Howard,
Praetorius does indeed give a G theorbo tuning and depicts two
theorboes: one with a fingered string length of around 89cm ('Lang:
Romanische Theorba: Chitarron') and the other of 97cm ('Paduanische
Theorba'). But to suppose he would have expected a theorbo in A (even
if he knew them) to be proportionally smaller (at 79 or 87cm) begs the
question since, as soon as a double re-entrant tuning becomes
necessary, the principal size limitation (other than exceeding the
breaking stress of the next highest course - now the third) is physical
playability. And the existence of theorboes up to 99cm fingered string
length (eg a couple by Buechenberg) gives us a good indication of an
acceptable upper physical limit.
You say that Praetorius doesn't mention pitch (tho' many might disagree
with you) but then go on to relate your derived size of 79cm to modern
practice and thus draw insecure conclusions. It was precisely the
unecessary stringing of small theorboes (say, fingered string lengths
around 76cm) as double-re-entrant at modern pitch (or modern 'baroque'
pitch) that, you will recall, was the original issue in the present
exchange.
You ask about Praetorius's 'Paduanische Theorba' and the stringing of
its long basses (at 128cm) and imply his evidence is thereby somehow
discredited. In fact the obvious answer is that, unlike his Roman
theorbo, the Paduan version used contemporary lute bass string
technology (loaded, high twist, flexible, roped,....). For example: a
64cm G lute with a low course at D relates exactly to the lowest bass
(,D) of the Paduan theorbo at 128cm.
To move on. The commonest historical nominal tuning of the single
re-entrant theorbo is in G (eg Banchieri, Wilson, Mace). Taking the
maximum (ie breaking) stress relationship of a 60cm gut g' at A440 and
using this for the highest course (d') of a G single re-entrant theorbo
gives a string length of 81cm (or 86cm at A415). As one is obliged to
put on a low second course, it then becomes possible to use a
significantly larger instrument (subject to the constraints described
above) to produce the required increased volume (especially for the all
important bass). Hence, no doubt, why so many extant theorboes have
string lengths ranging from the mid 80s to the high 90s.
MH
--- On Thu, 19/2/09, howard posner <howardpos...@ca.rr.com> wrote:
From: howard posner <howardpos...@ca.rr.com>
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Theorbo Nicki don't lose that number
To: "lutelist Net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Date: Thursday, 19 February, 2009, 6:53 PM
Apparently by way of associating a specific historic instrument with
a specific tuning, Martyn Hodgson wrote:
> Praetorius, Mace to name but two.............
What surviving instrument does Mace describe? What specific
measurements associated with what specific tuning does Mace give us?
Praetorius' 1620 Theatrum Instrumentorum is an encyclopedic work that
shows generic theorbos, not any specific identifiable instrument, but
what the heck:
Praetorius' Lang Romanische Theorba: Chitarron is 14-course double re-
entrant in G, with a length of about 89cm (roughly 3.1 Brunswick Feet
multiplied by 28.536cm per BF) for its six fingerboard strings and an
extension about twice that. Scaled down for a theorbo in A it would
be about 79 cm. Would such an instrument be a toy?
Praetorius' Paduanische Theorba is a 16-course instrument, also in G,
about 96cm for the eight fingerboard strings, and 128cm on the
extension, which goes down to a contra D (i.e. a full octave lower
than the ninth course). I'd be interested to know how such low notes
at such a short length would work, and how they would balance the
long fingerboard strings.
The lowest fingerboard string on the Paduan theorbo would have been
an E, and thus considerably shorter in relation to its pitch than the
lowest G on the fingerboard of the Roman theorbo; to match the pitch/
length proportion of the Roman theorbo's G, the E would need to be
about 106cm. Put another way, a theorbo string tuned to A (the sixth
course of a theorbo in A) with the same relation of length to pitch
as a 96cm E string would be 75cm long. So even the Paduan theorbo
has its toyosity problems.
Has any such instrument survived? Did anyone else ever mention such
a thing? Or was it a short-lived variant? Or was Praetorius'
information faulty? And is anyone playing such an instrument now?
Praetorius does not mention an absolute pitch level.
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