Dear All,
Not specifically about lutes, I'm afraid, but I thought maybe someone might be able to help with a query which was passed on to me this morning. In the 18^th century a crotchet rest looked like a mirror image of a quaver rest. We don't write them like that any more. When is it the modern crotchet rest replaced the old one? This is the message I received: Hope I'm not being a nuisance but thought you might have a quick answer on a rather abstruse point about the dating of crotchet rests. Someone here has just given me the printed parts for a 'Premiere Divertissement pour flute, violon et guitarre'. There's no title page and no composer's name. The donor is the wife of a flute playing retired GP who has had to give up his music because of failing mental capacity. He remembers the German colleague who gave him the music but he has no further recollection of the music or idea who its composer might be. The music is, I think, early 19th century but I have failed to identify it. (If I sent you a photocopy do you think you (or Philip) could look at it to see if you had any ideas ?). The music is not, I further suspect, of any great significance but it is pleasant enough. The parts are engraved and printed on laid (i.e.hand-made) rag paper - which is something of a pointer to an early(ish) date. I have, though, not been able to spot any identifying water marks. The crotchet rests are like reversed quaver rests (i.e. not the kind that have two curved lines one above the other). How far would this be a clue to the date ? When did the more modern type of crotchet rest come into normal use ? Please don't waste time on this but I wondered whether you knew when the change in the normal form of the rest happened and could give a quick answer. Can anyone offer any thoughts? Stewart McCoy. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
