HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: On assembling a clavichord kit
From: PRUTH@OBERLIN.BITNET
Date: 16 Nov 1992 18:37:57 -0400
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

I recently assembled a small 45-note fretted short-octave clavichord
which was supplied by Charles Wolff, the protege of the now-retired Carl
Fudge, who was one of the premier clavichord builders for a long time.
Wolff's address is 44 Loring Street, Hyde Park, MA, 02136.  Send him a self-
addressed stamped envelope and I think he'd be happy to send you a detailed
brochure.  If you want a portable instrument, this 30 pound beauty is the
one to think about.  The kit is about 1000 dollars.  Wolff makes a mid-size
and a large clavichord, 50 pounds and 70 pounds respectively.  I had an
opportunity to play all three models at his home, and fell in love with the
large one and the small one.  Now that I've built the small one I am ready
for the large, unfretted, 63-note specimen--it would replace my console
piano.  I'm glad I started with the small model, because I did make many
mistakes--none fatal, but it's not a cosmetically perfect instrument.  But
now that I know what NOT to do, I will undoubtedly do a much better job on
the larger one.  If you wanted to build just one clavichord, and didn't plan
on transporting it often, I would recommend the large clavichord.  It will
handle the entire Baroque repertoire without limitation.  Its tone is rich,
pure, and expressive--in other words, it's a good clavichord.
 
Whether you build small or large, I encourage you to do so.  It is a
learning experience you will long and fondly remember.  I am not a skilled
woodworker, and had to buy almost all the necessary tools, and I made every
mistake imaginable, yet my instrument has since given me much joy and
satisfaction.  Even a small clavichord such as mine, if assembled reasonably
well and made of good materials and patterned after a fine instrument as
mine fortunately is, delivers a profound, sublime, infinitely subtle music.
If you follow the directions without either overconfidence or the self-
intimidation of perfectionism (you will understand when you are in the midst
of some of the phases of construction) you will not regret having assembled
it yourself.  You will understand the instrument thoroughly, and you will be
able to make any adjustment necessary without any hesitation whatsoever.
You will have saved 2/3rds of the cost of the finished instrument as well.
Also, I highly recommend getting the kit in its 'partially assembled' form,
which gives you the case expertly completed.  Unless you have the skills and
equipment of a cabinetmaker you should let the maker make the case.
 
The inherent design of any clavichord is simple and straightforward, and I
have found it to be a very forgiving, durable and lovable instrument, both
during construction and after.  --Bill Ruth   pruth@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
From: smalin@well.sf.ca.us (Stephen Malinowski)
Subject: TANTRUM: Temperament Analysis Software for IBMPC
Summary: Software for examining various tuning systems
Keywords: music tuning temperament intonation
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 18:02:13 GMT


TANTRUM is a program for studying historical tuning systems.
It displays twelve diagrams which show the degree of out-of-
tuneness of each the triads built on the twelve scale notes.
You can change the pitch of a note and see how such a change
affects the chords containing that note.  Two different tun-
ings can be compared, tunings can be shifted in pitch or ro-
tated around the circle of fifths, etc.

TANTRUM runs on an IBM/PC with a color EGA or VGA adapter.

West of the Atlantic (thanks to Dave, datta@cs.uwp.edu):

   by anonymous FTP at cs.uwp.edu
   in the directory /pub/music/programs
   get tantrum.zip

East of the Atlantic (thanks to Gerhard, GONTER@AWIWUW11.BITNET):

   by FTP at olymp.wu-wien.ac.at
   in the directory /pub/earlym-l/software
   (use dir to find the appropriate item)

   or, send a mail message to
   LISTSERV@AEARN.bitnet
   with one of the following commands in the mail body:
      GET TANTRUM ZIP
      GET TANTRUM UUE

If please email me with questions, comments, suggestions, etc.

Stephen Malinowski
<smalin@well.sf.ca.us>
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
From: k22164@kyyppari.hkkk.fi (Mikko Reinikainen)
Subject: Suggestions fotr sacred Gesualdo neededr sacred Gesualdo needed 
Date: 20 Nov 92 12:47:42 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Helsinki School of Economics, Finland

I am planning to buy a recording of some sacred music by Gesualdo. I
have listened to Herrewege's CD of "Sabbato Sancto" and Hilliard
Ensemble's "Tenebrae"; I loved both of them.

As I have not experienced any other sacred music by the composer or
other recordings of the mentioned works, I would appreciate any
opinions and suggestions!

