[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
How interesting! It was the same for me. After hearing Presley and a few other things, like "Sh-boom, sh-boom", I decided to give up on popular music altogether. Then I heard a girl school choir rehearsing madrigals, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I got hold of "Music for lute and Guitar" by Walter Gerwig and learned some of the pieces by ear. Then heard Bream, and I was hooked. I took some classical guitar lessons, but found all I wanted to play was lute music, so I wandered into a music store in Berkeley and said, "Hey, you got any lutes." They did, and the rest is history. --Sarge On 8/27/2020 5:54 PM, John Mardinly wrote: For me, it was Elvis Presley's "You Ain't Nuthin But a Hound Dog" when I was 7 years old that convinced me that I never wanted to listen to pop music ever again. Fortunately, growing up in Philadelphia, there was a great classical music FM station, and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, and when my Mother gave me a guitar for Christmas, I was able to find a teacher who had studied with Segovia. Unfortunately, it is true that many young people today don't get to experience that combination of influences. However, from what I hear coming from my teenager's phone, the pop music is even worse! A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E. Classical Guitarist/Lutenist On Aug 27, 2020, at 12:15 PM, Nancy Carlin <[1]lsaq.edi...@gmail.com> wrote: Howard is right about the graying of audiences and it's been talked about for years here in the US. I think one problem is that early music is the poor step-sister of "classical music" - a category that was solidified (along with ethnic, folk etc.) back when record stores started. It seems to me our music was the pop music of the day, with a bit of a division between music for use in church, court and things like popular ballad tunes. Currently I see a couple larger baroque orchestras and concert series moving past the baroque, but I also see some interesting series who explore putting on concerts in non-traditional venues, such as bars and coffee shops. We had an article by Deborah Fox a year or so in the Quarterly - about some of the things her Pegasus music is doing to encourage a younger audience. Stephen Stubbs in Seattle (Pacific Music Works) in Seattle is also doing this. I suspect that all this targeted music aimed to fill medium sized concert venues will change because of Covid-19. It will level the playing field and people will have found out it's very nice to listen to a well-produced concert on your TV (via YouTube). Recently I have listened to online lute concerts by Paul O'Dette, Ronn McFarlane and Brandon J Acker. In each of them there was no ticket price, just a suggestion to follow a link to donate on PayPal. None of those concerts took place in my part of the continent and I would not have heard them without the pandemic. I think this will continue even after we get our vaccine. The success of these kind of things will depend on things like Facebook spreading to work far and wide as well as people contiruting - Brandon Acker has done a great job getting lots of connections on Facebook, so has access to his potential audience. Nancy On Aug 27, 2020, at 8:58 AM, Is Milse Póg <[2]ishdai...@gmail.com> wrote: I am a young amateur lute player (just 21), so I guess I am a part of the next generation of players. I think the lute will continue to be played for the foreseeable future, since there's always someone strange enough to fall in love with the lute's music and sound, but it's sad to see little to no young people in ancient music and classical music concerts in general. Perhaps it has to do with the distance that has grown between contemporary composers and the general population, the former usually earning their bread through the academia. It has to do with classical music being a taste that listeners tend to acquire as they get older. Old listeners are replaced with lots of middle-aged listeners, and not so many young ones. Alarms about the "graying of the classical audience" have been sounded for decades, and in the USA probably peaked in 1988. The general manager of the public classical music station in Los Angeles came back from the Audience 88 conference that year convinced that classical music was dying and he had to wean the station away from it. He was gone within a year or so. The station was was playing Satie, Rossini and Beethoven this morning. It reminds me of the line in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that the galactic emperor is "nearly dead and has been for centuries." To get on or off this list see list information
[LUTE] Graying lute enthusiasts
NOT spoof. I actually wrote this. Chris -- Forwarded message - From: Christopher Barker <[1]texasc...@gmail.com> Date: Thu, Aug 27, 2020 at 10:01 PM Subject: [LUTE] Graying lute enthusiasts To: Lute List <[2]lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> There have been numerous comments about the graying of lute enthusiasts.My personal experience may give us a little hope. I grew up in a very high Anglican church with William Byrd and other such composers.By the time I was ten early music was almost all of my music.When I was sixteen, 1958 I think, I bought my first Julian Bream lute record.Around 1960 - possibly 62, I found a six course Hauser style lute at the old Whittle Music Company in Dallas, Texas. I tuned it in guitar intervals so I could play some of the simple Renaissance dittys I'd learned from my very Cockney classical guitar teacher, Edward Freeman.The lute disappeared when I went into the U.S. armed forces in 1965.Afterwords I had numerous classical and flamenco guitars but no lute for a long time, but never lost interest. Through working with Harold Westover in the 1980s I built a seven course HIP lute and a six course vihuela de mano.Through my newly acquired skills in Harold's Westover Workshop for Historical Musical Instruments I had at one time or the other an eight course lute, a five course early lute, and a bowed vielle.Now all of this took place before age forty five.I truly believe there must have been more young people with similar inclinations.I couldn't have been the only one.Today my only lute is an eight course Manouk Papazian very non HIP instrument that I bought from Charles Mokotoff.HIP or non HIP I lov'em all.There must be some youngsters out there making the musical discoveries that I made back in those long lost 1950s. -- To get on or off this list see list information at [3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:texasc...@gmail.com 2. mailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu 3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Graying lute enthusiasts
