Stuart Walsh wrote:
> I haven't seen many mandora tablatures but I agree that this Moravian
> tablature looks very similar. Couldn't that be just the tablature
> style of the time and place - whatever the instrument?
Probably. I can't see any reason why tablature notation style would
differ between different instruments really.
> I can't remember why the Moravian tablature is attributed to the
> cittern. Andrew will remind us.
I'm neither Andrew nor Andrew but I have kept the post where Andrew R.
first brught up the Moravian ms.
He said:
> There is a book of "chorales" in tablature from c.1750 in the Moravian
> Archives in Bethlehem PA, that may be for cittern.
In other words, he wasn't at that time absolutely sure what instrument
the music was itnended for.
But apparently the manuscript came with a six course cittern and at
least one painting that included a lady playing such an instrument.
There are photos both of the instrumeng and the painting at ning.
> But the tuning (or the intervals) for the Moravian tablature is for
> a known tuning for the cithrinchen/bell cittern.
>
> It's probably not relevant but Rocky Mjos produced an edition of
> Norwegian cittern pieces for this tuning from the 1790s.
As far as I know, the curious "maj7" tuning is known from the Moravian
ms, the Storm ms., two old Hamburger cithrinchen manuscripts (mss 40622
and 40268 in Biblioteka Jagiellonska, Krakow) and Johann Arnold
Vockerodt's description of the Hamburgerr cittinchen in his 1718 book
"Gründlicher Musikalischer Unter-Richt." Of these sources only the
Moravian ms. has the slightest possibility of having been written for an
other instrument than a cittern.
So all the evidence we have so far points toward a cittern but of
course, we still don't have absolute proof.
Frank Nordberg
http://www.musicaviva.com
http://stores.ebay.com/Nordbergs-Music-Store?refid=store
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