The
Robertson Village Music Society hosted a special performance of "The Muses Salon" on 10 December 2008.
Of the various "Chamber Music" concerts hosted by the RVMS which I have attended, this was the most unusual, or should I say, with the least "familiar" music (to my ears). Not withstanding that, I really enjoyed this concert. The music was approachable, to the uninitiated, especially with the gentle and harmonious tones of the Viola da Gamba, and the Lute. One could certainly visualise this music being played in the intimate surroundings of a Salon, or at a dinner party in genteel society in Renaissance France.
This trio takes its inspiration from the Renaissance traditions of the late 17th century. The vocalist,
Anna Fraser, is a classically trained Soprano, who specialises in the early repertoire.
Laura Vaughan plays the
7-string bass viol (or "viola da gamba"). Her instrument was made by
Henner Harders, of Mansfeld, Germany, in 2008, after Colichon, of Paris, in 1685.
Laura explained that while it appears superficially similar to a cello, it is actually closer to a guitar, especially in the use of frets, to give defined notes. The Viol is also played with the bow held "upside down" (compared to modern bowing techniques on the Violin, for example), with the fingers touching the bow hairs, to allow the player greater control, while playing. This is explained in
Wikipedia... "This is essential to allow the traditional playing technique in which the player tensions the bow hair with one or two fingers of the right hand between the hair and the bow stick in order to control
articulation and inflection while playing.
"Perhaps the least familiar instrument is that played by
Andrew Byrne, being the 14 string
Theorbo, which is a member of the Lute family. This instrument was made by John Dale of Melbourne in 1989, after an instrument by Vendelia Tieffenbrucker, of Padova in 1611.
This instrument has an extended neck, with an additional "peg box" for tuning of an additional 6 strings, which gives the instrument far greater bass range than normally possible on a conventionally stringed instrument.
You may read an article by Andrew in the magazine
"Salut! News!". He explains the important role of this instrument in the Renaissance, as follows: "As the only instrument capable of playing polyphony and chords with dynamics until the invention of the pianoforte, it was considered the jewel amongst instruments, second only to the human voice." Once he started playing the instrument, one could sense the natural resonances sympathetic to the human voice.
Andrew Byrne is a local Southern Highlands resident, these days, and plays in various venues around the Highlands. Watch out for any performances by him - you will find it a very interesting event, well worth your while.
You may listen to several selections of Andrew's playing by visiting his
website.