There have been numerous comments about the graying of lute enthusiasts. My personal experience may give us a little hope. I grew up in a very high Anglican church with William Byrd and other such composers. By the time I was ten early music was almost all of my music. When I was sixteen, 1958 I think, I bought my first Julian Bream lute record. Around 1960 - possibly 62, I found a six course Hauser style lute at the old Whittle Music Company in Dallas, Texas. I tuned it in guitar intervals so I could play some of the simple Renaissance dittys I'd learned from my very Cockney classical guitar teacher, Edward Freeman. The lute disappeared when I went into the U.S. armed forces in 1965. Afterwords I had numerous classical and flamenco guitars but no lute for a long time, but never lost interest. Through working with Harold Westover in the 1980s I built a seven course HIP lute and a six course vihuela de mano. Through my newly acquired skills in Harold's Westover Workshop for Historical Musical Instruments I had at one time or the other an eight course lute, a five course early lute, and a bowed vielle. Now all of this took place before age forty five. I truly believe there must have been more young people with similar inclinations. I couldn't have been the only one. Today my only lute is an eight course Manouk Papazian very non HIP instrument that I bought from Charles Mokotoff. HIP or non HIP I lov'em all. There must be some youngsters out there making the musical discoveries that I made back in those long lost 1950s. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
Hi, all. My $0.02. The lute died for a reason, and that reason hasn't really changed: it is not an instrument for modern concert halls. In addition, it isn't part of the "Classical Canon," being long dead when the early German musicologists did their thing. Which means it is, and will reamin, a niche instrument. Those of us who play it understand its beauty and subtlety, others may fall in love with it, but they will be few in number and odd in outlook. I don't think this is anything to worry about. Simply accept and keep playing. All this means is it is unlikely there will be too many factor lutes floating around, and I don't think that is such a bad thing. Otherwise life goes on... .. m. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
If you had asked the question about the future of the lute in the late 1590s, the answer would have been "More voices!", not the style brisé, which is pretty much the exact opposite of thick polyphony ... Which is why I always dreaded the typical well honed HR question: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
For me, it was Elvis Presley's "You Ain't Nuthin But a Hound Dog" when I was 7 years old that convinced me that I never wanted to listen to pop music ever again. Fortunately, growing up in Philadelphia, there was a great classical music FM station, and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, and when my Mother gave me a guitar for Christmas, I was able to find a teacher who had studied with Segovia. Unfortunately, it is true that many young people today don't get to experience that combination of influences. However, from what I hear coming from my teenager's phone, the pop music is even worse! A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E. Classical Guitarist/Lutenist On Aug 27, 2020, at 12:15 PM, Nancy Carlin <[1]lsaq.edi...@gmail.com> wrote: Howard is right about the graying of audiences and it's been talked about for years here in the US. I think one problem is that early music is the poor step-sister of "classical music" - a category that was solidified (along with ethnic, folk etc.) back when record stores started. It seems to me our music was the pop music of the day, with a bit of a division between music for use in church, court and things like popular ballad tunes. Currently I see a couple larger baroque orchestras and concert series moving past the baroque, but I also see some interesting series who explore putting on concerts in non-traditional venues, such as bars and coffee shops. We had an article by Deborah Fox a year or so in the Quarterly - about some of the things her Pegasus music is doing to encourage a younger audience. Stephen Stubbs in Seattle (Pacific Music Works) in Seattle is also doing this. I suspect that all this targeted music aimed to fill medium sized concert venues will change because of Covid-19. It will level the playing field and people will have found out it's very nice to listen to a well-produced concert on your TV (via YouTube). Recently I have listened to online lute concerts by Paul O'Dette, Ronn McFarlane and Brandon J Acker. In each of them there was no ticket price, just a suggestion to follow a link to donate on PayPal. None of those concerts took place in my part of the continent and I would not have heard them without the pandemic. I think this will continue even after we get our vaccine. The success of these kind of things will depend on things like Facebook spreading to work far and wide as well as people contiruting - Brandon Acker has done a great job getting lots of connections on Facebook, so has access to his potential audience. Nancy On Aug 27, 2020, at 8:58 AM, Is Milse Póg <[2]ishdai...