> Stuart Walsh wrote: > > >Ive been looking at Dazas fantasias (ed. John Griffiths 1982). El > >Parnasso (1576) is the last of the books of tablature for vihuela. > > I think we have to imagine that in the 16th C people used these pieces > in a private, devotional context. Singing the words of the psalms would > be relatively easy because they would be familiar. I guess they played > all the notes, even the ones they were singing. The Tenor voice may well > be in a sense the principal voice, so it may be a natural choice. As I > remember the songs of Luis Milan involve singing the bass part - perhaps > Milan was himself a bass. I'm sure others more knowledgeable will have > more ideas.
But the pieces by Daza don't have any words and Milan doesn't include any liturgical pieces in El Maestro - he is unique in that respect! Valderrabano seems to imply that the vocal part should be sung to the appropriate solmisation symbols. Luis Gasser in his book on Milan suggests - assuming that the vihuela is tuned in A - that the songs are most suitable for contralto or countertenor, although I suppose that doesn't rule out bass voice as well. Accompanying one's self singing must have been very common in the 16th century. It is just something which players today aren't often encouraged to do. Gasser also points out that in "El Cortesano" Milan is frequently described accompanying himself singing, but never playing an instrumental solo. > > As far as singing one part and playing the others is concerned, it is > something I have found very useful (and recommend to my students, who > are always surprised by the suggestion) when playing any polyphonic > piece. It helps to get the polyphony really clear in your head, and only > if it is clear in your head can it be clear in your hands.... Yes - rather. That's probably why a part to be sung is often indicated in many of the pieces in the later vihuela books Monica To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
