Some Workshop Proposals, Ideas and Suggestions.

 

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• “Digital resources”: an examination on what is available online that can aid in research about the repertoire, history and development of bass instruments over the centuries; screening among archives, library, musicology reviews and journals, magazines, annals, etc., with attention to primary and secondary sources.

 

• “Iconography”: an overview of the most meaningful and accurate paintings, printings and drawings from the past centuries to summarize accepted facts about the dimensions, shapes and uses of our instruments in different consorts. Which historical images provide accurate information about set-up and holding the instrument?

 

• “Historical Bows”: many bass players have a rather structured idea about the past of our instrument, its tunings and early history, but there is still confusion about the bow during the centuries, as far as its shape, length, curves and grip (German, French, Under-hand like the gambas, etc…).

 

• “The rhetoric of singing and good accompaniment on the bass”: analysis of the basics of the accompaniment of soloist singers with the string bass instruments, how to support and dialogue with them, how to share the score with keyboard instruments, which notes to emphasize to amplify meaning and the syllable stress/distribution, how to interpret a recitative (long/short notes, chords for harmonies, characterizing different personalities of the opera, etc…). Practical demonstration possible at the end of the workshop.

 

• “Early, but Contemporary”: looking for possible connections between early music and contemporary music: structures, improvisation, newness, “foreignization”, notation, avant-garde, etc… Practical demonstration possible at the end of the workshop.

 

• “Geographical areas of interest”: an in-depth study of certain cities, countries or regions that contributed influentially to music in the past (ex. Brescia: please see the dedicated pages for an example-draft of this workshop’s project). Practical demonstration possible at the end of the workshop.

 

• “Transcribing from the past”: personal transcriptions curated by a student or group of students of both unpublished and well-known scores, manuscripts, ancient printings found in libraries, eventually after collation and analysis of different sources.

 

• …