could "quadro" also mean a pavane performed in the shape of a square - "square dancing?"
bill (who, through no fault of your own has been humming "lay that pistol down" all morning...) On Mercoled�, mag 26, 2004, at 11:16 Europe/Rome, Thomas Schall wrote: > Dear Stewart, > > what an answer! > Thanks for this very informative and entertaining lecture. > > I could insist and say that your answer refering to the usual chord > scheme of the quadro pavan is still unclear regarding the relation to > the lute. > But I think you will voluntarily give an encore without my invitation > .. > > Best regards > Thomas (strumming "Bile dem cabbage down" on his lute) > > > Am Mit, 2004-05-26 um 02.11 schrieb Stewart McCoy: > >> Dear Thomas, >> >> In answer to your question, "Is playing the Quadro Pavan on the >> banjo lute related?" I would say, "Of course it is." >> >> The Quadro Pavan is named after the quadrant or square-shaped sign >> looking like a modern natural sign, which was used in the lowest >> hexachord of the hexachord system - based on G - for the 3rd degree >> of that hexachord. Quadros appear in several lute sources, in >> particular early ones like Marsh and Willoughby ... >> >> Let's start again, and keep things simple. Today we have "do, re, >> mi" for the first three notes of the scale. In the past they called >> it "ut, re, mi." If you started your scale on bottom G (bottom line >> of the bass clef stave), G would be Gamma ut (origin of our word >> gamut, which now means a whole range of things, not just notes, and >> certainly not just the first note), A would be A re, and B would be >> B mi, i.e. B natural. Instead of writing the letter B, they wrote a >> natural sign, which they called the quadratum. "Quadro" is just a >> fun way of saying "quadratum" or low B natural. >> >> The point is that you get B natural in major keys (B flat in minor >> keys), so the Quadro Pavan simply means a pavan in a major key. >> Richard Allison found another way of saying the same thing. He >> called his well-known piece the Sharp Pavan, because it was based on >> a major key, not a minor one. He couldn't call it Quadro Pavan, >> because the Quadro Pavan had became associated with the following >> chord sequence: >> >> G - C - G - D - G - C- GD G - >> >> Thomas Morley refers to this chord sequence as Gregory Walker, >> because it walketh amongst all the barber shops, i.e. any old idiot >> can strum it on his cittern. [I'm afraid I can't find the exact >> quote from Morley's _A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall >> Musick_ (London, 1597), because I'm sitting at the computer in >> complete darkness. The light bulb has gone in the room, I can hardly >> see what I'm doing, and the beer in the Vale of Belvoir earlier this >> evening was particularly good. It would take too many lutenists to >> put in a new bulb, but please don't ask me why.] >> >> Now, anyone who has had the pleasure of learning the 5-string banjo >> will have learned the old favourite, "Bile dem cabbage down", which >> has the following chord sequence: >> >> G - C - G - D - G - C- GD G - >> >> The more observant lutenetters may have noticed that there is a >> striking resemblance between the chord sequence of the Quadro Pavan >> and "Bile dem cabbage down". So if Garry goes off to frail the >> Quadro Pavan on his banjo, he could as well pluck (thumb-inside, of >> course) "Bile them cabbage down" on his renaissance lute. >> >> Here is "Bile dem cabbage down" arranged for a lute in F double # >> with metal frets: >> >> |\ | |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ >> |\ | |\ |\ |\ | |\ >> | | |. |\ | |. | >> _e__e__e__e____f____e__e__c__a____c____c___ >> _a___________|_c__|_a___________|_a______|_ >> _____________|____|_____________|_a______|_ >> _c___________|____|_c___________|________|_ >> _____________|_a__|_____________|_c______|_ >> _____________|____|_____________|________|_ >> >> |\ | >> |\ | >> | | >> _e__e__e__e____f__f__f__f___e__a__c__c___a_____ >> _a___________|_c__________|_a_____a____|_a__||_ >> _____________|____________|_______a____|_c__||_ >> _c___________|____________|_c__________|____||_ >> _____________|_a__________|_______c____|____||_ >> _____________|____________|____________|_a__||_ >> >> Chorus: >> >> Bile dem cabbage down, >> Bake dem oat cakes brown. >> The only song that I can sing is >> Bile dem cabbage down. >> >> [NB: "Bile" = "Boil".] >> >> There are many verses, of which the following is my favourite: >> >> 'Twas on the bridge at midnight, >> My heart was all a-quiver. >> I undid her suspender, >> And her leg fell in the river. >> >> Those particular lyrics might not have been quite what Thomas Morley >> had in mind when he wrote his hard and difficult introduction to >> theoretical music, but as far as the harmonic sequence is concerned, >> he could have happily jammed away for hours on his organ, >> improvising >> countless divisions on Bile dem cabbage down, yet believing all the >> time that he was playing the Quadro Pavan. >> >> Best wishes, >> >> Stewart McCoy. >> >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Thomas Schall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "Lautenliste" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 10:34 PM >> Subject: Re: Subliminal message - please read >> >> >>> Am Die, 2004-05-25 um 21.27 schrieb Garry Bryan: >>> >>>> >>>> Garry ( off to play the quadro pavin on the banjo again ) >>>> >>> >>> ... which is worth discussing. Is playing the quadro pavin on a >> Banjo >>> lute-related? <grin> >>> >>> Thomas >>> >>> (having tried to distinguish between the "et" and "con", the "x" >> and >>> "r", the "g" and "et" in Sixt Kargel which is so frustrating that >> I >>> wouldn't bear any politics anymore - can one "dislearn" german >> tab? I >>> never had such problems reading it) >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >> > > -- > Thomas Schall > Niederhofheimer Weg 3 > D-65843 Sulzbach > 06196/74519 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.lautenist.de / www.tslaute.de/weiss > > -- >
