But look at how many pieces are in the key of F for a nominal G
Renaissance lute. I would expect something close to the same
proportions transposed up a tone for a theorbo in A.
cheers,
On Jan 16, 2008, at 2:07 AM, Rob wrote:
I have a theorbo being made now by Malcolm Prior for delivery by
the end of
February. Very much looking forward to it as I haven't played a
theorbo in
ten years or more. It is an 84cms Koch model, Italian tuning.
Now, I've been looking at the song repertoire by Giulio and Francesca
Caccini, a repertoire ideally suited to theorbo accompaniment.
Giulio played
it, and his daughter possibly played it - she was respected as a lute
player, although the type of lute was never specified. At least in
Giulio's
music one might expect 'theorbo keys' - Am, Dm, A, D. Here are the
keys from
his 1614 edition (the only one I have to hand):
G or Gm ///// ///// ///// ///// /
D or Dm ////
A or Am ///
F ///// //
E /
And Francesca's (from 'Il primo libro delle musiche' 1618 - Indiana
University Press)
G or Gm ///// /////
Am //
F ///
Bb /
C /
So, a very high percentage based on G. All the keys are obviously
possible
on a theorbo in A, but I wonder if their theorbo was in G. I
imagine someone
(or more than one) has done research into this, and it would be
interesting
to read their findings.
I've also noticed that a few theorbo recordings are on a theorbo in
G, both
solo and continuo. Is it common among modern players? I imagine G
would be
an easier transition for Renaissance players who think in G more
easily than
A. I'm planning on having it tuned in A, with A=440, but I'm
interested in
what others are doing, and general thoughts pro and contra any
particular
tuning.
Rob
www.rmguitar.info
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Ed Durbrow
Saitama, Japan
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/
