David Kilpatrick wrote: >> >> >> >> > > > The main reason the basses are single on the English guittar is that > the two remaining basses - like the one bass single string of the > waldzither - are the beginning of larger instruments. There were seven > and eight course instruments, and like lutes, the basses were single > and only the means and trebles were doubled.
David, The lower strings of lutes, Renaissance and Baroque, are doubled! > Ron's Portugese guitarra looks very similar in construction to a > German instrument, and despite the label, I would not be surprised if > it was an import custom made for the music warehouse in Germany, Voigt > being a spelling associated with south-eastern regions where > instruments were made. The Portuguese have been importing more > instruments than they actually make for centuries. > > The double stringing and octaved set up matches popular Portuguese > folk violao - only natural that an existing local stringing style > should be hybridised into the developing 'guittar'. > > I would very much like to obtain a copy of the Mason book. I'm sure > Rob MacKillop would as well. The date of this instrument, and the > book, and the publication in London all point to the 'lacuna' in > English-guittar/cittern history being much short than thought. English > guittars were being made into the 1820s. Here we have a modified, > returning instrument barely 50 years later, and prior to the Bohm > waldzither. > > David > > To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
