I'm not quite sure how my message got to the Lute list, if indeed it did and one message I sent doesn't seem to have got to this list at all.
What Antonio says is very interesting so I'll pass it on. 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 > The Quito Instrument has been examined and measured by > Egberto Bermudez, who published his results in: > > "La vihuela: los ejemplares de París y Quito - The > Vihuela: the Paris and Quito Instruments" in _La > guitarra española-The Spanish Guitar. Catálogo de la > exposición realizada en Nueva York_ (The Metropolitan > Museum of Art) y Madrid (Museo Municipal 1991-1992), > Madrid: Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario, pp. 25-47, > > and later in: > "La vihuela de la iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús de > Quito", Revista Musical Chilena (año XLVII, no. 179, > 1993). pp. 69-77. > > According to Bermudez, the string-length is 727 cm., > quite large for a solo instrument, but taking into > account its late date, and the fact that it probably > was the instrument used by Santa Mariana de Jesus to > accompany herself singing devout songs, it seems > likely that it may have been played strummed, despite > the fact that it is a six-cpourse instrument. As you > well know, at the turn of the 17th century things > begin to become a bit confused regarding names and > functions. > > Regarding Dias' attribution as a guitar, I would stand > by what I have already mentioned in this list: > according to what the sources tell us, during the main > part of the sixteenth century six- and five-course > instruments were called "vihuelas", while the > four-course ones were considred "guitars". More about > all this confusion in my article: > > "The Vihuela and the Guitar in Sixteenth-Century > Spain: a Critical Appraisal of Some of the Existing > Evidence", The Lute (vol. 30, 1990), pp. 3-24 > > Therefore, in my view, we might either consider the > Dias instrument as a latish five-course vihuela or, > taking into account that it is precisely in 1580 that > the references to strumming begin to appear, we could > also consider it as one of the first specimens of the > "guitarra española"; at this point I cannot find > reasons to favour one interpretation over another. > > Incidentally, about musicologists geting to grips with > vihuela organology, you may find it amusing that I was > comissoned to write an article precisely on this topic > for the cité de la musique: > > "L'organographie de la vihuela", in _Aux origines de > la guitare: la vihuela de mano_, les cahiers du museé > de la musique 5, Parìs: cité de la musique, 2004, pp. > 16-28. > > I would hesitate to affirm that the guitar was the > smallest member of the vihuela "consort family". We > know that six-course vihuelas were indeed built in > several sizes, including small ones, to which we > should add that (save in Andalusia) the guitar > fulfilled a different function in the hands of a > totally different stratum of society. While it is true > that they share certain characteristics of > construction, this fact does not automatically make > the vihuela and the guitar part of a same "family" in > the sense as lutes, viols or recorders were: to my > knowledge, there is no sixteenth-century reference > before the appearance of "rasgado" to a consort where > vihuela and guitar played together, with the exception > of the last piece of Valderrabano's _Silva de > Sirenas_, where it was probably called for on account > of the simple accompaniment required. This is hardly a > "consort" piece, but rather a virtuoso display of the > vihuela with the guitar performing the simplest > accompaniment we could think of (playing the same > single chord over and over). > > With best wishes, > Antonio > > > > > --- Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > As far as the Quito instrument is concerned, few > > people have actually seen > > it, and as far as I am aware no one has actually > > been allowed to examine it > > thoroughly. Even the string length seems to be in > > some doubt. > > > > > For those who adhere to the Dias' attribution to > > a guitar, one's got to > > > reverse the above procedure, with only one major > > inconvenience of > > accepting > > > its "third eye" for a peg hole. It would certainly > > help if more > > > musicologists (who largely write about the > > vihuela) could get to grips > > with > > > organology. > > > > If you are referring to me - I have visited the > > R.C.M. and spent a lot of > > time looking at this particular instrument- in so > > far as one is able to > > without being able to handle it. > > > > It seems to me that there is no way in which you can > > prove that it was > > originally a 6-course instrument rather than a > > 5-course one. > > > > > In the time of Bermudo, the vihuela was, so to > > say, a consort family > > > instrument (as was its contemporary the lute in > > Italy) and so the > > > guitar was its smaller family member > > > > The problem with Bermudo (without going into too > > much detail) is that he > > seems to suggest that the "guitarra" is actually a > > different instrument from > > the vihuela, mentioning for example 5 & 6 course > > instruments as well as the > > 4-course one. There are separate chapters for it > > along with the bandurria > > and it is just possible, although like everything > > else to do with the > > vihuela/guitarra rather speculative, that he is > > referring to a > > mandola/mandora/vandola. > > > > > >> academic, technical term) into the baroque > > guitar. Fuenllana's > > > >> five-course > > > >> 'vihuela' (1554!) is tuned the same way as a 5c > > guitar. What was the > > > >> difference? > > > > > > > That's another good question - to which there is > > no answer! > > > > > > No need to repeat, see above. > > > > No need to see above - we simply don't know as he > > doesn't say anything more > > than that he has included some pieces for vihuela de > > cinco ordenes. > > > > Monica > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________ > How much free photo storage do you get? Store your holiday > snaps for FREE with Yahoo! Photos http://uk.photos.yahoo.com >
