Your get all the neatest jobs!! Albrechtsberger (Beethoven's teacher) composed seven concertos for Jew's harp and mandora, of which three survive. They really are quite pleasant works in the galant style, unlike his rather severe fugues for a string quartet (two violas). I think you and your audience will enjoy them. Some may even start dancing in the aisle.<g> It's happy, but not necessarily funny, music.
There were several internationally touring Jew's harp virtuosos in the late 18th- and early 19th-century, and the instrument was held in high regard. It could "convey outpurings of pure feeling in tones from better worlds." (quoted by our friend Dieter Kirsch in Orfeo C035 821 A). Albrechtsberger first encountered the Jew's harp when he was a student organist at the Melk Monastery, where one of the brothers was a virtuoso player. He often played accompanied by a mandora. He could also play two-part harmony. (Why does Melk keep coming up on this list?<g>) David, does the orchestra have two viola parts? Two violas are typicalof divertimentos. Cf. Mozart's horn quintet, an divertimento with minuets framingthecentral slow movement. One ofthe minuets was removed. The cut pages can be seeninthe autograph. ----- Original Message ----- From: "LGS-Europe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 9:52 AM Subject: [LUTE] Re: and now for something completely different ... > >>> Any advice on how to keep a straight face for the 20 >>> or so minutes I'll >>> have >>> to be on stage with this going on next to me will be >>> much appreciated. >>> ;-) >> >> You could think about the plight of the folks (if >> any) who >> will have to follow your act. > > A friend of mine had a vision of all the folks in the > audience getting out > their jew's harps to play along. It's in a three > day's international jew's > harp festival, so there will be an audience. > > David > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
