On Wed, 28 Jan 2009, Rob MacKillop wrote:

> Peter, there is nothing holy about that bass line.

Thanks, I suspected as much, but it's good to hear it confirmed. I am 
still curious about what that infamous chord should be if one pretends 
that the bass line is given.  After all, I am a theoretical physicist and 
hypotheticals are the air I breathe.  My admittedly totally inadequate 
understanding, based mostly on what Nigel North has to say about continuo 
playing, is that a 6/4 chord does not agree with what would have been 
expected in the first part of the 17th century, a period derived from my 
instrument not necessarily the tune itself.

I am also a practical person, if I can "steal" without modification, that 
is a lot less work.  From that point of view, changing the middle voices 
is easier than changing the bass line, and then the question is should I 
change anything at all?

> Here is a link to an mp3 of the cittern version in the Robert Edwards 
> Commonplace Book, Dundee c.1650 
> http://cittern.theaterofmusic.com/audio/index.html and there is a link 
> on the same page to the tablature (in diatonic tuning).

I had already found your cittern tablature and mp3; and I like to take the 
opportunity to thank you for your generosity in posting all this marvelous 
music on your web sites (e.g. http://www.songoftherose.co.uk/); I marvel 
at the beauty of your playing.

Wayne drew my attention to yet another version of this tune.  It's from
in the Balcarres ms 
(http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/tab-serv/tablature.cgi?Balcarres/031_Joy.pdf)

All of this tablature sounds really interesting with Renaissance tuning, 
which is all I have.  {Sigh!}

Peter.

>
> Rob MacKillop
>
> 2009/1/27 Peter Nightingale <[email protected]>
>
>> Dear All,
>>
>> I am in the process of transcribing a version of "Joy to the Person" for
>> archlute.  This link points to what I am working from:
>>   http://www.phys.uri.edu/~nigh/Joy/joy_to.pdf
>>
>> I guess the only original part is the melody and that all the rest was
>> written by Steven Hendricks, whoever that may be. I have a problem with
>> the A minor cord at the beginning of the penultimate measure of the second
>> system.  Originally, I had that as an E on the 8th course together with an
>> open third course a, but I do not like the sound of that, and that is
>> where my wild speculation starts.
>>
>> The game I think I should play is that I treat Hendrick's (?)  bass line
>> as holy, apart from octave liberties.  If one were to play a realization
>> of that bass line, I do not think one would play an A minor chord in
>> second inversion on the first beat of measure 7, but possibly a first
>> inversion C major chord would be OK given the stepwise motion of the bass.
>> (This seems to have the blessing of Coprario, Simpson, Locke and Mace,
>> which beats a blessing of the the Holy Trinity by one.)
>>
>> So far, this is what I have in tab:
>>   http://www.phys.uri.edu/~nigh/Joy/joytab.pdf
>>
>> Obviously, I am way out of my physics depth here, so please straighten me
>> out.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Peter.
>>
>> the next auto-quote is:
>> In violence we forget who we are.
>> (Mary McCarthy)
>> /\/\
>> Peter Nightingale                  Telephone (401) 874-5882
>> Department of Physics, East Hall   Fax (401) 874-2380
>> University of Rhode Island         Kingston, RI 02881
>>
>>
>>
>> To get on or off this list see list information at
>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>>
>

the next auto-quote is:
The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open
mind when it engages an equally open one.
(Toni Morrisson)
/\/\
Peter Nightingale                  Telephone (401) 874-5882
Department of Physics, East Hall   Fax (401) 874-2380
University of Rhode Island         Kingston, RI 02881


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