan" for baroque lute right off the ELf page at >>http://www.cbsr.ucr.edu//wlkfiles/ELF.html >>Those of you with sufficient attention span and the latest Adobe Acrobat >>Reader will note that the pdf includes the original 18th century >>publication, because not unlike sex and/or politics, musical adaptations >>are very much a matter of personal taste and you should have the God >>given right to redo it the way you please, 'cause this is a democracy >>after all. >>Note: All transcriptions for lute are in freedom tablature, and yes, >>free of charge! (Guiness not included) >>Alain >>PS: Mary do you fancy me also works fairly well in G tuning, but Bob >>Jordan looks better in Baroque garb. >> >> >> >> >>To get on or off this list see list information at >>http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> >> > > > >
