Dear All, I've read so much about this, I thought I might just contribute a little.
As a rather prudish viol and theorbo player, who's very much into authenticity and finding out the truth in music (if ever such thing exists), I find Sting's attempt in Dowland really enjoyable (especially when he sings in tune!). Remember when Nigel Kennedy came into the scene and brought out that really different Vivaldi's Four Seasons? Doesn't anyone else find it strange that his interpretation for that time was probably the most historically-spirited thing that was ever done? He had harpsichord, guitars/lutes, and not to mention all that ornamentation! I will not be surprised if some of those Italian groups such Europa Galante and Giardino Armonico were a little bit inspired by that. So, back to Sting. Mark my words, in time, we will come to some balance in performing Dowland, and we will have (in some part) to thank Sting. In the bigger picture of things, we haven't really performed early music long enough for it to develop, and anyhow, it is in the nature of all things that everything will change! Thanks. Shaun Ng skype: shaunkfng tel: +61 (0)410 820228 msn: [EMAIL PROTECTED] email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.shaunng.blogspot.com N.B. Remember how Beethoven symphonies used to sound like before Roger Norrington? On 30/03/2007, at 6:17 PM, gary digman wrote: > Last night Sting's "Songs From the Labyrinth" Great > Performances show finally made it to my local PBS station. Overall > I liked it. Some thoughts did come to mind as I watched it. Sting's > is obviously not a classically trained voice, but that may be what > is called for to "bring this music to a wider audience". I have > heard that classical music amounts to about 3% of the market and > early music is a small fraction of that. So, it seems to me, the > vote is in on classically trained voices. They are not popular. > Sting is, or has been, popular. If one wants to make the lute and > lute music popular, as some have proposed on this list, one must > accept that certain concessions to what is popular will be made. > You can't have your cake and eat it too. If these concessions to > what makes something popular are unacceptable to you, I say, "be > careful what you wish for." Even so, Sting was correct in saying > that his recording of these songs would not be popular in the way > he is use! > d to. I teach general guitar classes at a local community college > and virtually all of the young hotshot rock guitarists taking my > classes who may like the music of Sting and the Police say his > Dowland CD "sucks", and not because it deviates from HIP. And yet > upwards of 500,000 of Sting's fans have purchased the CD, a smash > hit beyond the wildest dreams of Paul O'dette or Hopkinson Smith. > Sting performs this music with great affection and respect. > I think he truly loves these songs and the lute, and I, for one, > applaud him for that. Also, I cannot understand those on this list > who have trashed Edin Karamazov's performance. I found his playing > masterful and impressive. He is a great lutenist. > I think what Sting and Karamazov have done is a marvelous > service to the lute and the music that will be of benefit to us all > in providing more opportunities to play. So, I say, "Carry on, Sting!" > > Gary Digman > -- > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
