With all due respect to Denys and Michael Morrow, I should point out that Willi Apel did not make the transcription. He simply used a transcription by Adolf Koczirz in the Denkmaeler der Tonkunst in Oesterreich XVIII/37 (published in 1911).
Newsidler's printer mistook the cipher "&" (=Latin et) which looks like a combination of "z" and "+" for the cipher "t". The & = IInd course, fifth fret, and the "t" = IInd course, fourth fret. Given a nominal G tuning,the "t" would indicate to tune the top course to F#, whereas the correct cipher "&" means to tune the top course to the usual G. (I'm rephrasing what Denys already said.) As Michael Morrow points out, not only does the correct tuning do away with the bitonality, the top melodic line fits together properly. One should bear in mind that the horrors of Wolrd War II were much closer to persons of Willi Apel's age, who could appreciate that there might be manifestations of German anti-Semitism even in the 16th century. And that may be the reason the misprint was accepted in that transcription for nearly 50 years as representing what Newsidler intended, altrhough common sense should have suggested something was wrong. Is the deja vue all over again? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Denys Stephens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "lute net" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 5:54 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Der Juden Tanz - Neusiedler > Dear Sandy, > For the full story on this you need to read > Michael Morrow's article 'Ayre on the F sharp string' > in the Lute Society Journal of 1960. The piece > requires > re-tuning the lute (5 courses) to give a tuning > suitable > for a drone accompaniment of a melody. Newsidler > gives precise instructions for the tuning, but it > seems > that a printers error crept into them, resulting in > the > German tablature symbol for the second course, 5th > fret, > being mistaken for the symbol for the second course, > 4th fret > for the tuning of the top string. > Apel assumed the tuning to be correct, which resulted > in a him > thinking that the top string was tuned a semi-tone > lower than it should have been. This led to his belief > that the piece was the first in musical history > simultaneously > written in two different keys. If I remember correctly > the lutenist Konrad Ragosnig recorded this > disastrously > cacophonous version on his album of German lute music > in the 1970's. When the tuning is corrected - (on a G > lute this > would be to [G] ddad'g' ) the tune becomes an > attractive, but > normal, drone accompanied lute piece. With > characteristic > good humour, the guitarist John Renbourn used to play > both versions on the guitar one after the other. > > Best wishes, > > Denys > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Sandy Hackney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 7:42 PM > Subject: [LUTE] Der Juden Tanz - Neusiedler > > >> >> An organist friend of mine mentioned the above named >> piece in the context > of early transcriptions, claiming that Willi Apel had > made various > statements about it that were later shown to be > "incorrect" due to > scordatura errors. >> In HAM, the piece is #105b and Apel does say that it >> is "...one of the > most remarkable specimens of 16th century music. > Shrill dissonances, > otherwise unheard of before 20th century music...an > extremely realistic > picture (of what one might ask?), not lacking a touch > of satire." >> >> 1) I can't find the original tablature, and 2) I >> thought that most lute > pieces used the "standard" tuning so is scordatura in > play? But, Appel does > say in his "Dictionary" under scordatura that the > piece uses a tuning of > A-e-e-b-e'-g#. >> >> Who of our resident experts, e.g., Stewart McCoy, >> might help me here? > Many thanks. >> Sandy >> -- >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >> Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/360 - >> Release Date: 09/06/2006 >> >> > > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/360 - > Release Date: 09/06/2006 > > >
