Thank you very much Martyn for these precisions. Actually, I think I am going to experiment with my smaller theorbo with a single reentrant first string. I will play continuo in some Locke music soon. It could be a good opportunity to try that !
Best, Jean-Marie Expéditeur original: Martyn Hodgson Adresse expéditeur original: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Dear Jean-Marie, > > There's quite a history to this discussion, both recently and some months > ago and you may care to look in the archives for the long and, I'm afraid, > rather tedious and repetitive thread. > > Basically the historical case (evidence for your 'burden of proof') for > saying that small theorbos were not generally tuned double reentrant is that > the few early writers who mention such stringing details at all (principally > Piccinini, Mace), say that on the theorbo the string length and pitch is such > that the top course is obliged to be tuned down an octave if it is not to > break (ie what we now call single reentrant) and further say that if the > instrument is large one is even obliged to tune the second an octave down. > In short, if you can you should just detune the first course and only detune > the next if the second string is likely to break. > > For some reason this tuning seems unattractive to many modern players: > perhaps it's because some like to think they are playing a large theorbo of > the type played by early professional continuo musicians but are put off by > the actual size. I have no argument with this position whatsoever and if the > case is made for such stringing is on the basis on modern convenience (and > using modern overwound strings) rather than historical usage then that's > fine. The problem arises when it's suggested that double reentrant tuning > was normally used on small theorbos earlier: I ask for any evidence but none > is ever forthcoming! Perhaps this unwillingness to confront the evidence is > because most amateur theorbo players are principally lutenists and don't wish > to stray too far from the sort of size to which they've become accustomed. > > regards > > Martyn > > PS If it's of any succour, it may be that some early amateurs might possibly > have played small theorbos in A or G as double reentrant (altho no evidence > has been presented) but I presume we are speaking about 'best practice' here. Jean-Marie Poirier [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://tresororphee.free.fr 08-02-2008 N ¶è®ß¶¬+-±ç¥Ëbú+«b¢vÛiÿü0ÁË j»f¢ëayÛ¿Á·?ë^iÙ¢ø§uìa¶i
