[CAUT] historic temp thoughts

[G Cousins]

Israel,

Your comments are most appropriate.

The Harpsichord is a W. Martin double double. A well crafted and practical instrument.

Archlute will be both as melody instrument as well as continuo. (in the  Monterverdi) 

Supportative coloring via Harpsichord continuo is correct. 

Gerry
 
> Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 09:52:20 -0800
> From: custos3 at comcast.net
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Subject: [CAUT] historic temp thoughts
> 
> Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:23:57 -0700 Fred Sturm <fssturm at unm.edu> wrote:
> 
> > To the original question, about what tuning would be appropriate, ET 
> > would definitely be my second choice, but from my own knowledge, I 
> > would put it in a ratio of at least 9:1 in favor of 1/4 mean tone 
> > unless there was compelling evidence otherwise. I'll note that in your 
> > example (which I certainly accept absolutely as an informed decision 
> > on the part of authoritative people), "the remainder performed in mean 
> > tone" (including their harpsichord and organ). So I wonder whether 
> > having the lutes and harpsichords tuned together is more important 
> > than having the winds, voices and harpsichord together. Someone has to 
> > be out of tune with someone. The lutes are stuck. The harpsichord 
> > isn't. So I would stick to my advice, and let them "make do." The lute's decay is pretty fast - it should be the odd one out.
> Sorry, Fred, it isn't quite that simple. What I see in the 
> instrumentation list for this performance is an Archlute. If it is used 
> as a melody instrument (typical for 16th century music) then you are 
> correct. If it is used as a continuo instrument - which happens more and 
> more in 17th century music - then there are problems. The Archlute is a 
> resonant instrument and does not decay all that quickly - especially in 
> the low strings. It competes quite successfully with the harpsichord, in 
> terms of volume and decay. (I don't even want to open the question of 
> what type of harpsichord is being used - if it a copy of a French 
> instrument, the archlute wins hands down). If the archlute is used as a 
> continuo instrument (and I do see Monteverdi on the program - so it is 
> possible) then any chords that occur on cadences or other harmonically 
> important points would have to be tuned from the bass up - and not the 
> other way around. So in this instrumentation, the other instruments 
> would need to defer to the archlute rather than the other way around - 
> since it may be carrying that bass continuo function. The harpsichord - 
> at least harmonically - is the least important instrument in such an 
> ensemble, since its function is to provide the rhythmic precision of the 
> continuo (well, with a plucked archlute continuo this is not quite as 
> important) and some harmonic "fill" for the overall texture (basically, 
> added color). The decisions as to who should defer to whom have to be 
> based on the particular repertoire and what function the archlute 
> carries in it - and not on any rule of thumb or conjecture.
> 
> Israel Stein
> 
 		 	   		  
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