@pscar1 An archlute can have either a long or short neck. The difference between it and a theorbo is not in the neck, but in the tuning. This is an archlute. You could not play this concerto on a theorbo! They are very different instruments in their tuning.
Great playing from all. So that's an archlute? Why is the neck six or seven feet long? Does that make it louder? It must be hard to find strings for it. Amazing video. Thanks.
@jcritchie The long neck extension carries an octave of bass strings, each tuned to a different note of a diatonic scale. These just give a bit of reinforcement to the bass line, like having a bass guitar and normal guitar in the same instrument. Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it [is] gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh! It [is] like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now.
@greetschamp I agree, but despite of this, it sounds wonderful, besides, the Baroque Orchestra used to be like that, few players with his continuous bass, There are performances made with a Strings Orchestra and Guitar instead of Lute and they sound fantastic but very Romantic because the instruments have the best advances of the Industry Revolution occurenced in the nineteenth Century. This "romantic" performances were come under attack but had good critic too because of his singing character.
Wow, that is some Lute! I am not very knowledgable on this topic, but know some things. Anybody know why there are so many variations (shape, size, vernacular) on this instrument, compared to other instruments such as a classical guitar? I don't mind reading up on it. Thanks.
@5stringofFernandoSor Actually, the classical guitar also went through many changes, and experiments in modifications of string numbers and types of bridges, etc. Remember that the lute developed over 300+ years, which is quite a lot of history, compared with the classical guitar. But of course the "classical" guitar is just one phase of development of that instrument, which includes its ancestors (baroque guitar and vihuela) as well as its cousins in the electric and acoustic world!
@5stringofFernandoSor The lute also develops as the music changes during its history, much like the guitar developed by going electric. The lute keeps getting bigger to be able to meet the changing styles of music, from polyphony to continuo playing, developing from a small 5-course instrument into the 14-course theorbo and archluth, more suited to the dramatic styles of music in later centuries.
@wtkwhite It's an archlute. An archlute is tuned differently to a theorbo, although they are similar in appearance. You could never play the Vivaldi lute concerto on a theorbo, believe me!
You probably have to be careful carrying that lute through doorways haha! Great video. I was thinking about getting a lute... but I think they're way too expensive...
Brilliant, I will be showing this to my Year 9 class and also to my GCSE students. We can compare the differences in performance practice between this recording and, say, the John Williams, which is also on You Tube. I am intrigued by your Archlute- I've never seen or heard of one before! (I did 20th C. music for my degree). Thanks for this beautiful recording.
@bigbearpaws Thank you! I am honoured to be compared to John Williams in any way at all - even if unfavourably! But of course, his (and most guitarists') versions of this work are very different to mine and other lutenists. The original score is for only the lute and literally 4 other players - 2 violins, cello and keyboard continuo. It's a 'chamber' work, not a romantic concerto, which is what modern guitarists try to make it into by using a full string orchestra.
@bigbearpaws We also don't know exactly what type of lute Vivaldi intended this to be played upon. You'll hear other lutenists doing it on various types of lutes - some like mandolins, sounding an octave higher than my version. My guess is that is was actually for a type of Venetian lute we have yet to rediscover, so my archlute is as good a replacement as any. And it looks good on stage!
How difficult (relatively speaking) is it to switch between the lute and classical guitar in terms of sight reading? Also do you generally memorize the piece after learning it a few times with the chart, for performance?
It's very different in terms of reading. Most solos are in tablature, so that's an easy way onto the lute. If you want to play continuo, you need to learn to read bass clef and know the tuning of the lute. This Vivaldi solo is written in treble clef, so the reading is easy, but you need to learn the notes on the lute.
I rarely memorise solos - the Vivaldi is special, as it's a concerto, and no one worthy of calling themselves a soloist would ever play a concerto other than from memory!
An archlute is tuned like a lute, with extra bass strings, so the 6 fingered strings are G c f a d' g'. A theorbo has a slightly longer fingered neck, and the strings are tuned A d g b e a - in other words, the "top" two strings are an octave lower than they would be if this was a lute tuned one tone higher. So you get a pentatonic scale rising from string 5 - 2 - 4 - 1 - 3. Weird, but it gives very warm baritone chords, where the lute (and archlute) are brighter. Make sense?
@Geisttanzer I might add that Weiss played the theorbo also without re-entrant tuning . . . one may almost take the perspective that it's the tuning that names the instrument and not necessarily the construction.
