bill kilpatrick
Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:41:21 -0800
taken from here: http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheorydefs.htm (Italian m., Spanish m., literally 'alphabet') the five-course guitar, called 'the Spanish guitar' by the Italians, was probably introduced in Italy during the last quarter of the 16th-century via the Spanish dominion of Naples. The proto-continuo notation for guitar known as alfabeto also emerged during this period, first in connection with the Napolitana, villanella, villanesca, canzonetta and other forms of light, strophic song - most of them native to Rome and Naples - and soon after in some of the earliest sources of monody. Indeed, the singular importance of traditional, south-Italian singing and accompanying practices in the rise of monody fuels the notion that the guitar and its Neapolitan alfabeto system were developed, first and foremost, to serve the stylistic requirements of early monody. The notation was known as alfabeto, because its originators employed the letters of the alphabet (and a few other signs) to represent specific finger patterns on the guitar's fingerboard, that is, specific block harmonies. Evidence points to alfabeto having been developed in Naples sometime during the mid-1580s The Role of the Guitar in the Rise of Monody: The Earliest Manuscripts from which this extract has been taken .. "proto-continuo" had me scratching my head as well. crypto-charangista - bill Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> the dolmetsch dictionary provides an explanation for "alphabeto" but >> doesn't have anything listed for "monody." please, what's that? ... >> basso continuo for 5c. guitar? > > No - monody is music consisting of a single melodic line. In the 17th > Century Italian context it , means a solo song with some sort of > accompaniment. > > Apparently the term was coined by one Giovanni Battista Doni in the 1630s. > > How does the Dolmetsch dictionary define alphabeto? > > Monica >> >> Monica Hall wrote: >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Monica Hall >> To: Martyn Hodgson >> Cc: vihuelalist [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 3:58 PM >> Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: tablature, alfabeto and BC >> >> >> Well - the short answer is no! >> >> The guitar does feature in the Florentine Intermedii. It is just >> possible that it was used in Landi's opera Sant Alessio as this includes >> a duet for the two humourous characters which is also included in one of >> Landi's song books with alfabeto. >> >> It does make an appearance in Lully's La Galanterie du temps - played by >> Corbetta - but that is French. And of course in the music for Calisto >> again with Corbetta. >> >> If it was used in Italian opera it would probably have been in very >> specific contexts - humorous, gipsies and the like I guess. >> >> Not very helpful that... >> >> Monica >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Martyn Hodgson >> To: Monica Hall ; Lex >> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 2:44 PM >> Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: tablature, alfabeto and BC >> >> >> Monica, >> >> Related to this: are you aware if any lists of players at the >> 17thC/early 18thC Italian Opera Houses listing theorbos, harpsichords >> players also showing guitarists.? >> >> Martyn >> >> Monica Hall wrote: >> >> Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: tablature, alfabeto and BC >> >> >> these are my thoughts ... >> >> >> Lex Eisenhardt wrote: >> >> >> >> There is an interesting parallel to the rapid decline of alfabeto >> song >> >> after >> >> 1630. At about the same time the first instructions appeared for >> the use >> >> of the guitar in BC (Foscarini, Corbetta). >> >> Should we suppose that the practice of an all-battuto (alfabeto) >> >> accompaniment style has survived? >> >> There are (almost) no books with alfabeto from any other country >> >> than Italy, and the Italian alfabeto manuals from the second half >> of the >> >> 17th century are poor, rehashed versions of earlier editions, >> almost >> >> without >> >> exception. They were only printed in Rome and Venice, probably in >> small >> >> numbers, serving a local demand. Alfabeto (in print) clearly was >> past its >> >> prime. >> > >> The short answer to that is that what has survived in print is only a >> tip >> of the iceberg. And what is printed commercially reflects the economic >> situation at the time and place. Italy was apparently in economic >> decline >> in the second half of the 17th century. Also it may have been that the >> kind >> of songs which are included in these books had gone out of fashion >> rather >> than the manner of accompanying them. Surely this