Thanks in advance.
	
	Mikko Reinikainen
	Finland

--
Mikko Reinikainen
k22164@kyyppari.hkkk.fi
Helsinki School Of Economics and Business Administration
Helsinki University/Faculty Of Law
From: de19@umail.umd.edu (Dana S Emery)
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: Re: very modern + very old
Date: 17 Nov 92 10:47:42 GMT
Followup-To: rec.music.early
Organization: personal

In article <1992Nov13.011628.21852@news.Hawaii.Edu>,
mike@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Mike W. Burger) wrote:
> 
> 	On the one hand, even small groups can put together
> performances featuring "authentic" sounds of mixed consorts.
> On the other hand, part of the "performance" is "canned", even
> though working up the computer parts and fine tuning them to
> have some expressiveness would be a considerable task.  At
> least they could keep good time and be counted upon to
> not muff their parts :-)

Development of emsemble is difficult with live players, and possibly more
difficult with canned ones.  

Aside from that, I should see a number of technical advantages, provided
you remember the need to have power wherever you perform, and have
suficient "road crew" to handle strikes and setups.

Sample based synthesizers can sound exactly like historical instruments,
when one factors in a live recorder consort, I should think the resulting
sound could be marvelous indeed.

I would go for it, both as a performer and as audience.  I wouldnt ask my
audience to beleive they were at an "authentic" performance, just
(hopefully) a good performance of oldies but goodies.

Peter Paul and Mary broke ground in the folk tradition by having a Bass
player discretly in the background, and occaisionally small scale
orchestral backup.  Other folk players followed suit, sqwacked, or ignored
it, mostly the public approoved.  I suspect that canned continuo would have
been welcome in its day, given the limited space of a paris theatre's pit,
so I suppose its judicious use today should have few detractors.

I would hope that you would also welcome live strings, should they become
available.
--

Dana S Emery <de19@umail.umd.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
From: "elliott chapin" <elliott.chapin@canrem.com>
Subject: there is no rose
Reply-To: "elliott chapin" <elliott.chapin@canrem.com>
Organization: Canada Remote Systems
Distribution: rec
Date: 22 Nov 92 09:23:13 EST

KP>   Is anybody out there familiar with a medieval carol for two voices called
KP>"There is no rose"?  I have the music and I have the words, but I am looking

I've sung in a version that has 3 voices part of the time.

KP>for ways to vary the repetitions of the burden, which goes

KP>   There is no rose of such virtue
KP>   As is the rose that bare Jesu.

KP>   It's a pretty little refrain, but it gets repeated seven times, and doing
KP>it over and over with no variation can get to be, well, a burden.  Has anybody
KP>out there who's seen it or heard it or sung it have any suggestions about
KP>how it should be performed, or recommendations of recordings of it?

If you approach it from negatives like "pretty little refrain" and
artificialities like "perform" you will probably continue to have
a problem.  Dig the feelings, tuning, etc. and don't worry about
variation - that'll take care of itself.  That's enough platitudes, I
guess :-)  But I mean them - rock it like a baby ...

Elliott Chapin
---
  DeLuxe 1.12 #4315  elliott.chapin@canrem.com
--
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
From: ray@thyme.sharebase.com (Ray Gebbie)
Subject: Re: Fretwork
Reply-To: ray@thyme.sharebase.com (Ray Gebbie)
Organization: NCR/ShareBase Corporation
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 18:47:51 GMT

In article <1992Nov15.190018.11450@midway.uchicago.edu> hcresnic@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>
>	The viol consort Fretwork performed here on Friday night, and I just
>want to remind all the viol players out there that your work is appreciated.
>Yes, I know why the instruments of the viol family went down in popularity at
>the end of the 17th century - people couldn't get enough of the violin. But
>the sound of the viol (both solo and in consort) is probably the nearest and
>most beautiful thing to a human voice as any instrument beside the horn.
>	The audience had a wonderful time. it was a freezing cold night, but 
>we all had a wonderful time.

They played here in Berkeley last night (Sunday).  It was a wonderful experi-
ence!  Viol consort music can be somewhat monotonous (or very monotonous,
depending on the group!), but that was not my experience last night.

Some questions I had: they spent a great amount of time adjusting the tuning,
for obvious reasons (the instruments are fretted, for those who are not familiar
with them).  Is there any way to adjust the intonation while playing, they way
a violinist would?  Also, How can a fret that is placed it the same position
for all the strings be very accurate? In other words, it would seem to me that
there might be slight differences in the exact placement that would be ideal
for the same fret for each of the strings.  Has anyone every made an instrument
with the fret placement adjusted for each string, instead of straight across?

