Le 7 févr. 09 à 16:43, David Rastall a écrit :
On Feb 6, 2009, at 7:11 PM, jsl...@verizon.net wrote:
Isn't it possible that playing several plucked instruments can be
mutually reinforcing? If I spend all day playing the vihuela,
won't
that improve my lute playing? If I work on achieving perfect,
pearl-like tones on my six-course, won't that improve my tone on
the
ten-course? If I learn to play the bass strings on my baroque
lute,
won't that help me on the theorbo basses? If I learn to play
continuo
on the theorbo, won't that make me a better all-round musician?
Agreed. Absolutely.
The lute world consists of a diversity of instruments, and off-hand I
can't think of any professional virtuosi who have confined themselves
to just one of them.
I supose it depends on what you call a diversity of instruments, and
also what you call a rofessional virtuoso.
I can think of professional players who do limit themselves to
Renaissance lutes, Jacob Heringman, and this
does seem to have allowed him to develop an extremely elegant
Renaissance RH position.
However, Denys Stephens, I think, in an article about Thumb over with
5c and possibly 6c lute performance did say that
he thought less work had been done on LH technique just because of
the variety of Renaissance lutes played by
most renaissance lutists, including Jacob.
I can think of two French based professionals who use only one lute
(not the same one), and that is Pascale Boquet on a 7c lute
Renaissance lute, and Miguel Serdoura on a 13c J-barred lute.
My point is that I don't think their virtuosity
has been diminished by the variety of instruments they have
recorded on.
I do agree with that, but different qualities would presumably be
developed in both cases.
Perhaps, it is not just a question of the number of instruments
played (Jacob H. versus Pascale B.)
but the diversity in music, from Renaissance to Baroque (Jacob
Heringman versus Jakob Lindberg).
Presumably, a historic virtuoso, however many instruments they
played, would have been completely versed in every aspect of the
music of their time, and possibly the period before. This allowed
them to be performer-composers, with a strong ability to improvise. I
know some modern performers have developed this potential, even if
they do play a number of different styles and period music, but
perhaps not to the same degree.
Perhaps, players who do not specialize in Renaissance or Baroque
music, also tend to compromise more in relation to RH and LH
positioning (shifting as little as possible), Hoppy for example.
Whether this is good or bad, of course, is not quite so clear.
However, you are probably right that a general knowledge of music
types probably does make a better musician, and certainly,
familiarity with an immediately preceding period must allow a better
understanding of the dynamics, the tensions and developments at work
within the music of a given time.
Anthony
Davidr
dlu...@verizon.net
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