Dear Manolo, Does this mean that in Spanish the word bordon never had the meaning of a bee, (bourdon in French and for other instruments drone)?
Yours, Tony ----- Original Message ----- From: "Manolo Laguillo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "LUTELIST" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 8:03 PM Subject: Re: vihuelina, and now bordon > Lex Eisenhardt wrote: > > >Dear Monica > >How do we know about the guitar in re-entrant tuning in 16th c. Spain? > >There is this one reference in Mudarra: '...a de tener bordon en la quarta'. > >It may be the only information we have. That's a reason to be cautious with > >interpretations. > > > >You suggest that the word 'bordon' can not be used in any other way than > >'string which sounds an octave below' here. About the alternative > >explanation of the terminology 'bordon' you say that 'the Spanish just > >doesn't mean that'. Maybe Spanish speaking list members would like toRe: vihuelina, > >comment? > > > > I bought yesterday the Covarrubias spanish dictionary (1611), an > absolutely marvelous lecture, incredibly entertaining. > > The word "bord�n" has two entries: > > BORD�N. El b�culo en que se sustenta el que camina a pie y le sirve de > cavallo, aunque bastardo; y por esso se llam� bord�n, a burdo, como se > dixo muleta de mula. Y porque los religiosos de la orden de San > Francisco caminan de ordinario a pie con alguna cayada o b�culo, le > llamaron el cavallo de San Francisco. Antiguamente dixeron mulos > marianos unos palos en que los pobres suelen llevar sus hatillos > carg�ndolos sobre el hombro, y llam�ronse assi por aver sido invenci�n > de Caio Mario, capit�n romano, dando orden como sus soldados aligerassen > su carga y la llevassen a cuestas, que por esto dizen algunos aver > llamado a los mesmos soldados mulos, porque como tales los llevava > cargados. Vide Frontinum, lib. 4, Stratagematum. > > BORD�N. En el instrumento m�sico de cuerdas es la que suena octava abaxo > y algunas que est�n fuera de las que se huellan en el cuello del > instrumento, que se tocan tan solamente en vac�o para dar las octavas. > Bordoncillo, el versecico quebrado o presa que se repite en la poes�a, > que a ciertas medidas se acude a �l, como para descansar de la corriente > que llevan las rimas. Y lo mesmo se dir� del bord�n de los instrumentos, > porque se descansa en �l con la consonancia y con el final. Estos versos > se llaman intercalares. Quando alguno tiene por costumbre, yendo > hablando, entremeter alguna palabra que la repite muchas vezes y sin > necessidad, dezimos que es aquel su bordonzillo, porque entretanto > descansa en �l y piensa lo que ha de dezir, como: Bien me entiende V. > M.: Sepa V. M.; Ya digo; Por manera se�or, y otras palabras semejantes a > �stas. > > > The first one explains "bord�n" as a "walking stick". I include it > without translation for the Spanish speaking list members. It has to do > with the second one, which I will try to translate the best as I can: > > "In the music string instrument it is (the string) that sounds (an) > octave down, and also some (of the strings) that are appart from the > ones that are stepped on the instrument's neck, and (therefore) are > played unstepped for giving the octaves. "Bordoncillo" (-cillo, > diminuitive suffix), the small verse repeated in poetry (...), the sense > of it being a rest in the middle of the rime's fluency. And the same > will be said from the instrument's bord�n, because on it happens the > resting with the consonancy and the end. These verses are called > "intercalares". When someone usually puts, when speaking, a word, often > repeated and without necessity, we say that it is his "bordoncillo", > because he rests on it and thinks on what to say, as for example in: You > understand me well, Sir, etc..." > > Physically (first meaning), musically (second meaning), poetically > (third meaning) and "verbally" (fourth meaning), "bord�n" is in the > spanish language from the beginnings of the XVII century always a rest, > something which is on the ground, down. > The beauty of Covarrubias' writing is, by the way, amazing... > > Saludos from Barcelona, > > Manolo Laguillo > > > -- > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
