Report of Meeting 22/10/22 November 14, 2022

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Report of Meeting 22/10/22

SLEGS co-founder Bill Samson opened our meeting, after rounding off our last one.  He brought along a guitar which he built himself in 1988, and as the guitar is very similar to a Torres guitar owned by Francisco Tárrega, he played three pieces associated with him.  Firstly, he performed a study in E minor, and while the piece is often attributed to Tárrega, Bill’s research tells us it first appeared in a book published in Brazil.  Secondly, he played a study in B minor by Fernando Sor.  Bill, influenced by a historical recording of Miguel Llobet, played the piece with inégal, which suited it very well as it bounced along under his fingers.  Finally, we enjoyed a Pavane in A major, which Bill likes to call ‘a study in glissando’.  Bill used the whole range of his guitar as he slid up and down the neck, delivered precise and clear harmonics, and showed us that his guitar sounds as sweet today as it did when it was built.

Joanna Allsop performed for us next. She told us that coming to the lute from other instruments, she was amazed by the quality of the composers who are relatively unknown outside of early music, with one such composer being Hans Neusidler.  Joanna played a Neusidler Preamble on a six-course lute which was built by her father.  The instrument itself features a bowl made of yew ribs, which we all agreed looked and sounded stunning.  Joanna played the piece very clearly and confidently, while demonstrating an excellent thumb under technique in her right hand.

Third to play was Alastair Merrill. Alastair was brave enough to sight-read a couple of pieces on an unfamiliar lute at the July meeting, but this time had his own lute.  The instrument itself was built by Larry Brown of the U.S.A in the 1980s, and then Alastair had slight modifications made to the instrument by Tony Johnson once it came into his possession.  He treated us to two pieces, both from the Betsy Small intabulations published by the lute society (UK) in the Lutezine.  Alastair played the two Skye Airs with great clarity and a gentle touch to get the best out of the instrument.  The pieces really made us long for the highlands and islands on a damp and dour afternoon in the heart of Edinburgh.

Bruce Roth made his performance debut at this meeting.  Bruce told us that this was his first performance to any audience, not just to us.  He played two pieces, ‘Galliard (Rocha El Fuso)’ and an intabulation of ‘Passtyme With Good Company’, with both pieces in tribute to ‘that great composer, Anonymous’.  Bruce got a great tone from his Barber and Harris lute, showing us the wonderful bass register and sweet highs of the instrument.  A wonderful first public performance, well done Bruce.

Following Bruce, Glen Robertson delighted us with some early sixteenth-century lute music. First, he played ‘Gott Behüt Dich Herchen’ from a 1530s Berlin manuscript, followed by a ‘Recercar’ and ‘La Strepa Fava’ by Marco Dall’Aquilla, both from a Venetian manuscript circa 1520. Glen captured the improvisatory freedom of the recercar and used deft ornamentation and arpeggiation to great effect in the arrangement of local songs. The acquisition of new renaissance guitar has not taken anything away from Glen’s lute playing, which continues grow in confidence with each performance.

Society chair, Eric Thomas, followed with two compositions from Francesco Spinacino’s Libro primo.  Eric told us how some have suggested that Spinacino did not actually play the lute, but instead was only an editor who collected and compiled his two lute books. However, Eric does not subscribe to this theory saying how there is an underlying logic to how Spinacino chooses to intabulate compositions over both his prints.  He played a ‘Recercar’ and Spinacino’s intabulation of ‘La Bernadina’ originally by Josquin des Prez.  The first piece highlighted quick, sharp, chord changes, and the second featured more scale runs and melodic passages.  Eric made great use of the upper frets on his instrument and impressed us all by bringing the pieces to life. 

Sean Shibe was our final performer of the meeting.  He performed ‘Mille Regretz’, another composition by Josquin des Prez, this time in an intabulation by Spanish vihuelist Luis de Narváez.  Sean’s playing was incredibly expressive and emotive and was performed with expert articulation and delicate rubato. It was a truly captivating performance, and we all hope to hear Sean play for us again. 

Our invited guest was Sara Salloum, a third year PhD student at the University of Durham, who gave a talk around her research on Margaret Board and followed with a performance of selections from the Margaret Board lute book. Sara fascinated us with details about Margaret’s life from her archival researches, with Margaret, in spite of her clear virtuosity on the lute, giving up the lute at an early age once she was married. Sara explored the context of lute books such as Margaret’s and the role they played in the lives of woman in the seventeenth century. The performance focussed on rarely heard pieces from the lute book, with pieces arranged into small suites focussing on a particular aspect, such as ballad tunes or dances. Sara’s playing, on a Tony Johnson lute, was exquisite with her extensive and varied left-hand ornamentation faithfully reflecting the ornamentation found in the Board lute book and Margaret’s own virtuosity. Following the performance there was a lively discussion with Sara answering the many questions members had about her research.
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Report of Meeting 22/10/22