I also noticed that some of the players used vibrato-like motions in their
left hands.  Can vibrato really be done on a fretted instrument? I am not a
string player, but a wind player, so I don't have much experience with string
techniques.
-- 
Ray Gebbie, NCR Corporation, ShareBase Business Unit, Berkeley, California
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: RE: Alessandro Stradella
From: "Stephen T. Moore" <STMOORE@PUCC.BITNET>
Date: 18 Nov 1992 08:09:37 -0500 (EST)
In-reply-to: Message of Tue,17 Nov 1992 17:15:30 GMT from <910394f@ACE.ACADIAU.CA>
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

1. Alessandro Stradella e Modena: atti del convegno..., Modena, 1985
2. Hess, Heinz, Zur Geschichte des musikalischen dramas im Seicento: die
Opern Alessandro Stradellas, Wiesbaden, 1973
3. Jander, Owen. Alessandro Stradella, 1644-1682. Wellesley, 1969.
 
           Tom Moore STMOORE AT PUCC
From: "richard wyble" <richard.wyble@channel1.com>
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: recorder care tips
Date: 15 Nov 92 18:37:36 EST
Reply-To: "richard wyble" <richard.wyble@channel1.com>
Distribution: rec
Organization: Channel 1 Communications

ES |From: esp@cup.portal.com (Emily Sue Pinnell)

ES |Friends of mine maintain that oiling a new recorder one a week for the first m
ES |month or so isn't a bad idea.  After letting the instrument sit overnight,
ES |lance at the bore; you'll be able to see how "thirsty" the wood is by how
ES |much oil has been absorbed.  I use almond oil (available at health food
ES |stores); one of the people in my consort uses baby oil--she says it's cheap
ES |and efficacious.  These are just random suggestions; the best thing to do
ES |(in my opinion) is to pick up a copy of Ken Wollitz' _Recorder Book_, which
ES |is back in print and available from the Von Huene Workshop (or any bookstore
ES |willing to special-order purchases).  Wollitz goes into a fair bit of detail
ES |about oiling and breaking in recorders, and, yes indeed, does advise against
ES |those fuzzy recorder swabs.  If you don't already have this book, add it to
ES |your Xmas/birthday/whatever list.  Hope this helps.  D. Peters
ES |N.B.  Please read "glance" for "lance" in line 3; I wouldn't want you to
ES |think that I advocate taking a scalpel to your instrument.

For the edification of all, it is essential that you do not over-oil a 
recorder, especially when using the aforementioned "natural" oils.

It is critial. When last I was informed, which was about five years ago now, 
The Antique Sound Workshop, premeire early wind instrument suppliers and 
makers in Brookline, MA, refused to honor the warranty of any instrument 
oiled with anything other than commercially available "woodwind bore oil." 
While acknowledging the theoretical superiority of "natural" oils, practical 
experience had shown that misuse was too-frequent a problem.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Richard J. Wyble, Worcester, MA       Internet: richard.wyble@channel1.com
                      Written Sun, 11-15-92, at 4:38pm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
  DeLuxe 1.25 #12515  
--
Channel 1 (R)   Cambridge, MA
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: RE: Music editor for MS-Loss
From: Allison Nancy Zelles <AZELLES@UCS.INDIANA.EDU>
Date: 20 Nov 1992 16:32:13 -0500 (EST)
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

I enjoy using music printer plus.  With a midi and a keyboard many things
are possible.  ANZ
From: AZELLES@UCS.INDIANA.EDU (Allison Nancy Zelles)
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: RE: Alessandro Stradella
Date: 17 Nov 92 15:06:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: AEARN.EARLYM-L%92111808053503
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

From the Indiana University's "Online" library computing system, 93
entries of his music and recordings of such.  Specific books are:
1. Jander, Owen.  Alessandro Stradella (1644-1682).  Pub. Wellesley College,
Mass., 1969.  @ vols: ill. 34 facsims., music: 29 cm.  Thematic catalogs,
ML128.C15 W4. (Call number refers to IU, but is based on Library of Congress
numbers.)
2. Gianturco, Carolyn.  Alessandro Stradella (1639-1682) <sic>, a thematic
d. Stuyvesant Press c.1991. xxvii 325 p.  M134.S87 G5.
3. McCrickard, Eleanor Fowler.  Alessandro Stradella's Instrumental music:
a critical edition with historical and analytical commentary.  Thesis-University
 of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Microfilm of typescript, Ann Arbor, Mich:
Xerox University Microfilms, 1971.  Sorry no call number as IU library has
many books waiting for cataloguing.
 