@gmail.com> wrote: I am a young amateur lute player (just 21), so I guess I am a part of the next generation of players. I think the lute will continue to be played for the foreseeable future, since there's always someone strange enough to fall in love with the lute's music and sound, but it's sad to see little to no young people in ancient music and classical music concerts in general. Perhaps it has to do with the distance that has grown between contemporary composers and the general population, the former usually earning their bread through the academia. It has to do with classical music being a taste that listeners tend to acquire as they get older. Old listeners are replaced with lots of middle-aged listeners, and not so many young ones. Alarms about the "graying of the classical audience" have been sounded for decades, and in the USA probably peaked in 1988. The general manager of the public classical music station in Los Angeles came back from the Audience 88 conference that year convinced that classical music was dying and he had to wean the station away from it. He was gone within a year or so. The station was was playing Satie, Rossini and Beethoven this morning. It reminds me of the line in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that the galactic emperor is "nearly dead and has been for centuries." To get on or off this list see list information at [3]https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cs.dartmo uth.edu_-7Ewbc_lute-2Dadmin_index.html&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp 9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt 90E&m=KMYvwUsvGjaVOD6cleXVSoMKP9nFd3ijL9CQFs5llgM&s=rL3IU7WixPtSojb1 442MfyTRogbgFqqku0HzR8Www9A&e= -- Nancy Carlin Administrator THE LUTE SOCIETY OF AMERICA [4]https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__LuteSocietyofAme rica.org&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8 OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt90E&m=KMYvwUsvGjaVOD6cleXVSoMKP9nFd3 ijL9CQFs5llgM&s=9uKqMn_O5Ddb4-DQGS5qFnN-QZ9vPieA_V4o_tsFXTU&e= PO Box 6499 Concord, CA 94524 USA 92
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
I certainly second Le Roi Danse. Can even spot a theorbo in the corner of the continuo section: [1]https://youtu.be/ZqMIUoeubLI And of course, the teen comedy "Fun Size" featured my 11 course lute played by Ana Gasteyer!! (don't bother tracking it down. It was a lame vehicle for Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice but at least I got to spend several hours on set and teach Ms Gasteyer to "fake play" the instrument, so I had fun) On Aug 27, 2020, at 5:54 PM, G. C. <[2]kalei...@gmail.com> wrote: +++A good Early Music movie has yet to be made... A few come to mind: Amadeus (1984) Tous les matins du monde (1991) Farinelli 1994 Le roi danse (2000) There are more! :) -- To get on or off this list see list information at [3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. https://youtu.be/ZqMIUoeubLI 2. mailto:kalei...@gmail.com 3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
There are some positive signs—a few thoughts: 1. Although it is a frequently expressed concern, I believe the audience for classical music has always been “graying” (at least as life expectancy has increased). Perhaps the reasons include greater availability of leisure time of that age group, greater disposable income to spend on concerts and more time to explore musical repertoire, develop a taste and appreciation of it, and discover the ruch legacy. The audience has also included people who as young people were taken to concerts and persons who have studied or currently study these musical instruments. 2. I suspect the same may be true of the audience for lute music and early music. 3. One of the constraints on playing the lute family of instruments may have been the previous lack of availability of instruments. There is now an expanding group of wonderful instrument makers, the second generation, including those who went into the museums, studied and drew the historical examples, mastered the techniques and materials and supply the world of lute players with exquisite instruments. 4. Although access to entry level lutes has been problematic, Le Luth Dore, in Paris, led by one of the world’s finest young lutenists, in the past several years reinstituted mass production of affordable, high quality lutes—for the first time since the 16th century. This is a highly promising development, based on the faith that there is and will continue to be a market. The same company has published a line of carefully-edited, high quality editions of lute music and lute tutors by master players. 5. Many of us have probably been deeply inspired by the availability of very fine professional recordings of a constantly expanding lute repertoire. It seems reasonable to expect that this will continue. The fine sound quality available on modern equipment permits the lute to advocate for itself in new ways across new sound recording dissemination technology. 6. More US conservatories (e.g. Juilliard, Eastman, Peabody to name just a few) and European conservatories (i believe, in addition to Schola, of course) seem to be offerIng teaching on the lute, and wonderfully accomplished young players continue to graduate from these schools and to pursue careers in music. I believe there is ground for optimism. W Roberts Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 27, 2020, at 5:14 PM, George Arndt wrote: > > To my friends on the Graying Lute List: > > Due to a two-century long and world-wide shortage of lute players, we > can now get into heaven for free! > > Smile, > > George > __ > > From: lute-...