[LUTE] Re: Lineage of early Guitars

[gary digman]

Aside from octave stringing on the 4th and 5th cources, was not Francisco 
Gerau's tuning identical to  strings 5 thru 1 of the "modern" guutar? Surely 
Gerau was not the first to use this non-reentrant tuning for the baroque 
guitar.

Gary

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Monica Hall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Joshua Horn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "Vihuelalist" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 5:12 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Lineage of early Guitars


This is really an impossible question short of writing a book on the
subject.

However - received wisdom I think is that the vihuela could originally be
played with a bow, a plectrum or finger style -  to whit

vihuela de arco
vihuela de penola
vihuela de mano.

However "guitars" or instruments called "guitarra" seem to have existed
alongside the vihuela and it is not altogether clear whether this was 
simply
a vihuela with fewer strings or derived from a different prototype.

Be that as it may, the present day classical guitar is probably not a 
direct
descendent of the vihuela - because in between you get my good friend "the
baroque guitar" which had only five courses and a  re-entrant tuning and 
was
all the rage in the 17th and early 18th century.

About the middle of the 18th century someone had the bright idea of 
putting
a sixth course on it - or back on it ...and the rest... as they say ...is
history.

Hope that's helpful and I don't spark off a whole correspndence from 
people
who disagree with my "History of the guitar in a nutshell".

Monica

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joshua Horn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 11:11 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Lineage of early Guitars


  Guys,

  I have read various sources on the web about the relation of the
  Vihuela to other stringed instruments. I am looking for information on
  the lineage of the modern Acoustic Guitars.

  I read on one site that the Vihuela was once a bowed instrument, is the
  Classical and Flamenco Guitars you see today direct relatives of the
  Vihuela, or are there other instruments that influenced them first?

  Josh

  --


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