On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 12:43 PM, Monica Hall <mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote: > to which I would respond - is there any authority for David's proposition > other than his own whim?
O dear, now it's suddenly my whim against the lack of evidence ( ... is no evidence of lack &c.). I'll pass your opinion on to the next conductor (tonight and tomorrow, as it happens, and this particular man might be happy, as he thought us pluckers to be _much_ too loud for his choir anyway). Seriously though, within Italian early 17th century repertoire you are saying no baroque guitar in church, not in music intended for a service or just not in Monteverdi's Vespers? I have no axe to grind here, so I am reading your comments with interest. Back to the Vespers. The festive music Monteverdi chose for his opening, worthy of an ouverture to an opera, is to me inviting to festive strumming. If there's just a theorbo, I'd do the strumming on the theorbo (Lex just made a point about that), though I do like the theorbo more for it's real forte: low and full sound. Playing the Nigra Sum on b-guitar would obviously be another matter, but, if there's no big lute, gentle plucking added to an organ would not offend me. A festive production like the Vespers is an opportunity to make the best of the orchestra available. I think it was Howard who made a valid points about the use of recorders. And there are the recurring questions about the number of cornetti needed, and what to do with the middle voices and basses in the orchestra. Yes or no bowed bass in the Nigra Sum &c. Just organ or add a cembalo? Make do with the available ensemble is what it's all about. And, yes, there is currently a fashion in early music to have lots of strumming and percussion, and more and more pluckers, and noise, and confusion, and poppy performances, and fun, and showing off, and being frivolous, and all that. It'll pass to be replaced by the next fad. David -- ******************************* David van Ooijen davidvanooi...@gmail.com www.davidvanooijen.nl ******************************* To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