      Hope this helps.      Allison
From: jamesc@bassclar.Eng.Sun.COM (James Langdell)
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: Re: Couperin Ordres wanted
Date: 23 Nov 92 18:32:41 GMT
Reply-To: jamesc@bassclar.Eng.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems
NNTP-Posting-Host: bassclar

Dover Books has reprinted the Brahms/Chrysander edition of
Couperin's keyboard works in two inexpensive volumes.

Tupper & Reed in Berkeley, California (on Shattuck Ave.) has a pretty 
good section devoted to early keyboard works.

--James Langdell     jamesc@eng.sun.com
  Sun Microsystems   Mountain View, Calif.

In article 1540@pinet.aip.org, rdf@pinet.aip.org (Robert Feinman) writes:
>Does anyone know of a good edition of the Ordres
>of F. Couperin besides Le Pupitre?
>
>I would like to buy my son a set and the Le Pupitre
>has gotten quite expensive lately. Also a good place
>to buy it. Patelson in NY is not too good a baroque
>harpsichord music.
>
>Thanks...
>-- 
>Robert Feinman						rdf@pinet.aip.org
>American Institute of Physics				rdf@aip.bitnet
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: Oiling recorders
From: BARNES@HARTFORD.BITNET
Date: 16 Nov 1992 13:19:00 -0400 (EDT)
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Original_To:  JNET%"earlym-l@aearn"

I was told not to oil maple recorders, or at least not Moecks. They are
sealed with wax under pressure and the oil does no good and may
harm. Also, if you leave a maple instrument in a hot place, the
wax may melt and run out of the instrument. This has actually
happened to people, or so I was told.
Bill Barnes
barnes@hartford
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
From: bgarfink@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (beth diane garfinkel)
Subject: Re: practice chanter
Organization: Indiana University
Distribution: rec
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 18:10:23 GMT

In <PAISLEY.92Nov16173102@mars.asc.slb.com> paisley@asc.slb.com (Gary Paisley) writes:


>I bought a practice chanter from Elderly Instruments recently, and 
>am having a bit of difficulty getting what I think is the right sound out
>of it. 

>When I blow it I get a fundamental tone which is only 
>just barely modulated by fingering on the holes in the lower section 
>of the instrument. In fact, the modulation is missing for most of the
>notes. I expected a much , much stronger response to the 
>fingering action.

>I am reasonably proficient on the recorder, penny whistle and
>flute, but this is my first attempt at a double reed instrument.

>I'm confused as to whether the instrument is at fault, or myself.

It sounds about like my experience learning to play crumhorn.  What I
ended up discovering was that most of the tuning on crumhorn is done
with the breath and varying air pressure.  It's a matter of coordinating
your diaphragm with the pitch you want to hear, and finding an
embouchure that gives the proper air flow.  Crumhorn is a windcap reed,
so a practice chanter should work about the same way.  Once you add the
drones, though, I would imagine you'll have to be able to push a lot
harder.  I knew a man in college who played bagpipes and picked up the
crumhorn with no problem, because it was like playing the bagpipes only
much easier.

Good luck with your new instrument!

								Beth
-- 
"This must be Thursday.  I never could get the hang of Thursdays."
	-Arthur Dent, on being told that the Earth is about to blow up.
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: RE: Music editor for Apple Mac
From: tom terry <TERRY@UCONNVM.BITNET>
Date: 19 Nov 1992 10:44:33 -0500 (EST)
In-reply-to: Message of Tue, 17 Nov 1992 13:52:23 GMT from <sfr@PRAXIS.CO.UK>
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

Stephen: I recommend Deluxe Music Construction Set. It has its limits,
but for a low cost program it will probably do all you need. You can select
various synthesized voices to play each line; transposition is easy, it
prints out decent scores. I have used if mainly for writing and transcribing
SATB vocal music; it gets more complicated when you want to put two voices
per staff. Using a MIDI keyboard helps, both for note entry and more playback
options. You can turn different staffs off and on for playback to hear
harmony and isolate problems. If you want to output to a postscript laser
printer you will need to get Sonata font.
 
