On Jun 20, 2006, at 10:14 AM, garry bryan wrote: > I recently acquired a copy of "The Wickhambrook Lute Manuscript" which > was edited by a Daphne R. Stephens and published by Yale University in > 1963. In the editorial section , the following statement is made: > > "From the notational standpoint, the absence of "diapasons" ( extra > strings along the side of the fingerboard ), and an added seventh > course,both of which became popular after 1595, confines the > manuscript > to the last decade of the 16th century." > > > Now, in "Historical Lute Construction" ( Lundberg - published > 2002 ), I > read the following: > > ... Most 7-course lutes were probably built with points, at first > rather > narrow and then by the 1580s becoming wider." > > Maybe I'm misreading something, but it appears that the editor of "The > Wickhambrook Lute Manuscript" and Robert Lundberg differ by a > couple of > decades regarding the 7th course.
> Any comments on this? Apparently 7-course lutes were in use in the 1580's, but only became popular after 1595, that is to say, beginning on January 1st, 1596. On or before December 31st, 1595 they were being built, but they were not popular. That's not to say that they were particularly UN- popular, at least not from the notational standpoint anyway, the 7th course, being clearly not a diapason as it does not lie alongside the fingerboard. But they only came into popular use after 1595, that is to say: that five-year period referred to as "the last decade of the 16th century." Clearly then, one can deduce from this evidence that the Wickhambrook MS could not possibly have been compiled after 1600. DR [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.rastallmusic.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
