>>> I have heard the claim - only from lute players - that the lute >>> repertoire is much larger than that of the classical guitar. This seems to >>> be accepted as undisputed fact - again, only by lute players. >>> >>> I have been immersed in both worlds now for over 40 years, I have been >>> paying close attention, I am not in any way hampered by some bias one way or >>> the other - and I do not see it that way at all. >>> >>> I think, without any basis in solid research, that there's more guitar >>> music just from the 19th century than there is lute music in total. >> That is indeed true, but only if you include Biedermeier wallpaper "music" >> in Music. > > ...So you're saying that there is no "pedestrian" music in the lute's > rep? Sure there is. But nearly not as much.
>>> If a guitarist already knew all of the music for his instrument - >>> including the art songs, guitar ensemble music, duos, concerti, etudes, etc. >>> - he couldn't possibly keep up with the music that is being published every >>> day. >> There is an enormous amount of it churned out by MO and the like every year, >> but I doubt that any of it is Music, with the exception of Peteris Vasks >> guitar Sonata (probably the only guitar piece by a world-class composer >> during 20th century). Sound effects pap of Delpriora's type just cannot >> count. >> >> RT > > Now I must beg your pardon. None forthcoming. I had no idea I was corresponding with the > sole arbiter of musical taste of our time. (please read the sarcasm into the > tone.) > > Or, to put it another way: Does the grass around your place grow > especially green because of all that BS? > JM In full bloom year 'round. RT >>>> "I wonder if lute concerts will ever be on the level of guitar concerts >>>> where lutenist's have the proper professional stage presence to not be >>>> staring at their music all the time. This might give them more appeal to >>>> the general concert going public, and more acceptance by guitarist's. I >>>> always felt a little jiped when a guitarist would play a concert sight >>>> reading the whole thing, I thought they didn't spend enough time learning >>>> the music." >>>> >>>> Funnily enough I don't take great exception to this, although it baffles me >>>> as to why you would want to be in the company of lutenists if you think so >>>> little of our ability as performers! >>>> >>>> The paths of lutenists and guitarists diverged 30 years ago - there is a >>>> tradition of playing from tablature amongst lutenists, but I would not >>>> necessarily equate it with sight reading. I think you will find most lute >>>> players spend as much time studying the music and developing their >>>> interpretations as any guitarist - it's just a different way of working. >>>> The lute repertoire is very significantly larger than that of the classical >>>> guitar. >>>> Segovia (whom I admire greatly) did much to establish the form and content >>>> of the guitar recital format, which included playing from memory, but it >>>> has >>>> to be said that the content of his performances was predictable. >>>> There are only so many times that you want to hear the Bach Chaconne, the >>>> Villa Lobos preludes and so on before your ears glaze over, whether played >>>> from memory or not. I don't know what others on the list think, but I have >>>> certainly noticed a marked reduction in the number of classical guitar >>>> recitals since the 1980's and I think the lack of repertoire is very much >>>> part of that. >>>> >>>> Lutenists, by way of contrast, have a sufficient wealth of repertoire to >>>> play concert after concert without playing the same piece twice. I'm not >>>> claiming that we always do that, but there is great scope for variety. >>>> We don't need to hang our careers on grandiose "interpretations" of the >>>> same few pieces. Renaissance music is not Romantic music (in the >>>> context of the music history definition of the word) - the players role is >>>> often to detach one's ego from the performance and let the music >>>> speak for itself. >>>> >>>> So it's a different world to that of the classical guitar - please feel >>>> welcome to be part of it, but try to understand that there are reasons why >>>> we do things our own way. >>>> >>>> Best wishes, >>>> >>>> Denys >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> To get on or off this list see list information at >>>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >>> >>> >>> >> > > >
