Donald Satz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Donald Clarke responds to me:
>
>>>It was reduced vibrato from strings and voices, sharper phrasing,
>>>greater emphasis on brass and woodwinds, cleaner textures w/enhanced
>>>dialogue, and the appeal of being able to place myself in the era of
>>>the composition.
>>
>>We could have had these qualities from a modern orchestra (no doubt reduced
>>in size).
>
>To a degree, yes.  However, period strings have a very different sound
>than their modern counterparts, and I much prefer the former.

Initially I thought Donald literally meant "strings," but now I'm
guessing he was generically referring to stringed instruments.  In any
case I agree with him: the last 250 years have seen changes in stringed
instruments (and strings) which mostly have been geared towards creating
a thicker, more projecting and more sonorous and sustained sound.  For
instance, the Stradivarius model was an improvement over previous models
mostly because of its improved projection qualities.

Some models preceding Strad might have had a "better" sound, but they
couldn't compare in projecting that sound.  (This is my understanding--
I've never had the luck to make personal comparisons.) Mozart should
have lived long enough to have at least been introduced to the Strad
model, but I read once that his favorite violin was a Stainer, which was
a model that preceded the Strad.  Then followed the introduction of the
Tourte bow, with its concave design, which gave the string player greater
capacity to sustain a tone the entire length of the bowstroke-- again
we're dealing with a change which allows for the production of more
sound.  Finally, as I understand, following WWII there was a general
shift from the use of gut strings to metal or metal-wound strings,
which again enhanced sound-projection.

So yes, you probably can take a modern orchestra and ask them to play
more quietly and without vibrato, for the purposes of HIP, etc., but
when the equipment they're working with has been designed for a different
aesthetic and trade-off has been, for example, a loss of articulation
for a thicker or lusher sound, well, then it's really not the same thing.

hector aguilar

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