I don't think he ever did (the music just doesn't go lower than the open
A string) but I suppose there is a presumption that it was most likely
for a 5-string (i.e. single strung) guitar. 5-string guitars did
certainly exist at the time. Also, some original 5-course guitars were
converted to
They've been around in Russia too. There are two original 19th century
5-string bandurkas in the St-Petersburg collection; shallow-bodied,
fairly small in size (the one on your link looks like a re-construction
to me). By the way, I've never heard about 5-course bandurkas ... Also,
I'm not
Lucky you, I'm still hunting for this one for some time ... Well,
virtually every CD where Maria Christina Kiehr is featured is worth
having, just for the pure magic of her voice! It's a shame though that
the accompanying / participant musicians (including singers!) on some of
those CDs often
Well, this is not quite correct. The original string length of surviving
guitars by Rene / Alexandre / Jean Voboam would be somewhere between 69
- 71 cm. Most of them were converted to shorter string lengths (sometime
between 1730 - early 19th century) by shortening of the neck and / or
moving
OK, I'm glad we agree on this.
Alexander
On 24/08/2010 21:44, Monica Hall wrote:
It's not my rationale! I prefer the msuic without the bourdon on the
5th course.
I've just been listening to the same suite on the CD which Lex made in
1994 - with the French tuning. Much better in every
Well, the botanical name for Ukrainian 'Явір' (the way it appears in the
song title) is 'Acer pseudoplatanus' which is the same that is used to
define 'Sycamore' or 'Sycamore Maple'. Acer pseudoplatanus is native
both to central Europe (including Ukraine) and West Asia.
So I suppose either of
I suppose it all depends on who compiled your dictionary :)
Good of you to mention Yavor Genov, he's brilliant. One of a few perhaps
who plays Dowland with the correct technique (i.e. without resorting to
thumb-under) and it just sounds right!
AB
On 18/04/2010 17:55, Roman Turovsky wrote:
Sounds fine to me. I think you just wanted to be true to their markedly
melancholic nature (the first piece in particular), didn't you, Stuart ;)
Very nicely played, by the way, and with reminiscent scenery ... You
should do some more.
Alexander
PS: You can send me the title of the second
I'm not sure if there are such illustrations that show the actual head and
neck of a chitarra atiorbata in the Stradivari museum. To my knowledge, the
most comprehensive information about paper templates and patterns that are
relevant to Stradivari guitars are found in the article Antonio
Just a short clarification to my previous posting. The paper template for
the extended neck measures 921.5 mm x 53 mm. So it is quite long!
Alexander
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
You should read it again ;)
AB
- Original Message -
From: Martyn Hodgson hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk
To: vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu; Alexander Batov
alexander.ba...@vihuelademano.com
Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 2:35 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Guitarre theorbe
Yes I read Stewart
I know what you mean but, in a way, it doesn't really matter what SHAPE
the body is! From acoustical point of view an average baroque guitar and
/ or lute body is more than sufficient to support the lower (down from
the 5th course bourdon) tuning of extended strings. It's the body's
volume
I haven't seen the book but it's very likely to be this one:
http://tinyurl.com/mu2pcu
If the link won't work, search http://tinyurl.com/fnorz (first by
clicking on Instruments et oevres d'art) for E.980.2.296
Anyway, there is little hope for the book as old as that to bring any
That may well indeed be the case although we'd never know what was in the
mind of the engraver. At least it gives an idea and that's the main thing!
It's not the only known representation of theorboed guitar though, as it
says on the page. The other one that came up recently (being kindly
There are some nice pictures but don't expect much of the text ;)
And you are right, it's certainly hugely overpriced for what it gives ...
If I were you I'd better persuaded your library to get a really gorgeous
guitar catalogue of the recent guitar exhibition The guitar: Four
Centuries of
Totally agree, I'm just fortunate that I can borrow both from a friend
of mine.
Alexander
PS: You don't really need such books, Rob, but instruments ;)
Rob MacKillop wrote:
Both books are very expensive. I'll just buy new strings instead...
