> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 03:38:18 EST > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], > [email protected] > Subject: [CITTERN] Re: arch-citterns [was: 12-c Saxon cittern] > > In einer eMail vom 04.12.2006 02:36:38 Westeurop=E4ische Normalzeit schreibt > [EMAIL PROTECTED]: > >> Yer the boss(es), I don't know. I just happened to come across it the other >> day (and looked it up) because it was listed as being played on one of >> Vittorio Ghielmi's CDs, he playing lyra-voil (scordatura tuned) and his >> partner (who usually plays lute) playing a ceterone. The combination is fab! >> Here's two of those clips, Tracks 5 and 12 . . . >> >> http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1034641/a/Bagpipes+from+Hell+% >> 2F+Vittorio+Ghielmi,+Luca+Pianca.htm >> >> Roger >> > > Dear Roger, > > I doubt if the instrument that Luca Pianca plays has been based on an > historical model or historical sources. At least as a lute player he only > plays > "fantasy instruments", single strung mini archlutes and it seems an even > smaller > single strung archlute "thing" for baroque lute music. > > He plays a "Ceterone" by Ugo Casalonga. I have just had a look at his page > and there is no mention of him making what we might call a ceterone. From the > mp3's I could hear on the net, it sounds as through the cittern does have more > than 4 courses, but that it is also tuned to an open chord, which I beleive > was > never the case of the cittern, before the English guitar. Luca is probably > playing some sort of modern folk cittern. > > best wishes > Mark >
Hi Mark; I'm sorry there's so much contempt going around for players of single-strung archlutes and theorbos (assuming you're correct that that's all Luca ever plays or has played)-- the topic took up a lot of bandwidth on the lute list recently (which I didn't follow closely) with regard to Sting's instrument. Whatever Luca is playing on those tracks I doubt it's some dime-store garden variety modern folk or "Irish" "cittern", octave-mandola thingy or whatever the frell they're calling them these days. As far as altered tunings go, open chord or not, I'd be surprised if no-one ever experimented, got creative, broke the "rules", adapted tunings from any other string instrument, wire or gut, to suit their wants and needs of the moment, their arrangements, etc. All I know is that I loved the sound of it, loved the music when I heard it -- until you spoiled it for me, took the joy out of it. Thank you. Put a feather in your cap, wear it with pride. I would have thought it a "good thing" that modern players of early wire-strung instruments might take a little inspiration from, get some ideas from, hearing _any_ combination of viol and some wire-strung instrument played together (and nicely done at that). The pairing and contrast _is_ very pleasant, very appealing, and in fact was _very_ common and widespread. It's a shame that that the entire wire-strung class of early instruments have gotten so little air-time and attention within the period music scenes generally and their total recording output. I do hope that changes. "Fantasy" and music are one! (fer Christ's sake) Roger To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