same is true of the >> songs >> which don't have alfabeto? >> >> And if you have been reading Cory Gavito's dissertation I wouldn't >> read too >> much into what he says as it is based on a very small statistical >> sample. >> >> The exercises in the books by Corbetta et al include examples showing >> which >> alfabeto chords match the the notes of the bass part e.g. The Regola >> per >> sonar sopra la parte on p.70 on Corbetta's are surely intended to help >> the >> player devise a strummed accompaniment. It is also self-evident that >> the >> accompaniments to the vocal pieces in Corbetta's Guitarre royale of >> 1671 are >> intended to be mostly strummed. Why else should he put the note values >> on >> the stave rather than above it? >> >> The same is true of Matteis - the first lesson which Schollars ought >> to >> learn by heart - simply the standard chords and some of his >> accompaniments >> and exercises are mostly strummed. that on p.23 for example. >> >> >> However, some players may have been able to realize an >> accompaniment, >> >> departing from the bass (and losing considerably in volume, while >> >> plucking >> >> part of the harmonies). >> >> Of course but that doesn't mean that they didn't vary the kind of >> accompaniment which they provided. >> >> >> >> >> Matteis (1680): 'The guitar was never so much in use & credit as it >> is at >> >> this day, & finding it improved to so great a perfection, it is my >> >> present >> >> design to make it company for other Instruments. Every body knows >> it to >> >> be >> >> an imperfect Instrument & yet finding upon experience how agreeable >> a >> >> part >> >> it bears in a consort I have composed severall Pieces both for ye >> >> practice >> >> & >> >> information of those that would make use of it with ye Harpsichord, >> Lute, >> >> Theorbo or Bass-Viol.' >> > >> Note that he suggests that it should be used with the bass viol >> amongst >> > other things............. >> >> >> >> Campion (1716): '. >> >> Campion is writing a whole generation after Corbetta... >> >> one is not prejudiced against the guitar without reason. >> >> I >> >> acknowledge, along with everyone, that it is not as strong of >> harmony as >> >> the >> >> harpsichord or the theorbo. However, I believe that it is >> sufficient to >> >> accompany one voice.' >> > >> That is the point - the guitar is more suitable for accompanying the >> voice >> or in small groups. I would agree with Martin today that the guitar is >> often added to the continuo groups inappropriately. >> >> > I have even heard it included in Handel! >> >> >> >> They both did not include all-battuto accompaniments in their >> >> instructions, and the BC manuals from this time (Sanz, Grenerin, de >> >> Murcia) >> >> take the bass as the main reference. >> > >> Murcia wasn't printed until 1714. The point is that they didn't need >> to >> include instructions on how to strum an accompaniment. Spaniards >> didn't >> need this kind of instruction. Their objective was something >> different. >> There are large numbers of manuscripts with Castilian or Catalan >> cifras. >> >> Note also that the each of the tonos in the Cancionero de Marin is >> preceded >> by a note indicating the passacalles to be (presumably) strummed >> between the >> verses. If you have only seen the modern edition you may not be aware >> of >> that. >> > >> > It seems that using the guitar for >> >> plain battuto had become quite much a matter of genre, kept for old >> >> exotic >> >> dances (ruggieros, ciacconas etc.) and a very specific (mainly >> archaic) >> >> song >> >> repertoire. >> > >> > I wonder if it did come to mind at all to add the strumming of >> >> a >> >> guitar to ensemble performance. Just like this was not usual in >> Church >> >> music >> >> (well, in Spain and South America of course they did...). There is >> a >> >> tantalizing lack of notated examples, eye-witness reports and >> iconography >> >> from the second half of the century, with regard to the role of the >> >> guitar >> >> in ensemble. >> >> >> >> Today it is often supposed that the guitar was added to >> >> ensembles, for rhythm and colour, with reference to unwritten >> traditions. >> >> What solid historical information is there to support this? >> > >> This depends on how diligently you have searched the surviving >> documentation. >> >> Monica >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> --------------------------------- >> >> Sent from Yahoo! - a smarter inbox. >> >> -- >> > >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> Sent from Yahoo! - a smarter inbox. >> -- >> >> >> >> http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=billkilpatrick >> >> --------------------------------- >> Yahoo! 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