Thank you for this, Val. Once again the French lead the way and have set the standard for the rest of us. RA > Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2011 08:30:08 +0100 > To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu > From: sauvag...@orange.fr > Subject: [LUTE] Re: strumming Gervaise > > We had just last week (in France) a course for musicians wanting to play for > dance sessions, with course for dancers too. Very interesting, with some > workshop for renaissance dance, early Italian with Veronique Daniels > (teacher at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis) and also Spanish baroque dances > with Ana Yepes (the daughter of Narcisso...) french ren. with Robin Joly, > and the lute workshop with Pascale Boquet (well known french lutenist with > great experience of ren. Dances and continuo, she is the president of the > French Lute Society and had wrote many publications, one on doing continuo > with old tuning (in fact on a ren. Lute) (vol 12 of Le Secret des Muses > collection, on the French lute society web site) and another on > improvisation on standard grounds... Perhaps such courses should be > organized in other countries too... very interesting for any lutenist ! > The course was organized by the "Compagnie Outre Mesure" (I'm afraid the web > site is only in French) : > http://www.compagnie-outre-mesure.com/ > > for the publications of the French Soc. : > http://www.sf-luth.org/en/?%26nbsp%3BMusical_Publications/Le_Secret_des _Muse > s > > > Val > > > > -----Message d'origine----- > De : lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] De la part > de t...@heartistrymusic.com > Envoye : mercredi 2 novembre 2011 02:44 > A : Lute Net; Stuart Walsh > Objet : [LUTE] Re: strumming Gervaise > > I think the comment about looking for the correct tempo by knowing how > it was danced is spot-on. There are now quite a few Renaissance dances > filmed and available on YouTube. Assuming that these troups are performing > the dances "correctly", an average tempo for a dance like #s 39 & 40, > Bransle IIIand Bransle IV, would be somewhere between quarter note = 196 and > 212 > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWNe-6EdsBo > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBnlfigRQlw > As for MHO on strumming: four part arrangements for different voices / > instruments lend themselves to chord changes on every beat when the arranger > > desires it. But this is not practical for chordophones. For actual > dancers, > the correct rhythm and tempo are paramount. Trying to strum a different > chord on every beat at these tempos would be distracting in most dance > situations and potentially ruinous. Better to accommodate the chord > structure > to the limitations of the instrument, and the harmonic rhythm to the rhythm > of the dance. > Playford is alright, but for these dances Thoinot Arbeau's > "Orchesography", > published in 1589, may be even more enlightening. It shows how to dance > bransles > and gives reccomendations on tempos. (Available cheap from Amazon). > No matter what, if you're actually playing for dancers, the rhythm and a > rock-solid > correct tempo are THE most important aspects. Everything else is secondary > (yes- even the melody ;) > Good dance players would have known particular dance melodies by memory, > and would have known from experience how to strum to facilitate the dance. > Like Ron Andrico said in his post - it ain't rocket science. It's a matter > of really > knowing the dance and what fits musically. > Hope this helps, > Tom Draughon > > > How would a strummer strum chords to these tunes composed (arranged?) > > by Gervaise in the 1550s? > > > > http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/Gervaise/ > > > > They are strong melodies (Poulenc arranged some Gervaise dances for > > piano - but not these particular tunes). Maybe you just strum a chord > > according to the bass line. It's easy enough to work out what each > > chord would be. But playing at speed it would be formidably difficult > > to actually play them unless you were a Freddy Green-type > > professional. These Gervaise arrangements are in four parts and, as it > > stands, the bass is very easy to play as a single note. But really not > > so easy at all when the chords are changing very quickly. > > > > But it's often said that strummers strummed in these, and even > > earlier, times. And, if so, surely they would have strummed to > > accompany tunes like this. Would they have strummed a chord for each > > note as dictated by the rules of four part harmony? Or something > > simpler - but potentially more rhythmic? > > > > > > Stuart > > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > Tom Draughon > Heartistry Music > http://www.heartistry.com/artists/tom.html > 714 9th Avenue West > Ashland, WI 54806 > 715-682-9362 > > > >
--
