Thanks Frank and Stuart for all the info on Bellman, Storm, etc.
On Nov 16, 2008, at 6:46 AM, Frank Nordberg wrote:
Now it's getting really messy. The sixth course in the tuning
charts are
not slashed which is how the *seventh* course are notated in the
fretting examples on the same page. The only explanation I can
think of is that the tuning charts are copied from a different
source than the rest of the ms and intended for a six course
instrument.
You are right, the last tuning course in not slashed -- I should mark
that in my edition.
As I've mentioned, I am a bit uncomfortable with the number of
editorial changes I was making with the bass courses. Perhaps your
suggestion that the manuscript tuning chart was copied from a
different source might also apply to different musical pieces.
Now that I've had a closer look at the music I agree. C is the only
tuning that would consistently fit all the pieces with no need for
retuning or "correcting" any bass notes.
I'm glad
> There are also passage (6 and 14) where the baseline seems to be
> displaced an octave (if the 7th is read as a C).
How about a re-entrant tuning: c'-f-bb-d'-f'-a'-d''
There are plenty of historical references to such a practice to add
extra bass strings to facilitate the playing of certain notes
rather than to expand the instrument's range although I have to
admit I don't know of any close to Storm in time and location.
Such a tuning would solve another problem that's been bothering me
about the manuscript: the range of the seven course instrument
seems far to wide for the string materials available at that time.
I think it's an interesting idea to consider something re-entrant. If
the 7th were an octave higher it would make more sensible bass line
movement, but then in some places it would be the same pitch as a
fretted note (piece #6, for example). Why choose one over the other?
Might a possible re-entrant tuning might have started on a higher
course than 7? The melodies seem to go down to the third or fourth
course. Might a re-entrant start from, say the 5th course? I don't
have any knowledge of the later (or larger citterns), so it's just
posed as a question.
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