Rob
To get on or off this list see
My long promised update for one of the pages dedicated to the Dias
vihuela:
[1]http://www.vihuelademano.com/vgcrossroads.htm
It's not a sort of 'must read' for everyone (i.e. rather technical) but
might be interesting for makers and those who are curious what linen
strips
Thank you, Martyn. I was actually thinking about the FoMRHI too (I have
received the latest 'resurrected' bulletin another day). The biggest
problem with the FoMRHI format though is that the images will be
rendered rather poorly (as they have always been in previous
publications) but they are
OK, you are the master, you know best. Perhaps you also declare as mere
nonsense the very material fact that Mimmo is actually able to make
loaded strings? I myself tried his latest batch (those that he recently
developed) at the Greenwich festival last year and they were really good
My latest vihuela projects:
http://www.vihuelademano.com/vihuelas/pages/flutedback-vihuela-inAG.htm
http://www.vihuelademano.com/vihuelas/pages/flutedback-vihuela-inE.htm
---
Alexander
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
-
From: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2007 2:30 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] More on T.Viti's viol bridge
Turning back to the earlier discussion on this subject, there is a fairly
good quality illustration of the Timoteo Viti's viol painting
On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:04:13 -0800 bill kilpatrick wrote:
i can't see how an antique design like
the jungga 2 (a rectangle inserted into a circle)
could come from anywhere other than europe.
I can't see either but only as antique as a bold sketch of a modern guitar
shape could be (not sure
interesting reference for stringed instruments here:
http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/se_asia.htm
.. of particular note is the jungga - two of which
are pictured; the second showing distinct, medieval
european design, similar to one of the early
charango/citole-like shapes.
another
- Original Message -
From: Monica Hall [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: Vihuelalist vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2007 2:13 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: BG stringing
..
The bit about the Italian manuscript F:Pn.Res.Vmc ms. 59, fol. 108v is
at
the
I wonder how did you do that? I tried to search in the way Eloy has
suggested earlier:
I followed Bill's advice and uploaded the mexican instruments pictures to
http://www.flickr.com
Where you can see them under my name, Eloy Cruz
.. but no instrument pictures come up; searching by tags is
Thank you, Stewart.
---
AB
- Original Message -
From: Stewart McCoy [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Vihuela List vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 3:53 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Flat-back vihuela
Having had the pleasure of playing this instrument a few days ago, I
can confirm
- Original Message -
From: Stuart Walsh [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]; vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 9:48 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: G. dai Libri viola da mano
Looks lovely. I'm afraid I can't afford one!
:))
Is the neck on your
I wonder if anybody from the Spanish participants of this list knows more of
this story and / or can give an update for this rather ambitious initiative?
http://www.frescosdelacatedral.com/noticias_desarrollo.php?id=468idcat=311
Along the same route, I've just discovered that it's possible, by
- Original Message -
From: Roger E. Blumberg [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]; vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 11:16 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: G. dai Libri viola da mano
Very nice. Beautiful.
Thank you, Roger.
So how does it sound? I
There is also this very sensible performance of Robert de Visee's allemande in
A. I'd wish he played the whole suite!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz87wCk4tfwmode=relatedsearch
- Original Message -
From: Doc Rossi [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Vihuela List vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent:
On Wednesday, December 13, 2006 10:50 PM
Eloy Cruz wrote:
... Back in 2003 I asked everyone about more music or more surviving
Spanish
citterns or paintings and I could find nothing ...
Citterns are mentioned (even with detailing of materials they are made of
etc) in a number of late-16th
As an update to the earlier thread on this topic. Primarily to Roger, et all
who is interested ...
---
First of all, many many thanks to Carlos Gonzales (president of the Spanish
Sociedad de la Vihuela) who made it possible to have a closer look at this
astonishingly beautiful fresco.
At the
- Original Message -
From: Roger E. Blumberg [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]; vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2006 1:04 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: 6-course Viola-Vihuela with 11 pegs?
Alrighty, thanks for the clarifications. I wasn't aware
On Sat, 25 Nov 2006 04:17:06 -0800 Roger E. Blumberg wrote:
== 6-course Viola/Vihuela with 11 pegs/strings, 16th cent ==
I take it Alexander and maybe others are looking for iconographical
evidence
of one of these? Or is it just an occurrence of asymmetrical L-R peg-count
and arrangement on
- Original Message -
From: Martyn Hodgson [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Cittern NET
cittern@cs.dartmouth.edu; Vihuela Net vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 8:24 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Why re-entrant tuning? (battente guitar
Have you studied how the strings of early citterns were fixed? Very much
like this, as I understand it.