@new-old-mail.cs.dartmouth.edu >on behalf of Nancy Carlin > > Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2020 2:15 PM > To: howard posner ; lutelist Net > > Subject: [LUTE] Re: future of the lute > > Howard is right about the graying of audiences and it's been talked > about for years here in the US. I think one problem is that early > music > is the poor step-sister of "classical music" - a category that was > solidified (along with ethnic, folk etc.) back when record stores > started. It seems to me our music was the pop music of the day, with a > bit of a division between music for use in church, court and things > like > popular ballad tunes. Currently I see a couple larger baroque > orchestras > and concert series moving past the baroque, but I also see some > interesting series who explore putting on concerts in non-traditional > venues, such as bars and coffee shops. We had an article by Deborah Fox > a year or so in the Quarterly - about some of the things her Pegasus > music is doing to encourage a younger audience. Stephen Stubbs in > Seattle (Pacific Music Works) in Seattle is also doing this. > I suspect that all this targeted music aimed to fill medium sized > concert venues will change because of Covid-19. It will level the > playing field and people will have found out it's very nice to listen > to > a well-produced concert on your TV (via YouTube). Recently I have > listened to online lute concerts by Paul O'Dette, Ronn McFarlane and > Brandon J Acker. In each of them there was no ticket price, just a > suggestion to follow a link to donate on PayPal. None of those > concerts > took place in my part of the continent and I would not have heard them > without the pandemic. I think this will continue even after we get our > vaccine. The success of these kind of things will depend on things like > Facebook spreading to work far and wide as well as people contiruting - > Brandon Acker has done a great job getting lots of connections on > Facebook, so has access to his potential audience. > Nancy >>> On Aug 27, 2020, at 8:58 AM, Is Milse Póg > wrote: >>> >>> I am a young amateur lute player (just 21), so I guess I am a > part of >>> the next generation of
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
I beg to differ - see Tous les matins du monde On 8/27/20 2:41 PM, tristanvonneum...@gmx.de wrote: him. A good Early Music movie has yet to be made... To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
+++A good Early Music movie has yet to be made... A few come to mind: Amadeus (1984) Tous les matins du monde (1991) Farinelli 1994 Le roi danse (2000) There are more! :) -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
The Lute will have a future. It's just too beautiful. I'm working on it by playing in the park. A friend of mine wants to get a lute now. As for films: I wonder why they are missing out on opportunities. Best lute film I have seen in recent years: "Bill" It's about Shakespeare's early years. Too bad they didn't really use Elizabethan music though. But the lute is featured prominently. I think John Dowland would make a good story. Or Bellerofonte Castaldi, though he might have been a scumbag... Terzi is mysterious enough for some artistic license to be granted, and the music would blow everyone's minds who hasn't heard of him. A good Early Music movie has yet to be made... Gesendet: Donnerstag, 27. August 2020 um 02:13 Uhr Von: theoj89...@new-old-mail.cs.dartmouth.edu An: "lute@cs.dartmouth.edu" Betreff: [LUTE] future of the lute Dear luters: What does the future hold the lute? In the waning days of this wonderful email list (Thanks Wayne!!), I thought I would invite thoughts regarding the future of the lute and the lute community. As I muse, it seems that this present lute revival started in 1960's - 70's largely out of the folk music revival and early music revival. I notice that many of our fellow lute enthusiasts are growing older (as am I). And with the recent passing of Julian Bream, I thought it prescient to reflect: What will the next 10, 20, or 50 years look like for the lute and lute community? Is interest in the lute on the decline, ascendency, or moving in some other direction? Is this trajectory different in different countries? The internet has revolutionized access to manuscripts, publishers, and recordings. Will the internet ultimately drive interest to diversions other than the lute? And when will Hollywood finally make a sizzling historical romance about a lute player and bring the lute back to be a symbol of seduction, as it should be? (Hopefully the movie won't be about Mark Smeaton.) Thoughts? theodore jordan -- To get on or off this list see list information at [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
To my friends on the Graying Lute List: Due to a two-century long and world-wide shortage of lute players, we can now get into heaven for free! Smile, George __ From: lute-...@new-old-mail.cs.dartmouth.edu on behalf of Nancy Carlin Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2020 2:15 PM To: howard posner ; lutelist Net Subject: [LUTE] Re: future of the lute Howard is right about the graying of audiences and it's been talked about for years here in the US. I think one problem is that early music is the poor step-sister of "classical music" - a category that was solidified (along with ethnic, folk etc.) back when record stores started. It seems to me our music was the pop music of the day, with a bit of a division between music for use in church, court and things like popular ballad tunes. Currently I see a couple larger baroque orchestras and concert series moving past the baroque, but I also see some interesting series who explore putting on concerts in non-traditional venues, such as bars and coffee shops. We had an article by Deborah Fox a year or so in the Quarterly - about some of the things her Pegasus music is doing to encourage a younger audience. Stephen Stubbs in Seattle (Pacific Music Works) in Seattle is also doing this. I suspect that all this targeted music aimed to fill medium sized concert venues will change because of Covid-19. It will level the playing field and people will have found out it's very nice to listen to a well-produced concert on your TV (via YouTube). Recently I have listened to online lute concerts by Paul O'Dette, Ronn McFarlane and Brandon J Acker. In each of them there was no ticket price, just a suggestion to follow a link to donate on PayPal. None of those concerts took place in my part of the continent and I would not have heard them without the pandemic. I think this will continue even after we get our vaccine. The success of these kind of things will depend on things like Facebook spreading to work far and wide as well as people contiruting - Brandon Acker has done a great job getting lots of connections