Are you in touch with Susan King [1]susanjanetk...@gmail.com and Lynda
Sayce [2]lyndasa...@gmail.com about their database of contemporary lute
music? - CG
In a message dated 29/05/2011 20:13:27 GMT Standard Time,
davidvanooi...@gmail.com writes:
Modern music for lute revisited.
As you know by now I find a lot of modern music on my music stand
these days.
This weekend's experience exemplifies some of my feelings quite
nicely.
My first rehearsal was on Friday. The first version of the first
movement arrived on Tuesday. It was replaced by a new version on
Thursday.
During Friday's rehearsal some sections of the first movement were
cut, as they didn't work on our instruments (surprise: Baroque
ensemble!). We also received the third movement (somehow there was
no
second movement) on Friday, but didn't start rehearsing it seriously
until Saturday. My part (for theorbo) had tapping (left and right
hand
on the fingerboard), use of a slide, extensive use of harmonics and
de-tuning of my instrument by someone else while I was playing and a
resulting breaking string all written in. I should add that, not for
the first time, however uncomfortable my part felt on a theorbo, it
would have fitted a guitar surprisingly well. Anyway, I was happy to
jump through all the hoops prescribed in my part, but refused the
de-tuning cum broken string (the next item on the programme was a
Bach
cantata in 1/6 comma meantone and keeping my 14 gut strings more or
less in tune is a major concern in a one hour concert). My, polite
but
definitive, refusal resulted in some awkward moments during
rehearsal.
Which were magically solved today in the run-through before the
concert, when I was given a beaten-up (1933!) guitar, with an action
that was sure to avoid buzzing even if I wanted to (was it 2 or 3cm
from string to fret at the 12th position?), fitted with strings from
last century and, needless to say, strung for a right-handed player
while I am, for those that are unaware of it, most definitively a
lefty. Suddenly my part was easy! Suddenly the composer was happy!
So much for writing modern music for early instruments.
David - back to good old Renaissance and Baroque music on his music
stand this week (and some Tommy Emmanuel ...)
--
***
David van Ooijen
davidvanooi...@gmail.com
www.davidvanooijen.nl
***
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References
1. mailto:susanjanetk...@gmail.com
2. mailto:lyndasa...@gmail.com
