Reviews and Praise
Richard J. Milner, editor, Newsletter of the Australian Viola da Gamba Society, and president of the AVdGS (Australian Viola da Gamba Society), October 2009, No. 38, "Viols on the Web"
There are an increasing number of semi-commercial sites offering interesting music arranged for viols for sale. These are often hard to find and I was delighted to recently discover RipMeister Publications. This is the work of Daniel Rippe who is also a very fine viol player (see his CD [by soloist Ann Marie Morgan] FORQUERAY, A.: Suite No. 1 in D minor / BALTZAR, T.: Divisions on a Ground in G major / LAWES, H.: Among Rosebuds, Centaur CRC2685, see www.classicsonline.com for sound excerpts and purchase). The music is very well presented with excellent prefaces. His catalogue is small but most interesting: [Here the author has reprinted the current RipMeister Catalog webpage.]
[Note from the publisher: In addition to arrangements for viols, RipMeister also offers modern urtext editions of music by original composers (period and contemporary).]Marc Strümper, editor, Newsletter of the Viola da gamba - Gesellschaft (Viola da Gamba Society of Switzerland), December 2005, No. 60, page 17, "New Music Publications"
Daniel Rippe is another practicing musician who has taken it upon himself to publish musical works, which he would gladly own himself, in modern editions, in a small publishing house. According to his report [mission statement], these include new compositions, period music that is out of print or difficult to find and adaptations of existing works in the style of the appropriate period. At present three editions are available, however, future ones are already announced in the publisher's catalog.
At this time, the first work from this publisher is "Three Tune Settings for Solo Bass Viol" by Daniel Rippe. With three works of the 16th/17th Century, it contains "O Darkest Woe" (Mainz 1628), a melody of Thomas Tallis, and the song "Farewell, dear love" by Robert Jones. For each, the original version is printed on one page with continuo accompaniment or as five-part [four-part] pieces. On the facing page are relatively simple "improvisations". I personally like the third one the best because it comes closest to a contemporary lute intabulation [tablature].
The second edition contains nine [now ten] pieces by Louis Couperin from the "Bauyn Manuscript" in Paris [c.1675]. The original manuscript is a collection of 120 pieces for cembalo (harpsichord), four for organ and five for ensemble. That some the pieces have titles like "Fantaise pour les violes" or "Fantaisie de violes", is not surprising, given that Louis Couperin was also employed as a viol player at the French court. The other pieces selected by Rippe also lie very well on the viola da gamba, whether playing them using a treble on the upper part with a bass viol below, or instead using a bass viol reading an octave down with a keyboard instrument (the notation uses treble and bass clefs). Some are clearly duets, others are for solo instrument with continuo. There are few bass figures (as in the original), but no realization. The degree of difficulty is on middle level, however, the pieces are quite interesting musically and therefore worthwhile.
The third and latest edition of the publishing house (just like the fourth, yet to be published) brings very interesting transcriptions of Bach Chorales for two bass viols and Continuo. In his informative preface the publisher refers to the long tradition of transcription and adaptation, providing evidence with Bach's own works. In these works, Rippe's skillful exchanging of the voices of the two gambas with the upper and lower voices of the keyboard successfully clarifies the contrapuntal art of Bach, as well as it creates very interesting musical effects.
The computer printing is clean and clear, with page turns well-considered and in appropriate places for the booklet. Orders can be placed directly over the internet, at the web page of the publishing house: www.RipMeister.com.
Hannah Davidson, editor, Newsletter of the Viola da Gamba Society of America - New England Chapter, December 2005, page 3, "Music Review"
Also available from RipMeister Publications is a new edition of Louis Couperin's pieces for treble viol and bass, from the Bauyn manuscript. Time to retire the ancient, faded Xerox copy of the old 1959 Oiseau-Lyre edition copied from the library! The Bauyn manuscript contains mostly keyboard music, but includes a number of pieces for treble viol, with a bass [line] which can be played on the bass viol, or realized on a harpsichord. These delightful simphonies, fantasies and psaumes are of varying difficulty, most including notes above the frets, and sixteenth- and thirty-second-notes. The provenance of some of the pieces is also of interest, suggesting a connection with the English composer Richard Mico. RipMeister Publications includes nine pieces in all [ten in the new 2nd edition], most for treble and bass viol and/or keyboard. This attractive edition includes useful notes on the pieces themselves, performance possibilities and sources.
[Note from the publisher: The pieces in treble clef also work beautifully an octave down on bass viol.]Ann Marie Morgan, contributor, Newsletter of the Viola da Gamba Society of America, March 2004, Volume 41, No. 1, page 13, "Review"
RipMeister Publications is worth keeping an eye on. Daniel Rippe, founder, is an accomplished violist da gamba, recently awarded a Maryland [State Arts Council] Individual Artist Grant. He plays the viol well and knows how to arrange for it, too (as demonstrated in RIP-1 Three Tune Settings for Solo Bass Viol). His most recent publication brings us chamber music by Louis Couperin. <.p>
As a teacher I am thrilled to have them (eight short duets and a trio [now two trios]). The edition itself is easy to read and comes with scores for two players. The pieces are appropriate for players of a wide range of abilities.
As a busy performer I am also delighted with this edition because of the helpful notes he includes in the publication. Though not a musicologist, Daniel provides detailed information about the origin of the manuscript and the decisions he made in making it available for our use. In his preface, Daniel suggests implementing various combinations of instruments from two viols (treble + bass and bass + bass) to solo instrument with continuo forces. This is a great addition to all violists' libraries — the music of Louis Couperin deserves to be played and heard.
(I wish to let the reader know that Daniel Rippe received his Graduate Performance Diploma as my pupil at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in 2000.)