Your right hand position looks very different from a classical guitar position. Is that because you are standing and come at it from a different angle - from the end instead of from the top?
Yes, the right hand position for all the lute family is quite different to that for classical guitar. At least, most players today feel it should be so. Some prefer to use the same position for both, but I find it better to be schizophrenic and have a different position for each. I could write a book about the differences.
@magicminstrel Thanks so much for the video and the follow up on your playing technique. Your willingness to share your music and knowledge is what make the internet a rewarding experience. I have learned so much from watching your videos! Best wishes!
@chaosIsTheOnlyPower Thank you! Your comments are also much appreciated. It's nice to know that some people are interested in the details as well as the overall musical effect.
The lute, arch lute, and theorbo are drastically under appreciated as solo instruments. STANDING and MOVING expressively while playing this large instrument should help to remedy that. The audience needs to see the musician emotionally involved and reacting to the music. Thanks so much for this!
Thank you for your appreciative comments! I agree completely about the effect it has to "be alive" while playing or singing early music. Too many performers just won't make the extra effort to memorise solos, and I think it really helps the audience when they do!
The first course is actually a Pyramid nylon string (I think .525), but the rest of the trebles are Aquila nylgut strings. It's single strung throughout. I found that with the Vivaldi, I needed single strings on the first 3 or 4 courses, and going to singles all the way gave it a bit more power. As we don't have a clue which instrument this concerto was really intended for, I guess this solution is as 'authentic' as any. And it works for me!
It's an "Archlute", single strung in the trebles. No one can say for certain which instrument Vivaldi had in mind for this concerto. This guess is as valid as any other, and I like playing it on this instrument!
I am actually more inclined to say the instrument is a theorbo as the archlute has a shorter neck.
pscar1 1 week ago
@pscar1 An archlute can have either a long or short neck. The difference between it and a theorbo is not in the neck, but in the tuning. This is an archlute. You could not play this concerto on a theorbo! They are very different instruments in their tuning.
magicminstrel 1 week ago
@pscar1 dude that's a big guitar
juliovac 5 days ago
Wonderful performance. Thank you for posting this fine video.
TedMichaelMorgan 2 weeks ago
Superbe, merci beaucoup
PialatBernard 2 weeks ago
Great playing from all. So that's an archlute? Why is the neck six or seven feet long? Does that make it louder? It must be hard to find strings for it. Amazing video. Thanks.
jcritchie 1 month ago
@jcritchie The long neck extension carries an octave of bass strings, each tuned to a different note of a diatonic scale. These just give a bit of reinforcement to the bass line, like having a bass guitar and normal guitar in the same instrument. Glad you enjoyed it!
magicminstrel 3 weeks ago
@magicminstrel Utterly intriguing sound. One of my favourite composition. The performance is perfect. Thank you for the information and the video.
TedMichaelMorgan 2 weeks ago
오늘으 오늘으 선곡
bitmool 1 month ago
@SuperLuigiGalaxy242 the music makes you do it. micheal jackson said the same thing about why he grabs his crotch... the music becomes you! namaste
stoopiddub333 2 months ago
What an amazing instrument and this amazing lute player, I am becoming addicted to the lute.
silverideas 2 months ago
Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it [is] gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh! It [is] like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now.
smartalek180 3 months ago 4
@smartalek180 Thank you for such a poetic response!
magicminstrel 3 months ago
Wonderful playing really really enjoyed this piece. CGSNI.
ColinBurnside 3 months ago
@ColinBurnside I'm glad you like it. Thank you.
magicminstrel 3 months ago
It's a pity you don't use those long basstrings, probably this concerto wasn't meant for archlute anyway. Nice performance and embellishments !
greetschamp 4 months ago
@greetschamp I agree, but despite of this, it sounds wonderful, besides, the Baroque Orchestra used to be like that, few players with his continuous bass, There are performances made with a Strings Orchestra and Guitar instead of Lute and they sound fantastic but very Romantic because the instruments have the best advances of the Industry Revolution occurenced in the nineteenth Century. This "romantic" performances were come under attack but had good critic too because of his singing character.
TheMusiloco 2 months ago
Hello. I enjoyed this video very much. Is there an urtex edition of this concerto? Where can I find the original score?
