Dear Stewart and list, The quote from the Burwell lute Book brings up another topic here: performing lute music in concert by memory. I've read the argument that tablature is difficult to memorize...who knows?
Do you prefer to have the tablature always in front of you? Personally, I'm leaning more and more in the direction of performing by memory. David Rastall On May 3, 2006, at 6:16 PM, Stewart McCoy wrote: > Dear Manolo and Katherine, > > Mouton's coat certainly gives him the choice of several buttons to > hook his lute on. > > One important factor not mentioned so far in this discusison, is how > people sat to play the lute. When this was discussed on the Italian > Lute Net in January 2004, I made the point that lutenists were > expected to sit up straight, and not crouch over the lute, hugging > it as so many of us do, with footstools to boot. There is less need > for straps and gut tied between two buttons, if you sit hunched over > the instrument. If you sit up straight, there is less of you to hold > the instrument, less purchase (in the grabbing sense), and more > reason to have extra paraphernalia to stop the lute slipping away. I > quoted a passage from folio 16r of the Burwell Lute Book, which runs > as follows: > > "Those that are short sighted or have a short memory are bound to > have allwayes there [=their] nose on there booke and soe they may > fall into that inconveniency Therefore wee must be diligent to take > them out by the booke and practise them soe well as we may play them > by heart and learne the time and humour of the Lesson by the Eare > that one might looke chearfully uppon the Company and not stoope The > grace and chearfullnes in playing not being lesse pleaseing then > [=than] the playing it selfe One must then sitt upright in playing > to showe noe Constrainte or paines, to have a smileing Countenance > that the Company may not thinke that you play unwillingly and showe > that you animate the Lute aswell as the Lute does animate you yet > you must not stirre your body nor your head nor showe any extreame > satisfaction in your playing You must make noe mouthes nor bite your > lipps nor cast your hands in a flourishing manner that relishes of a > fidler in one word you must not lesse please the Eyes then the > Eares" > > It's a pity (but understandable) that we can't send attachments to > the list, otherwise everyone could see Kenneth's picture of a > 17th-century lutenist. The young man is sitting up quite straight. > His eyes are not on his instrument, and there is no music in sight. > One imagines he would perform like a singer, looking around the room > as he played, not with his head buried behind a book of music, or > constantly staring at the movement of his left-hand fingers. > > I am sure Mary Burwell was right. What we see at a concert is an > important part of the performance. As performers we think of the > clothes we should wear, and how we should present ourselves. We may > shake with nerves and regret a host of wrong notes, but we still > look cheerful, smile, and politely acknowledge applause. When people > describe a concert to someone afterwards, they usually describe what > they saw, rather than what they heard: "He wore a pink bow-tie, and > kept scowling at the audience," rather than, "He played out of time > with a splat every bar." > > Anyway, I think there's more to those bits of gut tied behind the > lute, than meets the eye. > > Best wishes, > > Stewart. [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.rastallmusic.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