on Facebook, so has access to his potential audience. Nancy >> On Aug 27, 2020, at 8:58 AM, Is Milse Póg wrote: >> >>I am a young amateur lute player (just 21), so I guess I am a part of >>the next generation of players. I think the lute will continue to be >>played for the foreseeable future, since there's always someone strange >>enough to fall in love with the lute's music and sound, but it's sad to >>see little to no young people in ancient music and classical music >>concerts in general. Perhaps it has to do with the distance that has >>grown between contemporary composers and the general population, the >>former usually earning their bread through the academia. > It has to do with classical music being a taste that listeners tend to acquire as they get older. Old listeners are replaced with lots of middle-aged listeners, and not so many young ones. > > Alarms about the âgraying of the classical audienceâ have been sounded for decades, and in the USA probably peaked in 1988. The general manager of the public classical music station in Los Angeles came back from the Audience 88 conference that year convinced that classical music was dying and he had to wean the station away from it. He was gone within a year or so. The station was was playing Satie, Rossini and Beethoven this morning. > > It reminds me of the line in the Hitchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxy that the galactic emperor is ânearly dead and has been for centuries." > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- Nancy Carlin Administrator THE LUTE SOCIETY OF AMERICA [2]http://LuteSocietyofAmerica.org PO Box 6499 Concord, CA 94524 USA 925 / 686-5800 [3]www.groundsanddivisions.info [4]www.nancycarlinassociates.com -- References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 2. http://LuteSocietyofAmerica.org/ 3. http://www.groundsanddivisions.info/ 4. http://www.nancycarlinassociates.com/
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
Howard is right about the graying of audiences and it's been talked about for years here in the US. I think one problem is that early music is the poor step-sister of "classical music" - a category that was solidified (along with ethnic, folk etc.) back when record stores started. It seems to me our music was the pop music of the day, with a bit of a division between music for use in church, court and things like popular ballad tunes. Currently I see a couple larger baroque orchestras and concert series moving past the baroque, but I also see some interesting series who explore putting on concerts in non-traditional venues, such as bars and coffee shops. We had an article by Deborah Fox a year or so in the Quarterly - about some of the things her Pegasus music is doing to encourage a younger audience. Stephen Stubbs in Seattle (Pacific Music Works) in Seattle is also doing this. I suspect that all this targeted music aimed to fill medium sized concert venues will change because of Covid-19. It will level the playing field and people will have found out it's very nice to listen to a well-produced concert on your TV (via YouTube). Recently I have listened to online lute concerts by Paul O'Dette, Ronn McFarlane and Brandon J Acker. In each of them there was no ticket price, just a suggestion to follow a link to donate on PayPal. None of those concerts took place in my part of the continent and I would not have heard them without the pandemic. I think this will continue even after we get our vaccine. The success of these kind of things will depend on things like Facebook spreading to work far and wide as well as people contiruting - Brandon Acker has done a great job getting lots of connections on Facebook, so has access to his potential audience. Nancy On Aug 27, 2020, at 8:58 AM, Is Milse Póg wrote: I am a young amateur lute player (just 21), so I guess I am a part of the next generation of players. I think the lute will continue to be played for the foreseeable future, since there's always someone strange enough to fall in love with the lute's music and sound, but it's sad to see little to no young people in ancient music and classical music concerts in general. Perhaps it has to do with the distance that has grown between contemporary composers and the general population, the former usually earning their bread through the academia. It has to do with classical music being a taste that listeners tend to acquire as they get older. Old listeners are replaced with lots of middle-aged listeners, and not so many young ones. Alarms about the “graying of the classical audience” have been sounded for decades, and in the USA probably peaked in 1988. The general manager of the public classical music station in Los Angeles came back from the Audience 88 conference that year convinced that classical music was dying and he had to wean the station away from it. He was gone within a year or so. The station was was playing Satie, Rossini and Beethoven this morning. It reminds me of the line in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that the galactic emperor is “nearly dead and has been for centuries." To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- Nancy Carlin Administrator THE LUTE SOCIETY OF AMERICA http://LuteSocietyofAmerica.org PO Box 6499 Concord, CA 94524 USA 925 / 686-5800 www.groundsanddivisions.info www.nancycarlinassociates.com
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
> On Aug 27, 2020, at 8:58 AM, Is Milse Póg wrote: > > I am a young amateur lute player (just 21), so I guess I am a part of > the next generation of players. I think the lute will continue to be > played for the foreseeable future, since there's always someone strange > enough to fall in love with the lute's music and sound, but it's sad to > see little to no young people in ancient music and classical music > concerts in general. Perhaps it has to do with the distance that has > grown between contemporary composers and the general population, the > former usually earning their bread through the academia. It has to do with classical music being a taste that listeners tend to acquire as they get older. Old listeners are replaced with lots of middle-aged listeners, and not so many young ones. Alarms about the “graying of the classical audience” have been sounded for decades, and in the USA probably peaked in 1988. The general manager of the public classical music station in Los Angeles came back from the Audience 88 conference that year convinced that classical music was dying and he had to wean the station away from it. He was gone within a year or so. The station was was playing Satie, Rossini and Beethoven this morning. It reminds me of the line in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that the galactic emperor is “nearly dead and has been for centuries." To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