SLEGS co-founder Bill Samson opened our meeting, after rounding off our last one.  He brought along a guitar which he built himself in 1988, and as the guitar is very similar to a Torres guitar owned by Francisco Tárrega, he played three pieces associated with him.  Firstly, he performed a study in E minor, and while the piece is often attributed to Tárrega, Bill’s research tells us it first appeared in a book published in Brazil.  Secondly, he played a study in B minor by Fernando Sor.  Bill, influenced by a historical recording of Miguel Llobet, played the piece with inégal, which suited it very well as it bounced along under his fingers.  Finally, we enjoyed a Pavane in A major, which Bill likes to call ‘a study in glissando’.  Bill used the whole range of his guitar as he slid up and down the neck, delivered precise and clear harmonics, and showed us that his guitar sounds as...
post05/10/2022

Autumn Meeting – 22nd October, 1.30pm

Our autumn meeting will be on the 22nd October, and we are excited that Sara Salloum will be joining us to give a talk and recital on her research on the Margaret Board lute book! If you are planning to attend, please register on the private eventbrite page so we have an idea of numbers, and if you have not attended our players meeting before, please make yourself known in advance by email.  22nd October Meeting 1pm-1.30pm – Arrive 1.30pm – Our regular meeting, members are invited to perform the music they have been working on and to present on topics of interest. Depending on the numbers present about 3 pieces per performer would be ideal. £1 donation for the venue. 3pm – Tea, Coffee, and Cake. A chance to socialise before the lecture recital. 3.30pm – Sara Salloum, The Margaret Board Lute book Sara Salloum is a musicologist and Renaissance lutenist currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Durham. Her...
post14/08/2022

Report of the Meeting 06/08/22

Glen performed for us first, on a new instrument to him: a four-course Renaissance guitar built in Romania by Caius Hera.  He played three pieces from Guillaume Morlaye’s first book of guitar tablature (1552); Galliard No.2, Galliard No.4, and Les Buffons. All performances demonstrated that he is already very proficient on the instrument and able to bring the music to life with great clarity and style. We look forward to more Renaissance guitar repertoire from him in the future. Eric Thomas was next to play, treating us to some music that his Spinacino Consort will be performing this month.  First up was a Jean Paul Paladin intabulation of Le Contente Est Riche by Claudin de Sermisy. Paladin was a lute tutor to Mary Queen of Scots between 1548 and1553: a very appropriate piece to play in the heart of Edinburgh.  Eric showed great skill and accuracy with the quick chord changes and beautiful melody of the piece.  He then...
post18/07/2022

Festival Meeting – 6th August, 1.30pm

We are excited to present a special festival edition of the next SLEGS meeting on 6th August. Jamie Akers is in town and will play for us extracts from his new CD, music by the 19th-century Ukrainian guitarist Ivan Klinger! If you are planning to attend, please register on the private eventbrite page so we have an idea of numbers, and if you have not attended our players meeting before, please make yourself known in advance by email.  6th August Meeting 1pm-1.30pm – Arrive 1.30pm – Our regular meeting, members are invited to perform the music they have been working on and to present on topics of interest. Depending on the numbers present about 3 pieces per performer would be ideal. £1 donation for the venue. 3pm – Tea, Coffee, and Cake. A chance to socialise before the lecture recital. 3.30pm – Jamie Akers, Ivan Klinger: The Poor Branch Jamie Akers presents music by 19th-century Ukranian guitarist Ivan  Klinger from his new album. Klinger’s...
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Report of Meeting – 06/07/22

After our last extended meeting, which included a talk, concert, and prosecco and cake, this was slightly shorter, featuring our regular meeting, coffee and cake, and a lecture recital. We welcomed old and new members, with people coming equally with instruments to perform, and without to just enjoy the music and cake! Funds were raised to help bring further guest speakers in the future. Glen once again opened our meeting performing a mixture of German, Italian, and French repertoire on his 8 course EMS lute. First, he performed Margraffer dantz from a Swiss manuscript(CH-Bu. FII)showcasing his trademark ornamentation and arpeggiation, highlighting the rhythmic character of the dance. He then this followed this with Basso del Ninfe, delightfully balancing the bassline and melody of this beautiful tune by Cesare Negri. Finally, he took us to France with an intabulation of Las las porquoy, found in Pierre Attaingnant’s first ever lute publication of 1529. The contrapuntal three voice texture could be heard clearly and projected...
post24/06/2022

Summer Meeting – 9th July, 1.30pm

For our summer edition, as well as our regular meeting, we will have a fundraiser lecture recital on Joan Ambrosio Dalza’s Libro Quarto. If you are planning to attend, please register on the private eventbrite page so we have an idea of numbers for social distancing, and if you have not attended our players meeting before, please make yourself known in advance by email.  Meeting is at the regular venue, Chris Elmes place, 1F1 25 Haddington Place, EH7 4AF. 9th July Meeting 1pm-1.30pm – Arrive 1.30pm – Our regular meeting, members are invited to perform the music they have been working on and to present on topics of interest. Depending on the numbers present about 3 pieces per performer would be ideal. £1 donation for venue. 3pm – Tea, Coffee, and Cake. A chance to socialise before the lecture recital. 3.30pm – Eric Thomas – Dalza’s Dictionary of Dance Eric Thomas will discuss Joan Ambrosio Dalza’s Libro Quarto, showing how Dalza...