'The Perfection of Talent': The Cello as Chordal Accompanist in Simple Recitative, 1750 - 1850.

这个项目将重新评估大提琴手在18世纪简单朗诵（现在被贬义地称为“赛科”）中的作用。目前，无论是听到现代乐器还是古典乐器，我们都习惯了一种“一刀切”的方法，磨练出一种经济的完美，即键盘重复器向独奏者传授朗诵，并在此过程中学会准确而不引人注目地伴奏他们。在后期的排练中可能会增加一名大提琴手，这已经成为古典朗诵的标准，但仍然被认为是不必要的奢侈。这种态度导致大提琴手在演奏中，即使他演奏，也演奏得含糊不清，“不安全”，没有增加单词的影响和表达。历史现实赋予大提琴手更大的角色，正如几篇大提琴论文所证明的那样，这些论文指导如何“实现”（协调）低音，从而为歌手提供最大的帮助。有时大提琴教师会指导如何与键盘手一起协调，但从其他论文和欧洲音乐中心巡回演出的作家那里也可以清楚地看出，在某些时期和地点，歌剧中根本没有键盘。此外，古典时期最著名的大提琴伴奏者罗伯特·林德利（Robert Lindley）与低音提琴手多梅尼科·德拉戈内蒂（Domenico Dragonetti）合作了一半。我从来没有参加过或听过任何一场用低音提琴朗诵的古典歌剧演出，尽管音乐学早已接受低音提琴作为古典连续演奏的一个正常组成部分。目前的做法使朗诵流畅但枯燥，更糟糕的是，缺乏和谐的清晰。一些大提琴家开始探索我们的伴奏角色，但由于缺乏时间进行广泛的研究和实验，我们的努力受到阻碍。记录下来的大提琴手与羽管键琴“合作”的例子很少，而那些有大提琴手的角色没有得到他的同事的补充，或者因为录制的声音使观众远离歌剧院，以至于不可能在音乐家之间做出任何现实平衡的尝试。为了解决这个问题，我将研究使用大提琴，声乐和键盘论文的历史实践，以及18世纪和19世纪理论家和评论家的工作。与此同时，我将尽可能熟练地掌握不同风格的大提琴伴奏，并将我的新技能和研究带到我与键盘手，贝斯手和歌手的合作中，尝试不同的乐器和技术组合。将这些实验成果转移到舞台上的计划已经与艺术总监和古典歌剧公司的同事们一起形成，古典歌剧公司是一个专门用历史乐器表演古典歌剧的独特团体。作为小组的首席大提琴手，我有机会以其他大提琴手无法做到的方式将我的研究带到舞台上，因为他们受到客座指挥和继续同事的利益冲突以及时间限制的约束。此外，作为古代音乐学院、早期歌剧公司的首席大提琴手和启蒙时代管弦乐团的定期客座首席，我将在其他几个管弦乐团的节目允许的情况下，把这些经验带到我的工作中。我将以两种方式与其他连续演奏手和大提琴手分享我的经验。首先，我将在音乐学院、大学和住宿暑期课程（从南安普顿大学、皇家威尔士音乐戏剧学院和达灵顿国际暑期学校开始）的大提琴课上做讲座示范，其次，我将在歌剧院指导继续演奏练习（从英国国家歌剧院开始，新任音乐总监爱德华·加德纳已经邀请我指导继续演奏小组）。

This project will reappraise the role of the cellist in eighteenth-century simple recitative (now pejoratively termed 'secco'). Currently, whether hearing modern or period instruments, we are used to a 'one size fits all' approach, honed to an economical perfection whereby keyboard repetiteur teaches recitative to soloists and, in doing so, learns to accompany them precisely and unobtrusively. A cellist may be added at later stage rehearsals, as has become the norm for classical recitative, but is still considered an inessential luxury. This attitude has led to performances in which the cellist, if he plays at all, plays inarticulately and 'safely', adding nothing to the affect and expression of the words. The historical reality gave a far greater role to cellists, as testified by several cello treatises which instruct in how to 'realise' (harmonise) the bass so as to provide most help to the singer. Sometimes cello pedagogues instructed how to harmonise in conjunction with keyboardists, but it is also clear from other treatises and from writers touring European music centres that there were times and places where there was simply no keyboard in the opera at all. Further, the most famous cello accompanist of the classical period, Robert Lindley, was known as half of a partnership with the double bass player Domenico Dragonetti. I have never yet taken part in, or heard, a performance of any classical opera in which the double bass is used in recitative, and this despite the fact that musicology has long since accepted the double bass as a normal part of the classical continuo group. Current practice renders recitatives fluent but dry and, worse, lacking harmonic clarity. Some cellists are beginning to explore our accompanying roles, but our efforts are hampered by lack of time for wide-ranging research and experimentation. Recorded examples of cellists doing any more than 'play along' with the harpsichord are few, and those that there are suffer because the cellist's role is not complemented by his colleagues, or because the recorded sound takes the audience so far from the opera house as to make any attempt at realistic balance between the musicians impossible.In order to resolve this, I will research historical practices using treatises for cello, for voice and for keyboard, as well as the work of eighteenth and nineteenth-century theorists and reviewers. At the same time, I will become fluent in as many different styles of cello accompaniment as I can find evidence for, bringing my new skills and research into my work with keyboardists, bassists and singers to experiment with different combinations of instruments and techniques. Plans to transfer the results of these experiments to the stage are already taking shape with the artistic director and continuo colleagues of The Classical Opera Company, a unique group specialising in the performance of classical opera on historical instruments. As principal cellist with the group I have the opportunity to take my research to the stage in a way that other cellists cannot, as they are bound by the conflicting interests of guest directors and continuo colleagues, and by time constraints. Further, as principal cellist with the Academy of Ancient Music, The Early Opera Company and a regular guest principal with The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment, I will bring this experience to my work with several other orchestras when their programmes allow.I will share my experience with other continuo players and cellists in two ways. Firstly, I will give lecture demonstrations to cello classes at music colleges, universities and residential summer courses (starting at Southampton University, The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Dartington International Summer School), and secondly I will coach continuo practice at opera houses (starting at English National Opera, where theinvitation to coach the continuo group has already come from new musical director Edward Gardner).