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Explorations in Listening

 

These activities are created for persons who enjoy listening to guitar music, exploring music history, rediscovering familiar pieces and having new listening experiences. Some are directed toward students and amateur players while others are more scholarly. Please enjoy and check back for updates.

 

Activities are created with adult music enthusiasts in mind, so please monitor young students with content and links. ​

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Carlina Flores and Lute Performance​

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Featured Video

In this video, Carlina Flores performs lute in duet with Tobias Emmerich. The composition is Passymeasures Galliard by John Daniell, an English composer and lutenist who lived from 1564 until after 1625.​​​​​​

About Carlina Flores

Carlina Flores is a Venezuelan guitarist and lutenist born in Puerto Cabello. She began her musical journey at the age of seven with the Venezuelan cuatro and later completed her academic training in Maracay, studying with Maestro Luis Ochoa and graduating with honors from the Conservatorio de Música de Aragua under Maestro Efraín Silva. She further refined her artistry through two years of private study with Maestro Luis Zea. In 2021, she completed her Master of Music in Classical Guitar Performance at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (University of Music and Dance Cologne), Germany. She studied for her Bachelor’s degree in Early Music (Lute) with Prof. David Bergmüller and Prof. Ryosuke Sakamoto at the Hochschule and received her Master’s degree in Chamber Music from the same institution. 

 

Flores began teaching classical guitar and music history in Venezuela before reaching adulthood. During her time in Germany, she has taught at at least six private music schools in Cologne and currently teaches guitar and lute at the Musikschule der Stadt Hennef. As a performer, she has appeared in concert since the age of twelve, performing as a soloist with the most important orchestras of her country. She has performed in several countries in Latin America and Europe, and won national competitions in Venezuela as well as international awards. At 19, she founded and organized the first Festival de Guitarra de Puerto Cabello. She is also regularly invited to perform at festivals in Europe to give concerts and masterclasses, as well as to serve on competition juries.

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Ms. Flores has many wonderful videos on Youtube and her social media channels. I am definitely looking forward to hearing her in concert sometime in the future.

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https://www.youtube.com/user/carlinaflores

https://www.facebook.com/carlinafloresguitar/

https://www.instagram.com/carlinafloress/

Exploring the Lute

Introductory Questions 

Through observation of the video and using resources like those listed below, explore the following questions.

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  1. Describe the physical characteristics of the lute including the shape, pegbox, rose, number and pairing of strings, tuning, etc.

  2. Where and when did the lute originate? How has it evolved? ​​

  3. Who are some of the primary composers of lute music?

  4. How was lute music written?

  5. Which works adapted from the lute are regularly performed by guitarists?

  6. Observe the technique Ms. Flores and Mr. Emmerich use for plucking. How does this technique differ from modern classical guitar technique?

 

Here are some resources to help:

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Deeper Dive

Use the following prompts to explore famous works and figures associated with the lute.

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  1. Were Bach's lute suites written for the lute? 

    1. ​Here is a blog post exploring this topic: https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/bachs-lute-suites-clive-titmuss/

  2. Explore the work of lutenists and early music specialists such as Diane Poulton, Suzanne Bloch and Arnold Dolmetsch. â€‹

    1. Biography of Diane Poulton https://walterbitner.com/2018/12/10/diana-poulton/

      1. "There has been no other one person in the 20th century lute world who has reached so many people worldwide through performing, scholarship and teaching. I did not study with Diana in the formal sense of the word, but I learned so much from Diana that I have to consider myself her pupil" (Donna Curry, LSA Quarterly, February, 1996 as cited by Walter Bitner)

      2. ​Video of lutenist Mike Wespel-Rose playing Diane Poulton's "Introduction to Lute Playing" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gEzEWZAKg

      3. Sheet music for Diane Poulton's "Tutor for the Renaissance Lute" https://www.schott-music.com/en/a-tutor-for-the-renaissance-lute-noc42138.html

  3. Discuss Julian Bream's work with the lute including his early music ensemble.​

    1. Bream playing lute for Stravinksy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4f8fej9Sqo

    2. Bream giving a televised lute concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLKE99088Ds

    3. Bream's lutes https://www.julianbreamguitar.com/lutes.html

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Additional Resources 

  1. Meet the Lute by Walter Bitner https://walterbitner.com/2015/09/20/meet-the-lute/

  2. Discussion of lutes and technique https://www.caseyfitzpatrick.com/lutenists-journal/category/Lute+Technique

  3. Scholarly research resources https://lutesocietyofamerica.org/scholarly-resources/

  4. Lute Online Resources Portal https://www.lutesociety.org/lute-portal/home

  5. Where to start if you would like to learn to play the lute https://lutesocietyofamerica.org/resources/for-beginners/where-to-start/

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For Fun

Download a Word Search Here

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© 2024 Candice Mowbray

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