Sorry - I forgot to send this message to the list as well as Bill. I'm always doing that.
Monica ----- Original Message ----- From: Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: bill kilpatrick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 6:38 AM Subject: Re: vihuelina > This came up some time ago on Lutenet. This is the message which a Spanish > speaking member sent us - > > Dear Stewart, Monica, and all, > > This is an answer to your question about how the spanish word "bordón" > came to have the meaning of a pilgrim´s staff. > > But first let me enlarge the two meanings Monica Hall mentions, after > consulting three very comprehensive spanish dictionaries: > - Seco / Andrés / Ramos : Diccionario del español actual. Madrid 1999. > - María Moliner : Diccionario de uso del español. Madrid 1986. > - Corominas / Pascual : Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e > hispánico. Madrid 1980. > > 1. Stick with a size bigger than a man's height. > 2. Word or phrase which is, because of a bad habit, unnecesarily > repeated again and again. > 3. That fixed group of verses or stanza (the refrain) that is repeated > in a song: A, refrain, B, refrain, C, refrain, D. > 4a. Low accompaniment sound. > 4b. In a string instrument, thick string with a low pitch. > 5. Gut string placed diametrically under the lower plane of a drum. > 6. Word referred to things with a cord or lace shape. For instance, the > uppermost line of tiles where the two slopes of a roof converge. > 7. Gut string for holding open a conduit (med). > 8. The omission a typesetter makes when composing a text (print). > > There is also a very interesting meaning under "bordonear", the related > verb which means "buzzing", the sound big insects make when flying. This > meaning of "bordonear" is: refraining from working, being lazy ! > > Now let's go to the etimology and the history of the meaning: > > María Moliner: The origin of "bordón" is possibly in "bohordo", derived > from germanic "huerde", enclosure. > "Bohordo" means a short spear, but also a certain type of stalk or stem, > for instance like the one the lily has. > > Joan Corominas: The latin word "burdo" (mule) took the meaning of > sustainer, therefore "bordón" means stick, and also spear. > > In any case, nowadays in Spain, and without consulting dictionaries, > "bordón" refears to the three thicker strings in the guitar (E, A, d). > > Best regards, > > Manolo Laguillo > Barcelona > > As you can see it can mean a lot of things! It doesn't tell us when it > first came into use though. In some contexts it might mean a drone, > something which is repeated over and over again, but if Mudarra's phrase is > translated "it has to have a drone on the fourth course" this would mean > that it had to have a string which sounded the same pitch constantly > throughout the piece, not that it was tuned a fifth below the 3rd course. > > Covarrubias' dictionary is regarded as authoritative for the 16th century. > There may be other dictionaries closer to Mudarra but I don't have these to > hand. > > Incidentally Nicolas Doisi de Velasco refers to bordones on the guitar in > 1640 some 30 years before Sanz. He says "it is better to string it with > bourdons than without". > > Best wishes > > Monica > > > > -- > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: bill kilpatrick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Lex Eisenhardt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Monica Hall > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: vihuela <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 12:10 PM > Subject: Re: vihuelina > > > > > > --- Lex Eisenhardt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Why is this important? Mudarra's remark would be by > > > far the earliest > > > reference to a guitar in re-entrant tuning. Bermudo > > > discusses the high > > > strings that accompany the usual (?) low ones. > > > Mudarra would be the first to > > > do the opposite. > > > > placing its intended meaning aside for the moment, > > what's the earliest documented use of the word > > "bordon?" where did it come from - which language? > > not speaking spanish, i have to ask if "cuerda con > > octava" or something similar - like "strings that > > accompany the usual (?) low ones" quoted above - was > > ever mentioned prior to the use of the word "bordon?" > > > > > > couldn't find anything in my latin dictionary to link > > it to border in the sense of limit but if "border" is > > implied i imagine it means adjacent or adjoin. > > > > - bill > > > > "and thus i made...a small vihuela from the shell of a creepy crawly..." - > Don Gonzalo de Guerrero (1512), "Historias de la Conquista del Mayab" by Fra > Joseph of San Buenaventura. go to: > http://www.charango.cl/paginas/quieninvento.htm > > > > > > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________ > > Yahoo! Messenger - want a free and easy way to contact your friends > online? http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > > > To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
