I've been experimenting with substituting the harpsichord in high baroque pieces with organ and archlute--the archlute has less of a full sound than the theorbo but the treble makes a nice counterpoint for Bach The Bach Sonata here is traditionally played with harpsichord continuo, or harpsichord with viol or cello (BWV 1021): vimeo: [1]http://www.vimeo.com/1923817 the tube: [2]http://tinyurl.com/5n6ecp The figures are used as a guide to create a simple countersubject shared between the lute and the organ. I think that for some reson, it is easier to hear all of the nuances in the sound of the violin with this combination, as opposed to the harpsichord. Perhaps the organ provides a kind of support similar to what it does for a singer, or perhaps the "after clack" of the harpsichord adds a layer of noise to the sound. I'm not saying I don't like the harpsichord; it is just interesting that the organ/lute seem to cover up the violin less. dt --
References 1. http://www.vimeo.com/1923817 2. http://tinyurl.com/5n6ecp To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