CJbouzouki 4 months ago
@CJbouzouki The score is published by Ricordi. The ornamentation, of course, is my own! I'm glad you like it.
magicminstrel 4 months ago
Wow, that is some Lute! I am not very knowledgable on this topic, but know some things. Anybody know why there are so many variations (shape, size, vernacular) on this instrument, compared to other instruments such as a classical guitar? I don't mind reading up on it. Thanks.
5stringofFernandoSor 5 months ago
@5stringofFernandoSor Actually, the classical guitar also went through many changes, and experiments in modifications of string numbers and types of bridges, etc. Remember that the lute developed over 300+ years, which is quite a lot of history, compared with the classical guitar. But of course the "classical" guitar is just one phase of development of that instrument, which includes its ancestors (baroque guitar and vihuela) as well as its cousins in the electric and acoustic world!
magicminstrel 5 months ago
@5stringofFernandoSor The lute also develops as the music changes during its history, much like the guitar developed by going electric. The lute keeps getting bigger to be able to meet the changing styles of music, from polyphony to continuo playing, developing from a small 5-course instrument into the 14-course theorbo and archluth, more suited to the dramatic styles of music in later centuries.
magicminstrel 5 months ago
I like very much !
MrGuitarcat 6 months ago
@wtkwhite It's an archlute. An archlute is tuned differently to a theorbo, although they are similar in appearance. You could never play the Vivaldi lute concerto on a theorbo, believe me!
magicminstrel 6 months ago
@magicminstrel Apologies! I was looking at pictures of things which looked a bit shorter. Wonderful playing :).
wtkwhite 4 months ago
Brilliant - uplifting - delicate - perfect... thank you! After a traumatic day this recording calmed my soul and put me at ease. Bravo
k3hw 6 months ago
@k3hw Thank you. Music can soothe our souls. I'm touched that you found this example healing.
magicminstrel 6 months ago
You probably have to be careful carrying that lute through doorways haha! Great video. I was thinking about getting a lute... but I think they're way too expensive...
Yahshuaismylamp 7 months ago
That was lovely!
leviathan1920 7 months ago
God bless you.
a Cd is warranted.
leontud 8 months ago in playlist ITZHAK PERLMAN
@leontud A CD exists! Google New Trinity Baroque CDs
magicminstrel 8 months ago
Comment removed
leontud 7 months ago
we are getting the CD.
thanks
leontud 7 months ago
@leontud I hope you enjoy it! There are some other fine concerti performances on it as well.
magicminstrel 6 months ago
It's so kind of you to answer our questions - my students will be fascinated!
bigbearpaws 9 months ago
Brilliant, I will be showing this to my Year 9 class and also to my GCSE students. We can compare the differences in performance practice between this recording and, say, the John Williams, which is also on You Tube. I am intrigued by your Archlute- I've never seen or heard of one before! (I did 20th C. music for my degree). Thanks for this beautiful recording.
bigbearpaws 9 months ago
@bigbearpaws Thank you! I am honoured to be compared to John Williams in any way at all - even if unfavourably! But of course, his (and most guitarists') versions of this work are very different to mine and other lutenists. The original score is for only the lute and literally 4 other players - 2 violins, cello and keyboard continuo. It's a 'chamber' work, not a romantic concerto, which is what modern guitarists try to make it into by using a full string orchestra.
magicminstrel 9 months ago
@bigbearpaws We also don't know exactly what type of lute Vivaldi intended this to be played upon. You'll hear other lutenists doing it on various types of lutes - some like mandolins, sounding an octave higher than my version. My guess is that is was actually for a type of Venetian lute we have yet to rediscover, so my archlute is as good a replacement as any. And it looks good on stage!
magicminstrel 9 months ago
Dude, this is seriously awesome. I absolutely loved the way you play.
lrodrigomoreno 9 months ago
@lrodrigomoreno Thanks! Glad you like it.
magicminstrel 9 months ago
So nice
vanch73 1 year ago
it's interesting the 3rd movement you're queuing but the audience interrupted! It would be nice to play the lute more sound.
komodo93433 1 year ago
beautiful sound!
komodo93433 1 year ago
How difficult (relatively speaking) is it to switch between the lute and classical guitar in terms of sight reading? Also do you generally memorize the piece after learning it a few times with the chart, for performance?
TheOilyOctapus 1 year ago
It's very different in terms of reading. Most solos are in tablature, so that's an easy way onto the lute. If you want to play continuo, you need to learn to read bass clef and know the tuning of the lute. This Vivaldi solo is written in treble clef, so the reading is easy, but you need to learn the notes on the lute.
