Letter from London

by Theron R. McClure

Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Newsletter Vol. 3, #5 & 6, 1975



he early music buff finds much to enjoy in wintry England. During the first two weeks of December, 1975, Renaissance and Baroque music concerts were presented nightly at London’s Queen Elizabeth, Purcell, and Wigmore halls. The quality of performance specialists was held to the highest level; the dozen of early performance specialists was held to the highest level; the dozen of early performance specialists had a wonderful skill. In most performances nineteenth century playing mannerisms had been excised: e.g. vibrato was not heard from London violists. But the teaching of Arnold Dolmetsch and his followers were given little heed. In an all-Dowland concert at the Purcell room, only one ornament was heard from the instrumentalists the whole evening.

Early music concerts draw full houses. There is a saying in London, that the old people go to the new music and the young people to the old. But a price has to be paid for this popularity: the larger the audience, the more the viols sound like the celli. Performers can’t keep from straining their instruments toward a commonplace tone.