All, A few years back, I contacted Luca Pianca to ask him about his tunings and the instrument that he played on "Bagpipes from Hell," and Il Giardino Armonico."
Here is the text from the Fax he sent me on October 1, 2002: "...(greeting omitted). My cetra was build in Corsica by Hugo Casalonga and it's an instrument with 6 courses (1st triple) and, of course, I tuned it in different ways. (No additional theorbo-basses). In the "Giardino Armonico" recordings" 1 d'd'd' 2 a'a' 3 e'e' 4 c'C 5 g'G 6 d'D Lute tuning in D (Bass Lute)" "It's different in "Bagpipes from Hell" with viola da gamba player Vittorio Ghielmi (ed. Winkler and Winkler) CD 910 050-02. This is a "bordone tuning," very useful on the cetra." 1 e'e'e' 2 c'c' 3 g'g' 4 c'C 5 g'G 6 C'C I hope this helps, Ron Banks Ft. Worth, TX -----Original Message----- From: Roman Turovsky [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 12:32 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] Subject: [CITTERN] Re: arch-citterns [was: 12-c Saxon cittern] > I don't quite see how I have spoiled it for you. > If you like the recording, even if it was recorded with a dime-store > mandola, (which I don't think it was and also did not suggest) then I see > no reason why you should not carry on enjoying it. > > I just wanted to point out that the instrument is probably not what we may > mean by ceterone - a theorbo cittern. > > All the best > Mark A mere suspicion is rather insufficient for an accusation. Do some research, contact Luca in Lugano (he IS in the phone book, but has no e-mail, no computer...) RT > 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 >