Even though Basel Schola is a turning point in lute teaching, it is certainly not the only one ! Bor Zuljan, for one, didn’t study there and yet he is undoubtedly in the lead regarding lute playing ! Young Dunford never completed his curriculum there, etc etc... Lukas Henning was probably one of the most gifted students of Hoppy Smith and deserves a much better recognition. There are talented people everywhere and that’s a very good thing indeed ! The lute is undergoing a strong revival and that rejoices me a lot as it proves the older generation did a hell of a good job ! Jean-Marie Poirier > Le 27 août 2020 à 14:15, Timothy Swain a écrit : > > That's not speaking of Thomas Dunford, an incredible lutenist whose got > several recordings out. But what I've witnessed since the 1960's is > incredible: we do not need to worry about the lute & theorbo > anymore--many very fine players throughout the world, including > Hopkinson Smith who teaches at Basel. I do NOT write comments about the > lute--this is rare for me--but as someone who watched from the 1960's > (& played) there's not much to worry about (except perhaps the > happenings of such terrible things as COVID-19!) I agree with the > naming of Lukas Henning--who deserves all the support --- & many many > others. It is simply incredible where the lute has arrived today -- > Timothy Swain > > On Wed, Aug 26, 2020 at 10:45 PM Jurgen Frenz > <[1]eye-and-ear-cont...@protonmail.com> wrote: > > It is my impression that there are quite a few outstanding young > players who will continue the tradition of great lute playing. Names > that immediately come to mind are Lukas Henning and Bor Zuljan. We > should ask the teachers at the Schola in Basels what they think of > young players. - Further, when you look at the "new members" section > in the latest Lute News magazine by the British Lute Society there > are quite a few Japanese sounding names - that indicates to my > opinion a growing interest in lute music outside of Europe which is > very encouraging. > Another thing is that amateurs who spend a lot of time and effort in > transcribing lute music from manuscripts and hard-to-find prints > into a modern typeset and put it for free online - Sarge Gerbode is > doing outstanding work in this respect (and if you doubt his > competency he also puts the faksimiles online so that everybody can > individually verify). > Those 3 ingredients (well trained young players, growing interest > outside of Europe and a large stock of available music without cost) > are an indication that we don't have to be concerned for the future > of lute playing. My opinion, that is. > âââ Original Message âââ > On Thursday, August 27, 2020 5:53 AM, howard posner > <[2]howardpos...@ca.rr.com> wrote: >>> On Aug 26, 2020, at 6:38 PM, Richard Brook > [3]richa...@mail.cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: >> >>> I note Henry VIII (source: Hilary Mantel) executed a lute player > for sleeping (so Henry claimed) with Anne Boleyn. >> >> That would be Mark Smeaton; hence Theodore's foreboding about a > Smeaton-themed movie. But it has more or less happened already. > Smeaton was a significant character in The Tudors, a Netflix series > that seems (as far as I could see from dropping in while my wife > binge-watched it), to combine insight and outrageous nonsense in > roughly equal measure. >> >> Addressing the larger question, assuming the world rebounds well > from Covid shutdown (a dicey proposition in the USA, I know) the > lute should do just fine because ensembles and orchestras should be > a steady source of professional gigs, and that area still seems to > be growing. Some responses here treat the lute as if it were just a > vehicle for solo lute music, which was never the case except in the > early days of the lute revival. >> >>> So things are looking up. >>> Dick Brook >>> On Aug 26, 2020, at 8:13 PM, > [4]theoj89...@new-old-mail.cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: Dear luters: What does the future hold the lute? In the waning days of this wonderful email list (Thanks > Wayne!!), I thought I would invite thoughts regarding the future of the > lute and the lute community. As I muse, it seems that this present lute > revival started in 1960's - 70's largely out of the folk music revival > and early music revival. I notice that many of our fellow lute > enthusiasts are growing older (as am I). And with the recent passing of > Julian Bream, I thought it prescient to reflect: What will the next 10, 20, or 50 years look like for the lute > and lute community? Is interest in the lute on the decline, ascendency, or moving > in some other direction? Is this trajectory different in different countries? The internet has
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