I was not thinking of conversions. And a canted top is not needed to play
on
wire. I know they did that in the 18th c. And they shortened the necks of
existing instruments. All to reach a
- Original Message -
From: Martyn Hodgson [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Cittern NET cittern@cs.dartmouth.edu; Early Guitar NET
early-guitar@cs.dartmouth.edu; Vihuela Net vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 2:48 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Why re-entrant tuning?
Dear Martyn,
Martyn,
With no attempt to convince you but there is hardly any point to look for
chitarra battente much further beyond mid-18th century (i.e. chronologically
coinciding with the arrival of Neapolitan mandoline). Perhaps this can also
suggest what sort of strings it could be strung with ...
The
Hi Lex,
Yes, I know that illustration from the Corbetta 1639 and always wondered
what sort of guitar that could be. Well, there are lute family instruments
in Praetorius's Sintagma Musicum II 1618 -19 with strings fixed at the
bottom edge too, plus his mentioning of metal strings on the
- Original Message -
From: Roger E. Blumberg [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu; Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 6:50 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Ian Woodfield's Early History of the Viol (and
Vihuela)
... I'd only point out that Woodfield
There are a few interesting things in this carved panel from the VA,
including what looks like a sort of 'viola da mano'. The panel dated c.1580
but the original source (whether it was a painting or engraving) can date
c.1530 - 50 or so. I wouldn't dare to paste the direct link here (it's one
of
To celebrate the forthcoming 425 years anniversary of the Belchior Dias
vihuela (1581) ... ;)
here is my translation of the Regimento dos Violeiros 1572:
www.vihuelademano.com/regimento.htm
A couple of sentences from this document were (and still are) quoted from
time to time in books, articles
On Saturday, April 01, 2006 10:28 AM Roger E. Blumberg [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
This is also the icon that shows the odd treble-foot of the bridge running
down through the face of the instrument (through a hole in the top) to
meet
the back of the instrument and serving as a kind of
On Friday, March 31, 2006 10:19 PM Rob MacKillop [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
Fascinating, Alexander. Five double frets - reminiscent of viols?
Rob
That's right, it is quite remarkable that even double frets didn't escape
attention of the painter. Well, I'm mostly happy that the pegs didn't!
On Wednesday, January 04, 2006 4:25 PM Peter Forrester
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I'm sure that I've seen at least one more illustration of a 9 peg guitar.
Do you mean the one illustrated in the last issue of the Spanish Vihuela
Society journal and of which Monica have made us aware recently ? It
On Wednesday, December 07, 2005 3:40 PM Roger E. Blumberg wrote:
Following the lines of the resent discussion of large-size vihuelas and
guitars here is a late 15th - early 16th century Catalan picture (which
isn't very often reproduced) that shows what appears to be a sort of
double
bass
On Monday, December 05, 2005 1:58 PM [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
... I have a similar
problem with the bridge of my guitar! The slots for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd
courses have worn away so that is is dificult to tie the two strings of a
course so that they stay apart. I have to use a litle strip
://www.vihuelademano.com/quito/quito-vihuela.htm
Alexander Batov
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Following the lines of the resent discussion of large-size vihuelas and
guitars here is a late 15th - early 16th century Catalan picture (which
isn't very often reproduced) that shows what appears to be a sort of double
bass size vihuela or viola da mano:
- Original Message -
From: Philippe Mottet [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2005 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] Re: What is the historical vihuela?
It is a nice picture. Who painted it and when? It is difficult to judge
the string
I think you have answered most of my queries very thoroughly!
Thank you!
It is a nice picture. Who painted it and when? It is difficult to judge
the string length - and the strings of the courses look rather far apart!
My dainty fingure would fit in between them.
Yes, the painter didn't
On 05 Nov 2005 14:17 Monica Hall wrote:
Yes. The question in my mind was whether the instrument could be
confidently dated from the 1620s or whether it might actually date from
the
second half of the 18th century.
It would be most unusual for a guitar from the second half of the 18th
- Original Message -
From: Stuart Walsh [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]; vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 7:35 PM
Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] vihuela and viola
Alexander,
You say we have absolutely no idea what sort of barring arrangement
- Original Message -
From: Edward Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Monica Hall
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 11:25 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: What is the historical vihuela?
