----- Original Message ----- From: "Monica Hall" <> > Why else should > some of the songs have only guitar accompaniment and others both guitar and > bass parts? Morelli copied the mss. and if only he was supplying the > accompaniment why did he include a bass part?
For an alternative accompaniment, by a theorbo or whatever? > > On p. 68 in Grenerin the pieces are referred to in the plural as > "Symphonies a deux dessus de violon avec la basse, la compag.ent de la > guitar et le theorbe." Well, 'et' means 'and', of course. I still would consider it possible that the guitar part is an alternative for the theorbo. The guitar is playing exactly the same harmonies, even including all the ornamental figures. Playing together like that could become a bit tedious. If Grenerin would let the choice for another instrument to his readers, it is only logical that he mentiones the theorbo. And then, on p.71 it reads 'Air a quatre parties avec la Compagnement de la guitarre'. Still there is this figured bass line.... Are both lines for the guitar now? It could it be that in the Simphonies the line in staff is the basso continuo of the guitar OR the theorbo ad lib. For those in need of a little help Grenerin has made a guitar realization. (In fact it is even superfluous, since the book ends with an 'Instruction' for the realization of a basso continuo on the guitar) > In > the vocal pieces although the guitar part reproduces much of the bass line, > this will often sound an octave above the lowest sung part - which is in any > case also reproducing the bass line. Same here. The bass of the guitar is most of the time in the same octave. Only a few times it is an octave higher. Not perfect, but probably acceptable. > > > I don't think that you can argue that there are hard and fast rules about > how the accompaniment was performed. I don't. I just have doubts about other instruments doubling the bass line of the guitar. Nothing impossible of course, but an extra staff line doesn't prove too much. > This would depend entirely on the > circumstances in which the performance took place and who was available to > take part. A lot of music making in the 17th century was on a small scale > in domestic surroundings, and players accompanying themselves or someone > else may have done so with the guitar alone. Yes, I agree. It is unlikely that the guitar > alone provided the > accompaniment at larger and more formal entertainments. Indeed. Would it have been included, in other than in comical situations e.g. in ballets at the court of Louis XIV? And Corelli? L. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
