Hi Stuart, Highly interesting info about Bland, Marella and Ritter. I looked out my photocopy of the Ritter "Lessons" which was taken from the late Bob Spencer's Collection. It is a later edition published by Longman & Broderip (ca. 1770). No mention on the title page of Ritter's tuning instructions, but it does have an interesting Longman & Broderip catalogue of musical publications which lists several publications I've not heard of before. Does anyone know if any of these items still exist: "Assuni's Ladies Favorite", Carter's Lessons & Duets", Citeraeni's Divertiments", Clark's Hymns", "Gerlin's Tunes & Songs" or "Menezier Divertiments"? There are several other unknowns but the list will get to be too long.
James ----- Original Message ----- From: Stuart Walsh <s.wa...@ntlworld.com> Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009 3:17 pm Subject: [CITTERN] D. Ritter and other English guitar things To: cittern list <cittern@cs.dartmouth.edu> > I went to the British Library today - the first time in years. You > can > order books online these days! > > In Bland's "First Collection of Twenty Four Airs etc" (London) > there are > duets for "6 string guittar and 7-string guittar or a violin". I > don't > recall references to 7-string guittars. The lowest note in the > music is > G below C. So the tuning would be like a French cistre in C. I'm > not > sure, but I don't think I ever remember coming across a 7-string > guittar, nor a reference to one. > > I looked at Marella's "66 Lessons" (for a guittar in A) - with > the > major and minor in every key. ...but not the sharp or flat keys > other > than Bb. And about 40 are in A. But they all look very interesting > and > I'll get a microfilm. There's a bizarre piece called 'Pantomime'. > And > there are some interesting-looking duos and pieces with > thoroughbass > (all in A). > > I looked at D. Ritter's "Lessons for the Guittar" (Rutherfords, > London). > Years ago I noted this on the title page: "the GUITTAR may be > played in > an easier & more compleat manner when the second string in the > BASS is > Tuned in D instead of E.". In France, Joseph Carpentier gives the > tuning > of the guitharre angloise several times as C,D, E, C,E,G. He also > mentions a Mr Reithre (+Ritter?) at some points. > > Some of Ritter's pieces do exploit the D in the bass. Here's one I > wrote > out today - a Rondeau in G major (acknowledgements to current > thread on > lute list) first without reverb and second with a bit of reverb > which I > think gives it a bit more flavour. A bit more practice might help > too...! > > > (no reverb) > > http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/Ritterstaight.mp3 > > bit of reverb) > > http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/Ritter-reverb.mp3 > > But other pieces by Ritter - just simple little things - seem to > be > more difficult with the C-D-E-C-E-G tuning. I doubt that Ritter's > tuning > was widely used. > > > Stuart > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
