From what Weiss writes (and thanks for the quote Mathias - is it complete?), I infer that he's saying he is obliged to use nails on the theorbo to produce the volume/edge required but, because he doesn't mention doing so on the lute, he didn't on the lute. Incidentally. I suspect (again pure speculation of course) that he's not saying his theorbo nails were like those found with, say, modern flameco players (or Dalla Casa's), but that there was sufficient to provide solid support to the very tip of the finger. In practice if I'm doing a concert with large band and/or many voices, I find a week's growth can give sufficient slight extra length to provide such support - but I also find I need a few days to adjust and thus try and avoid theorbo and lute in such concerts (but the guitar's OK............). MH
Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Whether Stephen Stubbs or anyone else gets a good sound with nails on a baroque lute is neither here nor there. The question is whether Weiss used nails, and I maintain that the comments he made are inconclusive. Rob www.rmguitar.info -----Original Message----- From: "Mathias Rösel" [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 12 December 2007 11:57 To: 'lute list' Subject: [LUTE] Re: Swanneck + loaded strings "Rob" schrieb: > Mathias, I don't think we can definitely conclude from his statement no, of course, not def. > that > Weiss himself used nails. He might have implied it was common practice, but > he doesn't say for sure that he used nails. As for the theorbo that is probable, though, IMHO. He says it's ordinairement played that way, but doesn't remark "but I refrain from that horrible abuse" or the like. > Certainly he was employed as a > continuo player, And he was known so as a marvelous accompagnist > but clearly was also regarded as a special case, Regarding the theorbo, I'm not aware of another specialty besides his being fabulous. No mentioning of no-nails. > one whose > solo playing was highly valued as well. If he describes nail playing as > 'rude', He doesn't. The quote bears on the sound of the theorbo as resulting from ordinarily using nails. He says if you come close the sound is coarse and rude because it's ordinairement played with nails. That is easily imaginable, I should add. Theorbo players in an orchestra who aren't heard will soon loose their posts. > I doubt if he would have enjoyed playing the lute so much. You can use nails even on a baroque lute. To name just one player who keeps long nails because his main business is continuo playing in ensembles and orchestras but who nevertheless made very good solo recordings (Kellner, Saint Luc, Golden Age etc) is Stephen Stubbs. -- Mathias > -----Original Message----- > From: "Mathias Rösel" [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: 12 December 2007 11:09 > To: Martyn Hodgson > Cc: LGS-Europe; lute list > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Swanneck + loaded strings > > "Martyn Hodgson" schrieb: > > Weiss does mention that playing with nails is acceptable on the theorbo > but not on the lute (I don't have the exact quote to hand) > > In his letter to Mattheson he said that the theorbo yielded a somewhat > rude sound as it was ordinairement (usually, ordinarily) played with > nails. From which we may conclude that Weiss had nails long enough to > play the theorbo since that was one of his duties at court. Which makes > me wonder as for his playing the lute... > > Mathias > > > LGS-Europe wrote: > > >> Perhaps OT on the lute-list either way, but I mentioned Sor and > Giuliani, > > >> not baroque guitar music. Neither did I write one cannot play one kind > of > > >> music with or without nails, just that you may notice the differences. > > > > > > Well it's simply because of your pre-conditioned approach to their > music. > > > You know (or you believe you know) that Sor wasn't using nails (i.e. > > > because > > > he or somebody else wrote about this or whatever). > > > > > > Did Piccinini, Castaldi, Robert de Visee, Weiss etc etc use nails or no > > > nails? Can you spot that through their music? I very much doubt you can. > > > > I'm sure I cannot. I mentioned Sor and Giuliani, not theorbo music. > > > > David To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --------------------------------- Yahoo! Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Tryit now. --
