Monica, Related to this: are you aware if any lists of players at the 17thC/early 18thC Italian Opera Houses listing theorbos, harpsichords players also showing guitarists.? Martyn
Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: tablature, alfabeto and BC these are my thoughts ... >> Lex Eisenhardt wrote: >> >> There is an interesting parallel to the rapid decline of alfabeto song >> after >> 1630. At about the same time the first instructions appeared for the use >> of the guitar in BC (Foscarini, Corbetta). >> Should we suppose that the practice of an all-battuto (alfabeto) >> accompaniment style has survived? >> There are (almost) no books with alfabeto from any other country >> than Italy, and the Italian alfabeto manuals from the second half of the >> 17th century are poor, rehashed versions of earlier editions, almost >> without >> exception. They were only printed in Rome and Venice, probably in small >> numbers, serving a local demand. Alfabeto (in print) clearly was past its >> prime. > The short answer to that is that what has survived in print is only a tip of the iceberg. And what is printed commercially reflects the economic situation at the time and place. Italy was apparently in economic decline in the second half of the 17th century. Also it may have been that the kind of songs which are included in these books had gone out of fashion rather than the manner of accompanying them. Surely this same is true of the songs which don't have alfabeto? And if you have been reading Cory Gavito's dissertation I wouldn't read too much into what he says as it is based on a very small statistical sample. The exercises in the books by Corbetta et al include examples showing which alfabeto chords match the the notes of the bass part e.g. The Regola per sonar sopra la parte on p.70 on Corbetta's are surely intended to help the player devise a strummed accompaniment. It is also self-evident that the accompaniments to the vocal pieces in Corbetta's Guitarre royale of 1671 are intended to be mostly strummed. Why else should he put the note values on the stave rather than above it? The same is true of Matteis - the first lesson which Schollars ought to learn by heart - simply the standard chords and some of his accompaniments and exercises are mostly strummed. that on p.23 for example. >> However, some players may have been able to realize an accompaniment, >> departing from the bass (and losing considerably in volume, while >> plucking >> part of the harmonies). Of course but that doesn't mean that they didn't vary the kind of accompaniment which they provided. >> >> Matteis (1680): 'The guitar was never so much in use & credit as it is at >> this day, & finding it improved to so great a perfection, it is my >> present >> design to make it company for other Instruments. Every body knows it to >> be >> an imperfect Instrument & yet finding upon experience how agreeable a >> part >> it bears in a consort I have composed severall Pieces both for ye >> practice >> & >> information of those that would make use of it with ye Harpsichord, Lute, >> Theorbo or Bass-Viol.' > Note that he suggests that it should be used with the bass viol amongst > other things............. >> >> Campion (1716): '. Campion is writing a whole generation after Corbetta... one is not prejudiced against the guitar without reason. >> I >> acknowledge, along with everyone, that it is not as strong of harmony as >> the >> harpsichord or the theorbo. However, I believe that it is sufficient to >> accompany one voice.' > That is the point - the guitar is more suitable for accompanying the voice or in small groups. I would agree with Martin today that the guitar is often added to the continuo groups inappropriately. > I have even heard it included in Handel! >> >> They both did not include all-battuto accompaniments in their >> instructions, and the BC manuals from this time (Sanz, Grenerin, de >> Murcia) >> take the bass as the main reference. > Murcia wasn't printed until 1714. The point is that they didn't need to include instructions on how to strum an accompaniment. Spaniards didn't need this kind of instruction. Their objective was something different. There are large numbers of manuscripts with Castilian or Catalan cifras. Note also that the each of the tonos in the Cancionero de Marin is preceded by a note indicating the passacalles to be (presumably) strummed between the verses. If you have only seen the modern edition you may not be aware of that. > > It seems that using the guitar for >> plain battuto had become quite much a matter of genre, kept for old >> exotic >> dances (ruggieros, ciacconas etc.) and a very specific (mainly archaic) >> song >> repertoire. > > I wonder if it did come to mind at all to add the strumming of >> a >> guitar to ensemble performance. Just like this was not usual in Church >> music >> (well, in Spain and South America of course they did...). There is a >> tantalizing lack of notated examples, eye-witness reports and iconography >> from the second half of the century, with regard to the role of the >> guitar >> in ensemble. >> >> Today it is often supposed that the guitar was added to >> ensembles, for rhythm and colour, with reference to unwritten traditions. >> What solid historical information is there to support this? > This depends on how diligently you have searched the surviving documentation. Monica > >> >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> --------------------------------- >> Sent from Yahoo! - a smarter inbox. >> -- > > --------------------------------- Sent from Yahoo! - a smarter inbox. --