Hope this helps. Tom Terry, Univ. of Conn., Storrs, CT.
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: RE: There is no rose
From: Ken Koester <MAINT2@ERS.BITNET>
Date: 20 Nov 1992 08:01:48 -0500 (EST)
In-reply-to: Message of Thu, 19 Nov 1992 16:02:55 EST from <ST402808@BROWNVM>
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

On Thu, 19 Nov 1992 16:02:55 EST Kim Plofker said:
>   Is anybody out there familiar with a medieval carol for two voices called
>"There is no rose"?  I have the music and I have the words, but I am looking
>for ways to vary the repetitions of the burden, which goes
>
>   There is no rose of such virtue
>   As is the rose that bare Jesu.
>
>   It's a pretty little refrain, but it gets repeated seven times, and doing
>it over and over with no variation can get to be, well, a burden.  Has anybody
>out there who's seen it or heard it or sung it have any suggestions about
>how it should be performed, or recommendations of recordings of it?
>
>   Thanks,
>   Kim Plofker
 
The only performance I've found is off a record called "An East Anglia
Christmas"--with Johana Arnold & I forget who else.  (Actually, this is all
off the top of my head, as I am at work.  I listen to this off a Christmas
mix tape I made a few years ago which also has the Waverly Consort, so it's
possible I'm confusing the two.)  I'd suggest either dropping some of the verse
or varying the instrumentation, the two classic ways to minimize repetition.
Somebody sure-fingered or -voiced could improvise a little; I don't know how
historical that would be, but what the heck.  As I recall it, it's a "smooth"
tune; I'd suggest voices, recorders, and rebec/vielle/viol/what-have-you-for-
strings, singly and in combination.  Perhaps plucked strings, too: lute and/or
psaltery.  A discrete drone as a third voice, maybe.  If a different
instrumental group takes over every other repetition or so, it should work.
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: RE: "gut strings anyone..."
From: Joan Boorstein <boorstein%umbsky.dnet@NS.UMB.EDU>
Date: 16 Nov 1992 04:47:30 -0500
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

>I've been looking for gut strings for a friend of mine....
>he owns a baroque guitar- his grandfather gave him some a few
> years back (from Suisse!) but since then no luck - Any suggestions?
>Dealers or whomever - especially in the North East....
 
I would suggest
 
    Boston Catlines/Olav Chris Henriksen
    34 Newbury Street
    Somerville, MA 02144
    (617) 776-8688
 
I believe he can supply gut strings for nearly any early bowed/plucked string
instrument -- besides being a string maker he plays any number of the
early plucked string instruments.
 
--- Joan Boorstein (boorstein%umbsky.dnet@ns.umb.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: RE:  TANTRUM:  Temperament Analysis Software for IBMPC
From: B5R@NIHCU.BITNET
Date: 16 Nov 1992 09:12:31 -0500 (EST)
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

> Until I figure out how to make TANTRUM available through the
> Internet (I'm new here and would appreciate advice on how to
> do this!)
   A program that is often used to transfer binary files
via e-mail is called UUENCODE/UUDECODE.  You convert
the file to an ASCII file, send it, download to the PC,
then reconvert it's original.  What's usually done is
to make an ASCII file containing a BASIC or a C program
available that will create the UUDECODE program.  Once
everyone has that, it's easy to exchange binary data
(often in the form of compressed .ZIP files).
  EARLYM-L contains an archive of files that can be
accessed (mostly logs of old posts), at least via
BITNET (I don't use Internet).  The UUENCODE/DECODE
programs are available via FTP and as a mail file.
I may be able to send you the BASIC programs for creating
the UU... programs; depending on the size of your
TANTRUM program, it may or maynot be feasible to think
about sending them via e-mail.
From: HS99@music.mus.polymtl.ca (S. Guimont)
Newsgroups: rec.music.early
Subject: English Madrigals
Date: 19 Nov 92 12:46:08 GMT
Organization: Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal

Hello,
      I try to find some enregistrements of English Madrigals songs.
Some compositors of Madrigals was Byrd , Bateson, Farnaby, Mundy,
Bennett, Morley, Pilkington, Wilbye.  I know many CD about Byrd,
but all others ???

Thanks!
         S. Guimont
         RDI - Resarch and Development Informatik

 "... and likewise you shall be perfectly understood of the auditor
  what you sing, which is one of the highest degrees of praise which
  a musician in dittying can attain unto or wish for."
                                                 Thomas Morley