From: Martyn Hodgson <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Lute Strings for theorbo
To: "Taco Walstra" <[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, 11 August, 2011, 11:16
There are non-English sources which describe theorbos with only the
first course an octave down - see the late Bob Spencer's paper in Early
Music: still probably the best summary of the instrument and its
tuning.
The tiorbino is tuned an octave higher than the tiorba so naturally the
string stress on the second course would exceed breaking stress if not
lowered the octave.
What/where are these small theorbos tuned in Dm? Or are you thinking
that mid/late 18th century 13 course Dm lutes with an extension for 5
doubled bass courses should be called theorbos?
I presume a theorbo is generally acquired to play continuo. However if
you only intend to play the relatively few solos extant then a small
theorbo of this size with both top courses an octave down would indeed
be following a known historical practise (Talbot Ms 'pour pieces') but,
of course, in this case it would be pitched a fourth higher (re Talbot)
in a nominal d - not the usual A.
MH
--- On Thu, 11/8/11, Taco Walstra <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Taco Walstra <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Lute Strings for theorbo
To: "Martyn Hodgson" <[email protected]>, "lute net"
<[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, 11 August, 2011, 8:57
Playing close to the bridge is a story in itself. It's not proved that
it was common practice on theorbo. It's logical however, but playing
with nails was perhaps also used, or both.
What you call "historical practice... only lower the first course..."
was the tuning used on an english theorbo, not the "standard" theorbo.
"Historical practice" was tuning small theorbos in dm, although even
this is not very certain (it's mostly based on a few examples, like the
pieces by visee which exist in staff notation and theorbo tablature).
Even the small tiorbino usied in the italian Castaldi music has the 2
top course reentrant, if I remember well.
But what is the problem with the second course? As you can see in the
list by David he uses 0.78 mm. that's not 0.36 or whatever. with
archlutes in G you encounter such problems, not theorbos.
If you use a theorbo only for continuo playing, your advice can be a
good idea, but I assume that David Smith will surely like to play Visee
and other beautiful solomusic, which is problematic when you do this.
Taco
On 08/11/2011 09:30 AM, Martyn Hodgson wrote:
>
>
> Much depends on your technique and whether you play close to the
bridge (as the Old Ones generally seemed to have done) or up to the
rose. However whatever tension you decide upon, with such a small
instrument why don't you follow historical practice and only lower the
first course an octave? The stress of the second course at such a
short
string length (at , say, A 415) is well below breaking stress.
> MH
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