Squalid and Obscure: Timbral Word Painting at the Arpa Doppia

Hannah Rose (Kit) Spencer

Name: Kit (Hannah Rose) Spencer Main Subject: Baroque Harp Research Supervisor: Kate Clark Title of Research: Squalid and Obscure: Timbral Word Painting at the Arpa Doppia Research Question: Can timbral refinement, through synthesized notation and subsequent technical exercises, enhance contrast and word painting in arpa doppia continuo realisations of Seconda Prattica songs? Summary of Results: While functionally versatile, the arpa doppia, an Italian harp of imposing size with multiple layers of resonating strings, revealed its nature as fondamento, in the subtle art of continuo. Direct contact with the open strings gave singers, accompanying themselves on the harp, unparalleled control over the instrument’s timbral potential. This is reflected in the role of the instrument within musica secreta, private concerts at the courts of Ferrara and Modena stylistically favouring word painting and chromaticism, in ensembles such as the concerto delle donna and Baroni sisters. The expressive freedom of their art influenced poets and composers and contributed to the development of the seconda prattica at the turn of the sixteenth century. Indeed, voice and harp were held up as the ideal way to perform epic poetry, a reflection of the mesmerising contrast and colour their combined forces could deliver. How do we find this unique skill-set today from a broken line of tradition, contending with limited, conflicting primary resources? There is very little surviving repertoire specific to the instrument, and other sources such as paintings are static representations with considerable variation in position and placement of the instrument, body and hands, making it hard to replicate. In the years dedicated to exploring the arpa doppia, we harpists uncover these insights through shared motions and motivations of our forebears— finding a way to play like them by trying to vividly colour the text as they did. This is a way artistic research can bring to life the spectrum of lost practice and technique. My research has resulted in the creation of timbral notation for the arpa doppia, easily added to music notation and publishing software. This notation is designed to help recreate as much as possible all the timbral refinement found by the hands of masterful singer-harpists. It documents, builds upon and preserves the invaluable research of historical practitioners, using visual, contact-based diagrams to provide clarity in understanding this evocative and highly specialised art form. With this foundation of timbre and text, it aims to reconstitute the virtuosity, influence and innovation of the original arpa doppia players, through our shared practice today.  Biography: While playing as the Australian Youth Orchestra's Principal Harpist, and as a fellow of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Kit Spencer's Honours degree culminated in studying Berio's infamous Sequenza II with its foremost interpreter, Alice Giles. Her passion for colour, gesture and bass lead her to arpa doppia, beginning with Andrew Lawrence King's St. Petersburg production of Landi's La Morte d'Orfeo and Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in Bauska Castle, Latvia.

5.1 Conclusions

In trying to recreate technique for the arpa doppia, I gained a deeper understanding of the nature of the instrument, of the styles and purpose for which it was created. I found that in making exercises of change and consistency, I was able to think of the elements independently and in a more fluid way. I felt like I could take greater responsibility for my continuo, and broaden both the expressive range and the perception of that range. I am not sure if my playing can match up to Michi, who Doni described, but in creating this notation and researching the role of my instrument, I feel like I have the tools I need to get closer to that kind of playing, and I am aware that is something of which my harp is capable.

A number of positive trends emerged in my artistic practice as I immersed myself in the repertoire. My previous technique in word painting was writing out the translation, trying to directly correspond word meaning to the lyrics, with additional expressive annotations or illustrations. In using timbral notation, I felt more proactive rather than reactive. Rather than reading the note and word, interpreting that musically each time instinctively, I could make different choices and think about moving through the phrases rather than jumping from word to word and waiting for the singer to lead the expression.

While developing and using these exercises, these ideas transferred to other songs and repertoire. Complete realisations did not restrict my expressive freedom, I felt greater awareness and control transferring to unrealised scores. When approaching the virtuosic solo repertoire of the Neapolitan school, I felt like the toccatas had more body through greater timbral awareness. I am not a natural composer or improviser, but surprisingly, a timbral perspective made me feel more free to ornament and create diminutions, able to focus on the touch and sound before the structured strictures of pitch.

While my initial motivation was firmly rooted in developing something specifically for harpists, my colleagues have expressed an interest in my notation as well. I am curious if an equivalent notation could be developed for woodwind, brass or voice, but there may be difficulties in such an adaptation, because of the advantage the notation is based on, direct contact controlling every element of timbre. I hope that further development of this technique, however, will allow my fellow harpists to share their insights on colour and string contact with their unique realisations.

This research has made me aware of the hidden insights into the world of the music we play, how critical, in-depth study of primary source material can lead to practical and innovative solutions for working musicians. It is my hope that my notation proves useful to others and this research provokes a more vigorous discussion of the role of timbre and word painting in early music, and that we can progress past preconceptions to something entirely old and entirely new.

5.2 Bibliography

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