Hi all.
I have taken the liberty of adding a few pertinent links to Peter's detailed message, below.
-Andrew At 07:23 AM 3/4/2008, Peter Forrester wrote:
Dear All, There were two different diatonic - ie. partially fretted - fingerboard patterns used in 16th and 17th c. Italy. The cittern by Campi in the RCM, London, and the Augustinus in the V&A, London, represent the two types and drawings are available of both (although that from the V&A especially is expensive). Both patterns are on the Theater of Music articles page.
http://www.cittern.theaterofmusic.com/articles/fretting.html
The Campi pattern seems to relate to, and perhaps (suggested by Patrick Delaval) gave rise to the North European diatonic pattern used on the Tilman cittern and others in Holland. The pattern on the Augustinus occurs, with slight variations, on several other citterns - the 'Amati' in Florence; another, ex Rothschild collection, sold quite recently (see ToM);
http://www.cittern.theaterofmusic.com/old/franc.html
another also sold recently, by Rossi(?). Its most important characteristic is that the fourth course is chromatic. Several citterns, including two in Leipzig,
http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/ZISTER/0612.htm and http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/ZISTER/0613.htm
one in Vienna, the Pietro Paulo, and the Corsican cittern from Merusaglia have these chromatic frets extended to the bass edge of the fingerboard. This seems not to be for additional notes, but rather because these fret slots would be easier to make than blind slots in the middle of the fingerboard. There is very little music known at present. One book by Vincenti,
http://www.cittern.theaterofmusic.com/printed/gv1602.html
and four pages of ms. Vincenti uses a * to indicate partial frets,
See the music sample for "Pass'e'mezo": http://www.cittern.theaterofmusic.com/musicfiles/index.html
and there are some also present in the ms. Unfortunately, due to the comparative simplicity of the extant music, it seems to be playable on both fretting patterns, although a better musician than myself might be able to make more useful conclusions. The tablature suggests that the instrument was primarily played on four courses, with extra basses. No six-course chords are used and Vincenti only uses an open fifth in his five-course chords. Both citterns in Vienna have 14 pegs, and the diatonic instrument does seem to have been for 7 courses (from the position of the partial frets), which would seem to be a step towards the 8 of that from Merusaglia. I don't think that there are any other diatonic citterns from Corsica(?) and would suggest a date around 1700, but up to perhaps ± 50 years. Cerone, 1613, gives a "hexachord" tuning, from the top: a,g,c,e,f,d. This is a fifth below the usual c. 42cm - 44cm cittern's top string at e', and matches up with a 60+cm string length and the breaking strength of the wire available during the 17th c. This tuning works for Vincenti, but the ms needs its 6th course a third lower. Peter To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
