--1290077977-2123461604-1320571827=:38692 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I think the instrument described in Britannica is what we would call a 12-course 'English' lute - the kind that appears in lots of paintings, usually played by women. Thomas Mace (1672) simply refers to this as the lute. He also says a lot about the theorbo that was popular in England at the same time and had stepped basses - This seems to have been smaller than the European ones - he only mentions the top course having to be tuned down an octave to avoid breaking the string, whereas the European ones normally had the top two courses tuned down, suggesting they were so big that even the second course couldn't stand at pitch without breaking. I would speculate that it was this smaller 'English' theorbo that Playford (some 20 years after Mace) is talking about, but of course I can't be sure. One thing is certain - It is a much neglected instrument. Bill From: dc <[email protected]> To: lute-cs.dartmouth.edu <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, 6 November 2011, 7:51 Subject: [LUTE] theorbo-lute The title page of Playford's Harmonia Sacra states that the thorough-bass is "for the Theorbo-Lute, Bass-Viol, Harpsichord or Organ". Is this "theorbo-lute" an instrument such as described in Britannica: "A similar, smaller instrument, the theorbo-lute, or French lute, was a modification of the regular double-strung lute, to which were added one to three off-the-fingerboard courses of bass strings. There were two pegboxes, one angled backward. Smaller and more agile than the theorbo, the theorbo-lute was the favourite of the 17th-century school of French lutenists." Or what we would now call an archlute? Or a theorbo? If this was a French instrument, what was its name in French? Thanks, Dennis To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --1290077977-2123461604-1320571827=:38692 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:tahoma, new york, times, serif;font-size:10pt"><div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">I think the instrument described in Britannica is what we would call a 12-course 'English' lute - the kind that appears in lots of paintings, usually played by women. Thomas Mace (1672) simply refers to this as the lute. He also says a lot about the theorbo that was popular in England at the same time and had stepped basses - This seems to have been smaller than the European ones - he only mentions the top course having to be tuned down an octave to avoid breaking the string, whereas the European ones normally had the top two courses tuned down, suggesting they were so big that even the second course couldn't stand at pitch without breaking.</SPAN></div> <div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">I would speculate that it was this smaller 'English' theorbo that Playford (some 20 years after Mace) is talking about, but of course I can't be sure. One thing is certain - It is a much neglected instrument.</SPAN></div> <div style="RIGHT: auto"><SPAN style="RIGHT: auto">Bill<VAR id=yui-ie-cursor></VAR></SPAN></div> <div><BR></div> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT size=2 face=Arial> <DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 0; MARGIN: 5px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=hr readonly="true" contenteditable="false"></DIV><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> dc <[email protected]><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> lute-cs.dartmouth.edu <[email protected]><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Sunday, 6 November 2011, 7:51<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [LUTE] theorbo-lute<BR></FONT><BR>The title page of Playford's Harmonia Sacra states that the thorough-bass <BR>is "for the Theorbo-Lute, Bass-Viol, Harpsichord or Organ".<BR><BR>Is this "theorbo-lute" an instrument such as described in Britannica: "A <BR>similar, smaller instrument, the theorbo-lute, or French lute, was a <BR>modification of the regular double-strung lute, to which were added one to <BR>three off-the-fingerboard courses of bass strings. There were two pegboxes, <BR>one angled backward. Smaller and more agile than the theorbo, the <BR>theorbo-lute was the favourite of the 17th-century school of French <BR>lutenists."<BR><BR>Or what we would now call an archlute? Or a theorbo?<BR><BR>If this was a French instrument, what was its name in French?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR><BR>Dennis<BR><BR><BR><BR>To get on or off this list see list information at<BR><A href="http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html"; target=_blank>http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html</A><BR><BR><BR></DIV></DIV></div></body></html> --1290077977-2123461604-1320571827=:38692-- --
