Howard,
In the Rosani Lutebook there is an anonymous sonata in D minor that has a
Minuetto with a Variazione. The minuet just says "Minuetto," while the
variation, filled with faster note values, is labeled "un poco moderato." This
could be taken to imply that some sort of tempo slowing was acceptable. But in
trios? Why was the tempo indicated if it was common practice? Does this even
indicate a change of tempo or was the preceding minuetto already meant to be
taken "un poco moderato?" Who knows if this was even intended to be danced?
Chris
--- On Sun, 5/10/09, howard posner <howardpos...@ca.rr.com> wrote:
> From: howard posner <howardpos...@ca.rr.com>
> Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Minuet and Trio
> To: "baroque Lutelist" <baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
> Date: Sunday, May 10, 2009, 1:56 PM
> Nobody seems to have responded to this.
>
> On May 8, 2009, at 11:33 AM, David Rastall wrote:
>
> > Isn't it possible that the dancers might have
> paused in the dance at
> > the end of the minuet, and started the trio at a
> different tempo as
> > set by the musicians?
>
> Possible, but I'm not aware of any evidence for it, and
> the notion
> strikes me as more a musician's whim than a
> dancer's. In social
> dance, it seems disruptive -- the dancers want to dance,
> and chat,
> and look each other over, and not have to concentrate on
> taking some
> musician's changed tempo. You don't want to be
> watching for a
> downbeat when you could be looking down a lady's blouse
> (or, if
> you're the lady, asking the lady next to you about the
> income of the
> gentleman who's been looking down your blouse).
> --
>
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