> Does this mean we should not > use the same right hand technique to play the theorbo (chitaronne) > pieces by Piccinini as for De Viséé over a century later,
If Piccinini died in 1639 and Visee flourished around 1700, there are some 60 years between them. Piccinini tells his readers how to play the chitarrone, while Visee's music survives mainly in the Saizenay ms. and a few other manuscripts without any instructions. Piccinini was a lute player and used his RH nails for the chitarrone, recommending his students to do so. Visee was a guitarist to the king. That's all that springs to my mind for the moment. Which leads to two conclusions: 1. We're pretty well informed about playing techniques of Italian chitarrone players up to 1640. Kapsberger is another source, by and large confirming Piccinini's instructions. 2. There is close to no evidence about how the last French theorbo players used to play their instruments. (Nails? Third finger of right hand? Position of RH?) > even though > virtually the same instrument is being played? Jorge Moreno has argued that solo music for the theorbo was performed on a lesser theorbo in France. IMO it's most probable that Roman chitarroni weren't used for solo music. -- Mathias To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
