dear antonio - thank you very much for your considerate and informative reply.
what's needed here is a little imagination and i don't think historians are willing to inch themselves that far out on to the plank. we have a shipwrecked sailor with some carpentry skills who makes a stringed instrument from the shell of an animal. it could have been a violin but he doesn't mention a bow; it could have been a banjo type instrument but he mentions a sound board. the way he describes putting it together suggests that he made a small stringed instrument - very much like a ukulele made from a coconut shell. what sort of instrument would a sailor of the time carry with him to the new world? i suggest a vihuela de mano is the most probable but it could have easily have been a small guitar - in any case, as you and others have mentioned in the past, the terms were reciprocal how familiarity with these small stringed instruments was obtained throughout south america is such a short time can be explained by the presence of a culture bearer - the spanish. this particular "warrior" landed in mexico can a vihuela de mano made out of an armadillo or a coconut or some polyresina material for that matter (al� ovation) still be considered a vihuela de mano? why not? their mutual intent, the purpose of their being far outweighs any differences in material used in their construction. what changes (aside from the casa armonica made from an animal shell or assembled from different pieces of wood like a chillador) are lacking in a charango made entirely out of wood that differs enormously from the construction of a vihuela de mano? where did the charango come from if not the collective experience of making small stringed instruments like the vihuela de mano? to place your finger, figuratively speaking, somewhere between "vihuela de mano" and "charango" suggests there was a transition, a change that - when looking at the instrument - isn't there - at least not to the degree that warrants a new name. much like those drums that were used on galley ships, christmas bells are tolling and i've got a million things to do. a pleasure to chat with you. - bill --- Antonio Corona <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear Bill, > > How right you are. In the remote case that the > "Historias de la Conquista del Mayab" proved to be > genuine, I would require more evidence than what > this > text alone tells to consider that there might be a > relationship between the vihuela and the charango. > There are certain statements in this text that are > not > altogether convincing proof of such an association > but, in order to pose the pertinent questions, > perhaps > I should quote all of the relevant text. I apologize > for the length of this post, but there are some > points > that require to have as full a story as possible. > > First, some historical facts: according to the > website, the text concerns Gonzalo de Guerrero who > was > shipwrecked off the coast of Yucatan, arriving to > the > island of Cozumel; no further information is > provided > as to when this happened. This much is true. > Guerrero > was indeed shipwrecked in 1511, and decideed to > adopt > the way of life of the natives, marrying the > daughter > of a local chieftain. His whereabouts were not known > until 1519, when Cortes learned that there were > Spaniards among the Indians from Yucatan, and tried > to > bring him back. Guerrero refused, arguing that he > was > married and had daughters. These facts are mentioned > by Bernal Diaz del Castillo in his "Historia > Verdadera > de la Conquista de la Nueva Espa�a". The website > does > not provide ant details about the date of the > "Conquistas del Mayab", or any other relevant > bibliographical data, and only states that the > "invention of the charango" must have happened > c.1512, > without aducing any suporting proof. How did he - or > Joseph de San Buenaventura - arrived at this dating, > we are left to guess. > > In order to discuss the various points, I shall > alternate the original text with its translation and > discussion. The text states that: > > "..... Y pas� el tiempo en que me estoy yo con el > ahau > galel, as� que �l aprendi� muy bien el trabajo de > carpintero, as� como yo dime ma�a para ense�arle lo > que sab�a, que yo aprend�lo en mi mocedad all� en > Badajoz de la provincia de Extremadura, aunque mi > se�or padre don Juan Guerrero y mi se�ora, madre > do�a > Rosario de Bahamonde en nada quisieron que yo > aprenda > oficio de artesano por tener ellos descendencia de > hidalgos y ser bien nacidos, ..." > > .. And the time passed when I was with the "ahau > galel" [these terms should be verified as well, I > claim no knowledge of Mayan], and he [meaning the > "ahau galel"] learned very well the craft of a > carpenter, and I tried as best as I could to teach > him > all I know, which I learned in my youth at Badajoz, > in > the province of Extremadura, even though my father > don > Juan Guerrero and my mother do�a Rosario de > Bahamonde > were opposed to my learning any craft since they > descended from "hidalgos" and were well-born. > > [According to this, we have a descendant of hidalgos > learning a craft: his parents would no doubt be > opposed. This part of the story is so unlikely as to > cast the first shadows of doubt on this source. > Secondly, from what the website informs us, the > "ahau > galel" was the eldest brother of a princess, i.e. a > prince. Was he to learn carpentry as well?] > > "yo ten�ale mucha afici�n a la esta arte de > carpintero > y lo aprend� en la casa de maese Andr�s de > Piedrasanta, que era un excelente tallador de la > madera y decor�bala de mucho esplendor y m�s > belleza, > y era escultor muy bueno para hacer im�genes y m�s > en > hacer instrumentos m�sicos, y yo lo aprend� muy > bien... " > > I was very fond of this art of carpentry, and > learned > it at the house of maese Andr�s de Piedrasanta, who > was an excellent carver of wood, and decorated it > with > splendour and beauty, and he was a very good > sculptor > making images, and even more in making musical > instruments, and I learned very well. > > [Besides the improbable fact of an hidalgo deigning > to > stoop down and learn a trade - something considered > degrading for his class - we have another > inconsistency: although the Ordenanzas - craft > regulations - for carpenters and "violeros" were in > the same group, they are separate, each mentioning > aspects relevant to each trade, thereby indicating > each one was considered as separate. Was maese > Andr�s > a carpenter or a violero?] > > "Y as� hice para el joven galel un gambarrino, que > es > una vihuela corta, que as� la hicimos con la > caparaz�n > de ese animalejo que hay aqu� y que d�cenle por > nombre > wech, que es un animal torpe que en nada es astuto o > listo y que la su defensa es soterrarse en las > cuevecillas o cubiles que para �l mismo abre en la > tierra y m�tese ah� para guarecerse de los enemigos > que tenga, que no es agresivo en nada pero que tiene > un carapacho muy fuerte y se esconde la cabeza y las > cuatro patas adentro de la caparaz�n...." > > And thus I made a "gambarrino", which is a short > vihuela, for the young "galel", and we made it with > the shell of an animal found here, which is called > "wech" [something else to verify], which is dull of > mind, not at all cunning or clever, and whose > defense > is to bury itself in the small caves or lairs which > it > opens in the ground and goes inside to protect > itself > from the enemies it has, and it is not aggresive at > all but it has a strong shell and hides its head and > four paws inside the shell. > > [Things begin to get interesting: in the first > place, > what on earth is a gambarrino? This name does not > occur in the literature of the period, is absent > from > all lists or inventaries and, as far as I know -and > many other organologists as well, judging from their > works- there is no other reference to any such > instrument. Now, the text tells us that this > "gambarrino" is a "short vihuela", that is, not a > normal or common vihuela. If we are to credit the > text > that follows, the "shortness" implies a short neck: > a > trait notably at variance with the vihuela > iconography > of the period. It might be tempting to establish > some > kind of relationship between the term "gambarrino" > and > viola da gamba, but the Castilian term for the > latter > instrument -and let us not forget that Guerrero was > Castilian- was vihuela de arco. In any case, in the > whole of the text there is no mention whatsoever of > the playing technique, so the possibility that it > may > have been bowed -like a small rebec- must not be > dismissed. Finally, does the fact that this > instrument > was made from an animal's shell imply something > about > the building techniques of Spain, or does it reflect > merely the improvisation forced by lack of > materials? > I suspect that, in any case, the most likely > explanation would be the second; hence, an > instrument > made with a shell was not a vihuela, but a makeshift > one with some similarities with the latter: a string > instrument with a neck.] > > "Y tomaron a uno de estos de su cueva en el campo y > traj�ronlo y le quitaron el carapacho y lo > prepararon > muy limpio, y yo hice el gambarrino, que es en todo > lo > que complace m�s a este joven ni�o, el ahau galel, y > === message truncated === ===== "and thus i made...a small vihuela from the shell of a creepy crawly..." - Don Gonzalo de Guerrero (1512), "Historias de la Conquista del Mayab" by Fra Joseph of San Buenaventura. go to: http://www.charango.cl/paginas/quieninvento.htm ___________________________________________________________ ALL-NEW Yahoo! 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