I am a young amateur lute player (just 21), so I guess I am a part of the next generation of players. I think the lute will continue to be played for the foreseeable future, since there's always someone strange enough to fall in love with the lute's music and sound, but it's sad to see little to no young people in ancient music and classical music concerts in general. Perhaps it has to do with the distance that has grown between contemporary composers and the general population, the former usually earning their bread through the academia. Perhaps when the older generation is gone, and large portions of the classical world wouldn't be able to sustain themselves on concerts anymore we would see some renaissance, but that's just speculation. On Thu, 27 Aug 2020, 08:44 Jurgen Frenz, <[1]eye-and-ear-cont...@protonmail.com> wrote: It is my impression that there are quite a few outstanding young players who will continue the tradition of great lute playing. Names that immediately come to mind are Lukas Henning and Bor Zuljan. We should ask the teachers at the Schola in Basels what they think of young players. - Further, when you look at the "new members" section in the latest Lute News magazine by the British Lute Society there are quite a few Japanese sounding names - that indicates to my opinion a growing interest in lute music outside of Europe which is very encouraging. Another thing is that amateurs who spend a lot of time and effort in transcribing lute music from manuscripts and hard-to-find prints into a modern typeset and put it for free online - Sarge Gerbode is doing outstanding work in this respect (and if you doubt his competency he also puts the faksimiles online so that everybody can individually verify). Those 3 ingredients (well trained young players, growing interest outside of Europe and a large stock of available music without cost) are an indication that we don't have to be concerned for the future of lute playing. My opinion, that is. âââââââ Original Message âââââââ On Thursday, August 27, 2020 5:53 AM, howard posner <[2]howardpos...@ca.rr.com> wrote: > > On Aug 26, 2020, at 6:38 PM, Richard Brook [3]richa...@mail.cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: > > > I note Henry VIII (source: Hilary Mantel) executed a lute player for sleeping (so Henry claimed) with Anne Boleyn. > > That would be Mark Smeaton; hence Theodore's foreboding about a Smeaton-themed movie. But it has more or less happened already. Smeaton was a significant character in The Tudors, a Netflix series that seems (as far as I could see from dropping in while my wife binge-watched it), to combine insight and outrageous nonsense in roughly equal measure. > > Addressing the larger question, assuming the world rebounds well from Covid shutdown (a dicey proposition in the USA, I know) the lute should do just fine because ensembles and orchestras should be a steady source of professional gigs, and that area still seems to be growing. Some responses here treat the lute as if it were just a vehicle for solo lute music, which was never the case except in the early days of the lute revival. > > > So things are looking up. > > Dick Brook > > > > > On Aug 26, 2020, at 8:13 PM, [4]theoj89...@new-old-mail.cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: > > > Dear luters: > > > What does the future hold the lute? > > > In the waning days of this wonderful email list (Thanks Wayne!!), I > > > thought I would invite thoughts regarding the future of the lute and > > > the lute community. As I muse, it seems that this present lute revival > > > started in 1960's - 70's largely out of the folk music revival and > > > early music revival. I notice that many of our fellow lute enthusiasts > > > are growing older (as am I). And with the recent passing of Julian > > > Bream, I thought it prescient to reflect: > > > What will the next 10, 20, or 50 years look like for the lute and lute > > > community? > > > Is interest in the lute on the decline, ascendency, or moving in some > > > other direction? > > > Is this trajectory different in different countries? > > > The internet has revolutionized access to manuscripts, publishers, and > > > recordings. Will the internet ultimately drive interest to diversions > > > other than the lute? > > > And when will Hollywood finally make a sizzling historical romance > > > about a lute player and bring the lute back to be a symbol of > > > seduction, as it should be? (Hopefully the movie won't be about Mark > > > Smeaton.) > > > Thoughts? > > > theodore jordan > > > -- > > > To ge
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
That's not speaking of Thomas Dunford, an incredible lutenist whose got several recordings out. But what I've witnessed since the 1960's is incredible: we do not need to worry about the lute & theorbo anymore--many very fine players throughout the world, including Hopkinson Smith who teaches at Basel. I do NOT write comments about the lute--this is rare for me--but as someone who watched from the 1960's (& played) there's not much to worry about (except perhaps the happenings of such terrible things as COVID-19!) I agree with the naming of Lukas Henning--who deserves all the support --- & many many others. It is simply incredible where the lute has arrived today -- Timothy Swain On Wed, Aug 26, 2020 at 10:45 PM Jurgen Frenz <[1]eye-and-ear-cont...@protonmail.com> wrote: It is my impression that there are quite a few outstanding young players who will continue the tradition of great lute playing. Names that immediately come to mind are Lukas Henning and Bor Zuljan. We should ask the teachers at the Schola in Basels what they think of young players. - Further, when you look at the "new members" section in the latest Lute News magazine by the British Lute Society there are quite a few Japanese sounding names - that indicates to my opinion a growing interest in lute music outside of Europe which is very encouraging. Another thing is that amateurs who spend a lot of time and effort in transcribing lute music from manuscripts and hard-to-find prints into a modern typeset and put it for free online - Sarge Gerbode is doing outstanding work in this respect (and if you doubt his competency he also puts the faksimiles online so that everybody can individually verify). Those 3 ingredients (well trained young players, growing interest outside of Europe and a large stock of available music without cost) are an indication that we don't have to be concerned for the future of lute playing. My opinion, that is. âââââââ Original Message âââââââ On Thursday, August 27, 2020 5:53 AM, howard posner <[2]howardpos...@ca.rr.com> wrote: > > On Aug 26, 2020, at 6:38 PM, Richard Brook [3]richa...