Schütz Motets style

[baileyman]

Driving around with WHRB on, a couple pieces rolled by with I think three voices, trombone and basso. I believe the title the young announcer said was Schütz Motets, apparently mid 1600s. The band was said to be from Leipzig.

It was curious to hear the starkly different interpretation of what seemed likely to be nearly identical lines, on the one hand by voice, on the other by trombone. Voice was often a legato, rapid notes on a single vowel, what I think might compare to a very light tongue or deft slurring between partials. The trombone, on the other hand, was tutt-tutt-tutt-tutt-tutt-tutt all the way through with significant space between notes.

I assume these guys were doing it with acceptable received practice. But how did this kind of interpretation develop? I would expect, if I were handed the part, and I heard the singer do what he did, that I should do likewise, but it seems like I might be wrong. So it's curious.

[Posaunus]

Just because it's from Leipzig doesn't necessarily mean that they are following "acceptable received practice" (whatever that is these days).

I love Schütz's music. I'd sure be tempted to follow the vocalist's lead, myself - but without strictly imitating. (Variation makes the music more interesting.)

Perhaps someone could find a YouTube example?

[ithinknot]

You'd really need to know what/who/when. There's now a 60+yr recorded legacy of various generations of historically-informed practice, much of which wasn't/isn't even good in its own time, beyond which tastes vary. In general, the voice is the ideal, but then not all voices are ideal, either...

And, yes, Schütz is extremely wonderful.

[LeTromboniste]

I quickly checked online and from what I could see, this was a recording of the Cappella Fidicinia that's nearly 40 years old (recorded 1984). In terms of the early music performance movement and its development, that's ages ago, towards the end of the pioneering years, and while some things recorded back then still hold up today, a lot doesn't. A quick listen confirms that both the singing and the playing is extremely outdated (it was old-fashioned even for its time). I don't recognize the names of the trombone players (and there really weren't many specialists back then!), from what I can find, these seem to have been local players, I find their names mostly only associated with that group.

Nowadays you would hear specialists use historical tonguings, mostly paired/alternating tonguings "tere tere" or "dere dere" on moving notes, eventually doodle when it gets really fast, and avoiding detached single tonguing, harsh modern double/triple tonguing as well as slurs and full "legato". Above all we try to imitate singers, both in playing the text, and trying to mimick the "gorgia" (quick throat articulations in fast melismas).

[Posaunus]

I quickly checked online and from what I could see, this was a recording of the Cappella Fidicinia that's nearly 40 years old (recorded 1984). A quick listen confirms that both the singing and the playing is extremely outdated (it was old-fashioned even for its time). I don't recognize the names of the trombone players (and there really weren't many specialists back then!), from what I can find, these seem to have been local players. I find their names mostly only associated with that group.

I expected that might be the case.

Nowadays you would hear specialists use historical tonguings, mostly paired/alternating tonguings "tere tere" or "dere dere" on moving notes, eventually doodle when it gets really fast, and avoiding detached single tonguing, harsh modern double/triple tonguing as well as slurs and full "legato". Above all we try to imitate singers, both in playing the text, and trying to mimick the "gorgia" (quick throat articulations in fast melismas).

Maximilien,
Thanks for reassuring me.

[baileyman]

I was hoping some of the expertise here would chime in, and it did! Thanks much for clarifying that little dissonance. My instinct was not as far off as I worried it would be.