I rarely memorise solos - the Vivaldi is special, as it's a concerto, and no one worthy of calling themselves a soloist would ever play a concerto other than from memory!
magicminstrel 1 year ago
@magicminstrel Thanks. Very nice performance, BTW.
TheOilyOctapus 1 year ago
I like the fact that he's able to move across while playing, rare.
RICKYFALL 1 year ago
Right. There is usually an octave of bass notes, one per string, below the fretted strings. It's like playing a harp and a guitar at the same time!
magicminstrel 1 year ago
What's the difference between a large archlute like this one and a theorbo?
Geisttanzer 1 year ago
An archlute is tuned like a lute, with extra bass strings, so the 6 fingered strings are G c f a d' g'. A theorbo has a slightly longer fingered neck, and the strings are tuned A d g b e a - in other words, the "top" two strings are an octave lower than they would be if this was a lute tuned one tone higher. So you get a pentatonic scale rising from string 5 - 2 - 4 - 1 - 3. Weird, but it gives very warm baritone chords, where the lute (and archlute) are brighter. Make sense?
magicminstrel 1 year ago
@magicminstrel so the bass strings are not fretted they are simply used to provide bass notes, right?
carnagegerman 1 year ago
@Geisttanzer I might add that Weiss played the theorbo also without re-entrant tuning . . . one may almost take the perspective that it's the tuning that names the instrument and not necessarily the construction.
dolofonos 1 year ago
Your right hand position looks very different from a classical guitar position. Is that because you are standing and come at it from a different angle - from the end instead of from the top?
chaosIsTheOnlyPower 1 year ago
Yes, the right hand position for all the lute family is quite different to that for classical guitar. At least, most players today feel it should be so. Some prefer to use the same position for both, but I find it better to be schizophrenic and have a different position for each. I could write a book about the differences.
magicminstrel 1 year ago
@magicminstrel Thanks so much for the video and the follow up on your playing technique. Your willingness to share your music and knowledge is what make the internet a rewarding experience. I have learned so much from watching your videos! Best wishes!
chaosIsTheOnlyPower 1 year ago
@chaosIsTheOnlyPower Thank you! Your comments are also much appreciated. It's nice to know that some people are interested in the details as well as the overall musical effect.
magicminstrel 1 year ago
The lute, arch lute, and theorbo are drastically under appreciated as solo instruments. STANDING and MOVING expressively while playing this large instrument should help to remedy that. The audience needs to see the musician emotionally involved and reacting to the music. Thanks so much for this!
tenorsanyone 1 year ago
@tenorsanyone
Thank you for your appreciative comments! I agree completely about the effect it has to "be alive" while playing or singing early music. Too many performers just won't make the extra effort to memorise solos, and I think it really helps the audience when they do!
magicminstrel 1 year ago
Might I ask you, what kind of strings are you using ?
I also play the archlute but mine unfortunately doesn't sing in the trebles as well as yours...I assume nylgut trebles and maybe overwound basses ?
Best wishes and a big well done !
10stringGuitarist 1 year ago
@10stringGuitarist
Thank you!
The first course is actually a Pyramid nylon string (I think .525), but the rest of the trebles are Aquila nylgut strings. It's single strung throughout. I found that with the Vivaldi, I needed single strings on the first 3 or 4 courses, and going to singles all the way gave it a bit more power. As we don't have a clue which instrument this concerto was really intended for, I guess this solution is as 'authentic' as any. And it works for me!
magicminstrel 1 year ago
Wow. I am very impressed. Lovely, isn't it?
peterwdeng 1 year ago
absolutely magnificent!
JoeFisher12String 1 year ago
UauuuHH!!! what a BIG instrument..!!!
nice piece..
sandrocduarte 2 years ago
Simple and touching....
The urtext is scored for two violins and continuo, not for the full string orchestra.
I prefer this as a chamber piece.
I play the guitar and I´ve done this concerto myself.... Bravo!
729mart 2 years ago
that's a BIG ASS LUTE!!!!
dracublah 2 years ago 4
Bass lute?
chantsun2 2 years ago
It's an "Archlute", single strung in the trebles. No one can say for certain which instrument Vivaldi had in mind for this concerto. This guess is as valid as any other, and I like playing it on this instrument!
magicminstrel 2 years ago
Thank you!
magicminstrel 2 years ago