I have a friend, Tyler Kaiser
I have been trying to get hold of a copy of Aux origines de la guitare
published by Cite de la musique - so far without success. It doesn't seem
to be possible to order it via their web site. Has anyone else seen it
or
got a copy of it?
Monica
Don't know if you managed to succeed but
I don't quite understand why the string length on the Quito instrument
became such an issue. There is a number of surviving early 17th century
Italian guitars with string length between 72 - 73 cm. A rare vaulted-back
guitar by Magno Grail c.1630, for example, was sold recently on one of the
Martyn, I've explained this point already a few times, i.e. why the original
_thinner_ peg wouldn't cut through the purfling but just be next to it, as
well as why it is not surrounded by the ornamental pattern. Also it is not
unusual for pegs to cut through stripes and purflings of peghead
On Wednesday, October 26, 2005 8:24 PM bill kilpatrick wrote:
i merely guess ... you know.
I know you do.
but i would have thought
that the wooden bowl was one of the first instrument
sound chambers (drums, hollow logs, etc.).
No doubt that most traditional instruments were made like this.
On Tuesday, November 01, 2005 10:43 PM Rob MacKillop wrote:
Seriously, If Alexander is saying (and I may have misunderstood him) that
the vihuela and the guitar are one and the same, is Fuenllana's 5c vihuela
music (in baroque guitar tuning) the earliest 5c guitar music?
Can't see why not.
The weakest point in any of the two ways of the viola da mano reconstruction
that you mention is that we have absolutely no idea (because of lack of
surviving instruments) what sort of barring arrangement the original
instruments had. And this is a major set back whichever external shape is
ON October 23, 2005 3:50 PM bill kilpatrick [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
connection between a fluted, bowl-backed instrument
and the fluted vihuela only makes sense if it's an
aesthetic or sound improving feature that continued
from an earlier time when instruments were carved from
single pieces
On October 22, 2005 10:04 AM bill kilpatrick [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
it obvious that olives have more value where you are
than here ... how about a bartered exchange?
Not a bad idea at all. I heard that sun-dried olives are particularly good
for you, one of the first foods of the mankind,
- Original Message -
From: bill kilpatrick [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: vihuela list vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 8:22 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] vaulted/fluted back
does the vaulted, fluted back of the vihuela serve any
purpose other than bellezza?
- bill
The best
I thought some of you might be interested in this unique concert that a
friend of my James Westbrook (Brighton, UK) is organising. Only see that
impressive list of original guitars (in the end of this email) that are
going to be used!
Alexander Batov
--- --- ---
Dear All,
Just to remind you
Martyn,
I asked myself this question many times and I don't know if anybody has
conducted a systematic research in this area. From my own experience, I came
across clearly original T-shape frets exclusively on French guitars from the
early 1820s of which at least two makers are worth of
Martyn Hodgson wrote (Tuesday, June 07, 2005 1:39 PM):
Further to this, I forgot to mention that I do so agree with you that was
clearly a continuum of instruments between the 'classical' 16thC vihuela
(whatever that was - will we ever know in view of the irritating lack of
Spanish iconography)
-
From: Martyn Hodgson
To: Alexander Batov ; Lute Net ; Vihuela Net
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 11:36 AM
Subject: Re: Royal College Dias
Thanks fr yr thougt provoking paper Alexander. You asked for comments:
Firstly, congrats on marshalling new information and perpectives. I was
particularly
/rcmdias.htm
Alexander Batov
www.vihuelademano.com
--
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
- Original Message -
From: Monica Hall [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Lex Eisenhardt [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: vihuela vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 5:55 PM
Subject: Mudarra's bordon
Drones are more a feature of instruments capable of sustaining notes than
plucked stringed
- Original Message -
From: Garry Bryan [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: 'VihuelaList' vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Saturday, May 14, 2005 2:32 PM
Subject: RE: Antwort: Re: S. de Murcia
... Although, I have an eerie feeling
that Alexander Batov is going to inform me shortly
- Original Message -
From: Matanya Ophee [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 5:40 PM
Subject: Re: Batov workshop trip
At 10:17 AM 2/15/2005, Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Only time and more indepth research (similar to
the one which
- Original Message -
From: Antonio Corona [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: vihuela vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 6:12 AM
Subject: Re: Batov workshop trip
Dear Rob,
I read with interest your account to A. Batov's
workshop, and I should state, with all due respect,
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