Exposition

Lute Continuo in The Royall Consort of William Lawes (2023)

Jeremy Bass
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open exposition

About this exposition

The score of The Royall Consort by William Lawes indicates "thoroughbass for 2 theorboes," but provides very little information about how the two theorbo parts were to be played. The lack of instructions implies an established practice that must have been common knowledge to the first performers of this music. Lutenists approaching the Royall Consort today bring their own assumptions about what it means to realize a continuo part on two theorbos--ideas that do not always align with historical evidence.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsWilliam Lawes, The Royall Consort, English Baroque Music, consort music, lute, theorbo, viola da gamba, Oxford, manuscripts, continuo, thoroughbass, seventeenth centrury
date20/11/2022
published19/07/2023
last modified19/07/2023
statuslimited publication
share statusprivate
copyrightJeremy Bass
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/1820260/1833702
published inKC Research Portal
portal issue3. Internal publication


Simple Media

id name copyright license
1833692 2 theorbos title page graphic Bodleian Library CC BY-NC-ND
1937333 locke melothesia example none Public domain
1937341 locke melothesia example none Public domain
1937342 RC title page photo ? CC BY-NC-ND
1945048 Theorbo-wright N/A Public domain
1946245 lo llamare william lawes none Public domain
1947347 o thou from whom example none CC BY-NC-ND
1947353 o thou from whom detail none CC BY-NC-ND
1947391 Happy he example none CC BY-NC-ND
1947393 O thou from whom example v 2 none CC BY-NC-ND
1954022 bass marking none Public domain
1954025 thoroughbass marking none Public domain
1959261 dissonance in Wilson realization none Public domain
1963725 cavalli sonata none Public domain
1963732 Cavalli overo tiorba excerpt none Public domain
1967981 William-Dobson-Portrait-of-William-Lawes none Public domain
1967989 lo llamare william lawes none Public domain
1968069 lute duets detail 12 course lute none Public domain
1968101 man with 12 c lute none Public domain
1968289 In Darkness none Public domain
1968299 verve example none Public domain
1973725 rc 8 example David Pinto Public domain
1973734 little consort example 2 none Public domain
1974408 Wilson better none Public domain
1974435 Locke example none Public domain
1974441 Henry lawes cadence none Public domain
1974448 H Lawes example 2 none Public domain
1974499 paven doubling example David Pinto Public domain
1974625 care charming sleep none Public domain
1974643 Lawes song take 1 none Public domain

comments: 1 (last entry by Bert Mooiman - 04/03/2023 at 10:35)