I think sometimes we get too caught up in the historical accuracy of what it
is we do. That does not mean that we should abandon all historic accuracy
but try instead,to put some sort of logical sanity to it. If one could put
themselves into the shoes of a period player who may not be professional but
like many players in England, and ourselves for that matter, were skilled
amateurs.
Even then lutes were expensive items not to mention the cost and hassle of
strings for each Lute if more than one were possessed. It seems
unreasonable to me to assume that if one of these individuals desiring
to play one of Milano's pieces on an eight course Lute would object to the
practice,understanding that a good deal of Milano's music was found in
sources from Dowland's time, I have found several in the Cambridge
Manuscript Dd 2.11. Having said that, they may even have been tempted to
utilize the extra courses to fill in some of the base notes that much of
Milano's music seems to imply.
I think that we forget it is about the music and the desire to play it and
if we do not have the instrument it was written for we play it on the
instrument we have. It's like the old "Pop Song" if you're not with the one
you love, love the one you're with.
riginal Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Tim Beasley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: Newbie Question #2
> Tim,
>
>
> First, Andres Segovia: hunk, punk, or babe?
>
>
> Seriously, a lot of folks get caught up on the
> difference between the various coursed models, but
> there is simply not that much difference actual in
> sound between the Renaissance lutes. (There is
> between Ren. and Baroque lutes.) I'm not saying that
> there are NO structural differences - when you become
> a famous professional, you might want to delve into
> what lute works best for what period's music.
>
> In fact, I would hazard a guess that many people who
> consider themselves serious lute players would have a
> very difficult time distinguishing between the sound
> of these lutes on recordings if repertoire and octave
> stringing is not a factor. I.e. Dalza played on
> various instruments. ("Example one was seven course
> lute, number two a six course, and number three a ten
> - no, wait, sounds like a nine course lute.")
>
> I used to feel guilty playing Francesco da Milano on
> my ten course, but should I? We know that Francesco's
> music was popular long after his death. Would players
> of eight course lutes during this period have set down
> their instruments and picked up their six courses to
> perform this stuff?
>
> Finally I might just mention that when Ronn McFarlane
> tours, he plays everything from early to late (and his
> own) renaissance repertoire on a ten course lute that
> is not based on a historical model. Perhaps he can be
> forgiven since much of it is memorized :-)
>
>
> Chris
>
>
>
> --- Tim Beasley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Thanks all for a lot of great advice. It's greatly
> > appreciated.
> >
> > I've (obviously) been doing a bit of reading. One
> > luthier's webpage I ran
> > across pointed out that 6-course Renaissance music
> > doesn't suffer horribly
> > on 7/8-course lutes, but that one should never even
> > think of playing music
> > intended for 6-course lute on a 10-course
> > instrument.
> >
> > My question is: Why not? (Assuming the first six
> > courses are tuned
> > appropriately.) And would it be any different if I
> > "accidentally" didn't
> > bother to string the lower courses?
> >
> > I can see how it may not be desirable to go the
> > other way--play X-course
> > music on 6-course instruments. But since my having
> > multiple lutes is not a
> > possibility in the near, intermediate, and probably
> > even long-term future,
> > I'm trying to find a compromise that'll maximize the
> > music I could play,
> > without doing undue violence to the musical text
> > itself.
> >
> > (Allow a me brief note on why lutes aren't popular
> > in this day and
> > age. Instruments are expensive and fragile.
> > Repertoire is in a fairly
> > unfamiliar idiom. I was originally put off guitar
> > by the (relative
> > non-)complexity of having to choose 650 mm or 640 mm
> > scale length,
> > cedar/spruce top, "country" vs. classical, and
> > choice of back/side
> > wood. There's no decent lute tutor that I can find.
> > The instrument
> > doesn't receive airplay or have superstars prancing
> > on stage--hunk, punk,
> > or babe, variously. And, as Segovia is reported to
> > have said, We live in a
> > noisy age.)
> >
> > Tim B.
> >
> >
> >
> > To get on or off this list see list information at
> >
> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
> >
>
>
>
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