Stuart Walsh
Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:10:07 -0800
On his cittern ning website: http://cittern.ning.com/profile/TimoPeedu Timo Peedo has photos of 3 different citoles.citole 1 (photos 3 and 4): looks like a reconstruction of the British Museum (Warwick Castle 'gittern') instrument - but simpler. Kate McWilliams was at the last Early Music Exhibition in London and had her reconstruction - which she offers for sale. Her website is:
http://www.trombamarina.com/gittern/Citole%20page.htmKate's version is fancy, like the original, but with conventional-looking, but fixed, frets and a still rather violin-looking (the instrument was converted into a sort of violin later in its existence) string set up - with 3 double gut strings. Timo's is much stranger. The four single (gut? metal?) strings tie at the trefoil thing at the end of the instrument. I wonder if this is actually workable as a way of stringing or perhaps the instrument is more conjectural. On Timo's 'Warwick' instrument there are no frets - but wedges (which I'm sure is meant to be more authentic but I can't imagine how they actually work. Do you 'fret' the notes by pressing the strings between the wedges?)
citole 2 (photo 5) This one is rather like this one (Parma?): http://www.ellisium.cwc.net/citole.htmTimo's citole2 is thin-bodied, with four single strings of metal? gut? and the strange wedges for frets. Again I can't see how they tie at the tail end. If a string snapped could you tie another one on?
Citole 3 (photos 6 and 7) has a citole unlike ones I've seen in the iconography. It's got three pairs of (gut? metal? strings) and a fancier - and more practical-looking way of tying the strings at the tail. But again the strange wedge 'frets'.
Perhaps Timo is not around now? Anyway, I wonder if these instruments are workable, playable things. They look really interesting and strange - especially the 'frets'. And would instruments like these be part of fancier music making - in consort with other instruments, perhaps. Or would they have been used by itinerant soloists playing we'll-never-know music?
Stuart To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html