@mail.cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: > > > I note Henry VIII (source: Hilary Mantel) executed a lute player for sleeping (so Henry claimed) with Anne Boleyn. > > That would be Mark Smeaton; hence Theodore's foreboding about a Smeaton-themed movie. But it has more or less happened already. Smeaton was a significant character in The Tudors, a Netflix series that seems (as far as I could see from dropping in while my wife binge-watched it), to combine insight and outrageous nonsense in roughly equal measure. > > Addressing the larger question, assuming the world rebounds well from Covid shutdown (a dicey proposition in the USA, I know) the lute should do just fine because ensembles and orchestras should be a steady source of professional gigs, and that area still seems to be growing. Some responses here treat the lute as if it were just a vehicle for solo lute music, which was never the case except in the early days of the lute revival. > > > So things are looking up. > > Dick Brook > > > > > On Aug 26, 2020, at 8:13 PM, [4]theoj89...@new-old-mail.cs.dartmouth.edu wrote: > > > Dear luters: > > > What does the future hold the lute? > > > In the waning days of this wonderful email list (Thanks Wayne!!), I > > > thought I would invite thoughts regarding the future of the lute and > > > the lute community. As I muse, it seems that this present lute revival > > > started in 1960's - 70's largely out of the folk music revival and > > > early music revival. I notice that many of our fellow lute enthusiasts > > > are growing older (as am I). And with the recent passing of Julian > > > Bream, I thought it prescient to reflect: > > > What will the next 10, 20, or 50 years look like for the lute and lute > > > community? > > > Is interest in the lute on the decline, ascendency, or moving in some > > > other direction? > > > Is this trajectory different in different countries? > > > The internet has revolutionized access to manuscripts, publishers, and > > > recordings. Will the internet ultimately drive interest to diversions > > > other than the lute? > > > And when will Hollywood finally make a sizzling historical romance > > > about a lute player and bring the lute back to be a symbol of > > > seduction, as it should be? (Hopefully the movie won't be about Mark > > > Smeaton.) > > > Thoughts? > > > theodore jordan > > > -- > > > To get on or off this list see list information at >
[LUTE] Re: future of the lute
It is my impression that there are quite a few outstanding young players who will continue the tradition of great lute playing. Names that immediately come to mind are Lukas Henning and Bor Zuljan. We should ask the teachers at the Schola in Basels what they think of young players. - Further, when you look at the "new members" section in the latest Lute News magazine by the British Lute Society there are quite a few Japanese sounding names - that indicates to my opinion a growing interest in lute music outside of Europe which is very encouraging. Another thing is that amateurs who spend a lot of time and effort in transcribing lute music from manuscripts and hard-to-find prints into a modern typeset and put it for free online - Sarge Gerbode is doing outstanding work in this respect (and if you doubt his competency he also puts the faksimiles online so that everybody can individually verify). Those 3 ingredients (well trained young players, growing interest outside of Europe and a large stock of available music without cost) are an indication that we don't have to be concerned for the future of lute playing. My opinion, that is. ‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐ On Thursday, August 27, 2020 5:53 AM, howard posner wrote: > > On Aug 26, 2020, at 6:38 PM, Richard Brook richa...@mail.cs.dartmouth.edu > > wrote: > > > I note Henry VIII (source: Hilary Mantel) executed a lute player for > > sleeping (so Henry claimed) with Anne Boleyn. > > That would be Mark Smeaton; hence Theodore’s foreboding about a > Smeaton-themed movie. But it has more or less happened already. Smeaton was a > significant character in The Tudors, a Netflix series that seems (as far as I > could see from dropping in while my wife binge-watched it), to combine > insight and outrageous nonsense in roughly equal measure. > > Addressing the larger question, assuming the world rebounds well from Covid > shutdown (a dicey proposition in the USA, I know) the lute should do just > fine because ensembles and orchestras should be a steady source of > professional gigs, and that area still seems to be growing. Some responses > here treat the lute as if it were just a vehicle for solo lute music, which > was never the case except in the early days of the lute revival. > > > So things are looking up. > > Dick Brook > > > > > On Aug 26, 2020, at 8:13 PM, theoj89...@new-old-mail.cs.dartmouth.edu > > > wrote: > > > Dear luters: > > > What does the future hold the lute? > > > In the waning days of this wonderful email list (Thanks Wayne!!), I > > > thought I would invite thoughts regarding the future of the lute and > > > the lute community. As I muse, it seems that this present lute revival > > > started in 1960's - 70's largely out of the folk music revival and > > > early music revival. I notice that many of our fellow lute enthusiasts > > > are growing older (as am I). And with the recent passing of Julian > > > Bream, I thought it prescient to reflect: > > > What will the next 10, 20, or 50 years look like for the lute and lute > > > community? > > > Is interest in the lute on the decline, ascendency, or moving in some > > > other direction? > > > Is this trajectory different in different countries? > > > The internet has revolutionized access to manuscripts, publishers, and > > > recordings. Will the internet ultimately drive interest to diversions > > > other than the lute? > > > And when will Hollywood finally make a sizzling historical romance > > > about a lute player and bring the lute back to be a symbol of > > > seduction, as it should be? (Hopefully the movie won't be about Mark > > > Smeaton.) > > > Thoughts? > > > theodore jordan > > > -- > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html