<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Dear SMT-Listers,<div><br></div><div>I look forward to reading Keiler’s article. Thanks to Prof. Harrison for reminding me of it.</div><div><br></div><div>As Sanguinetti’s <i>Art of Partimento </i>points out, Fenaroli (famed Neapolitan teacher of composition) had students practice each bass starting with root (1st position), third (2nd position), and fifth (3rd position) on top. My guess is this Italian tradition likely made its way to Germany. </div><div><br></div><div>As undergraduates at Drake Univ. in the late 1960s, we learned all of our figured bass keyboard progressions in that way. Edward K. West, PhD (Univ. of Rochester-Eastman), was my prof. for sophomore theory or harmony as it was know in those days.</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Richard Hermann, PhD, Prof. of Music</div><div>Regent's Lecturer</div><div>Univ. of New Mexico</div><div><a href="mailto:harhar@unm.edu">harhar@unm.edu</a></div><div><br><div><div>On Mar 19, 2014, at 1:58 31, Daniel Harrison <<a href="mailto:daniel.harrison@yale.edu">daniel.harrison@yale.edu</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">
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Allan Keiler's recent JMT article, "<a href="http://jmt.dukejournals.org/content/current">The Problem of
the Retrieval of Musical Knowledge: The Thoroughbass Tradition and
Its Relationship to Rameau</a>," touches on the relevant issue
from thoroughbass realization. It's a beginner's standard, of
course, to realize thoroughbass with a fairly free-ranging left-hand
bass with close-positioned chord an octave or so above in the right.
Thicker textures call for more left-hand chording.<br>
<br>
As for technical terms for RH voicings, one could do worse than by
labeling the <i>soprano</i> position--what the pinky is doing
rather than the thumb. Some German authors note this, e.g., <i>Terzlage</i>
for a voicing with pinky on the chordal third, <i>Q</i><i>uint</i><i>lage</i><i>
</i>for fifth, etc. This works well in situations where
accompanimental chords "hang" in close position from a melody.<br>
<br>
As for fundamentals-textbook authors, I encourage the use of C-clefs
to flush out overqualified students looking for an easy A.<br>
<br>
Daniel Harrison<br>
Yale University<br>
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