I agree with Chris, it is surprising that with their interest in "timbre-structures" Schoenberg and followers apparently made no remarks on such a major "timbre" change as that caused by moving from gut to metal strings; although, Klangfarbenmelodie seems to have been a technique for "fracturing" the melody by distributing it to several instruments, which is said to result in a sort of "pointilliste" structuring (or destructuring) intended to add tonal colour and texturing; but perhaps the detailed colour of each instrument-type used, might interest these theoreticians rather less than it would us. Perhaps this (as implied by Howard) they would leave to the interprets.
% In fact, do any contemporary composers give explicit instructions for using a particular string type (or even instrument material : brass/silver/gold, reed-type, etc) in order to achieve a particular tonal colour? I believe even modern strings vary considerably, in terms of colour. Therefore in the search for a particular timbre, such indications would seem plausible to historic perfomers who are so conscious of the search for subtle instrument colouration to capture the sounds prevalent at a particular period (as Howard, also seems to imply). Perhaps, the notion of the universal tends to win out over the particular timbral colour in the mind of a modern composer who hopes for his music to survive him, in spite of future tonal changes to instruments or pitch. % While it may be true that the music of certain composers whose music is as textural as it is melodically structured can surely benefit from using the instruments and the pitch, the composer had in mind while creating a work; the composer himself may just be working with the available materials, and not therefore see it as the choice it now is to us, when we have to decide on what strings or instruments to perform this composer's work. % This in no way takes away from the historical approach of a Mark Minkowski, who through the use of gut stringing (and possibly a lower diapason than 440) and period brass instruments, gave us a refreshing in sight into how Stravinsky's music might possibly have sounded at the time of the creation of Pulcinella, even if Stravinsky himself gave no indication that it should only be played that way. Furthermore, by including Pergolesi's Stabat Mater in the same programme (also on period instruments), he was able to underline the similarities and differences with italian Baroque period music from which apparently Pulcinella was inspired. % Nevertheless, MM also played this programme in London at the Barbican centre with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and I see no indication in the reports on this performance that this orchestra used gut strings for either piece. http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2010/Jan-Jun10/Pergolesi_Stravinsky_0603.htm Although, the critical remarks in the article above, show that other aspects of MM's historical approach were carried over into this perfomance in London. % Thanks for these thought prevoking remarks, Howard and Chris. Anthony On Jan 8, 2012, at 5:17 AM, Christopher Wilke wrote: > I find the area of performance practice in the early 20th century to be > extremely fascinating. There were a lot of changes that effected the quality > of instrumental timbre, but they seem to have happened with little complaint > or fanfare. You would think that composers like Schoenberg and his > followers, concerned as they were with Klangfarbenmelodie, would have had > something to say about gut versus metal strings or the difference in > brilliance between low vs. high pitch, but I can't think of a single > utterance. The Second Viennese school composers orchestrated in an extremely > specific manner in regards to timbre, (see Webern's orchestration of Bach's > ricercar from Bach's "Musikalische Opfer") but the change over from gut to > metal seems not to have concerned them. I don't perceive a difference in how > they orchestrated even though their works straddle the periods. Where is the > pining for the "good, warm" tone of gut or the celebration at the "new > brilliance" of metal? Performances of their music were rare in those days, so the issue of performance practice alternatives would not have loomed large. And with the exception of the modern early music movement, I can't think of many places and times when we know that pitch was a matter of choice and subject to discussion. Pitch was established by local practice (I don't believe there were different pitches among players in Vienna in, say, 1910), and you wouldn't expect players to retune their pianos or buy a different clarinet to accommodate a different pitch. Not for playing music that was likely to draw ridicule or start a riot, anyway. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
