Doisi de Velasco (1640) clearly indicates that the guitar had equal
temperament. He says
"The guitar makes use of the third way (he has discussed two other ways)
because the arrangement of its frets according to equal division makes all
its tones and semitones equal."
He goes on to explains that he tried playing in different keys one after the
other and found they sounded rather harsh but if he played in one key and
then took a break and played in another he found that what he calls "the
blandness of Fa and the forcefulness of Mi were not so dissonant. His ear
had adjusted.
Bartolotti is not the only guitarist to include a sequence of passacaglias
which modulate through different keys. Corbetta does too. In theory you
could play them continuously but they are rather "samey". I think they
work best in pairs and you can leave out the last variation.
Rather earlier Amat makes the same point - the guitar can play in the 12
major and minor keys. This is also implicit in the varirious tables and
labyrinths in Italian guitar books.
This is one reason why guitarists were ahead in their harmonic thinking.
Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stewart McCoy" <[email protected]>
To: "Lute Net" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 9:43 AM
Subject: [LUTE] Guitar temperament
Dear Dominic,
It has to be equal temperament.
The question of temperament crops up from time to time on this list, and
some subscribers have expressed strong views either for or against
having fretted instruments in equal temperament. Our debate echoes the
same debate musicians had during the 16th and 17th century.
Those in favour of unequal temperament will refer to evidence such as:
1) 16th-century vihuela players moving the 4th fret for the sake of
pieces in flat keys, e.g. Luis Milan in 1536;
2) Christopher Simpson's _Compendium_ in 1667 describing how some viol
players and theorbo men had an extra first fret on their instrument.
Those in favour of equal temperament will refer to:
1) Galilei espousing equal temperament for lutes in 1582 with his 18:17
ratio for the placing of frets;
2) Praetorius stating unequivocally in 1619 that lutes and viols were
fretted in equal temperament.
Much of the evidence may be found in Mark Lindley's excellent _Lutes,
Viols & Temperaments_ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984). One
may fairly quibble about his dubious conclusion that Valderrabano must
have used equal temperament (page 22), but there is a wealth of
information on the subject supporting both sides of the argument.
Your evidence derived from Bartolotti is an important contribution to
the debate, and adds weight to the argument that baroque guitars were
fretted in equal temperament.
Best wishes,
Stewart McCoy.
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Dominic Robillard
Sent: 18 January 2012 23:12
Cc: lute list lute list
Subject: [LUTE] guitar temperament
Hi luters,
Bartolotti starts with a passacaille in book I. Each passacaille
modulates to a different key. Was he ahead of Wagner? Were
performers
of passacailles through all keys allowed to stop to tune, and change
fret spacing within a work? Was that okay and normal for the
audience?
Was there an audience? Equal temperament sounds so bad, it just
can't
be.
I refuse to stop using meantone, 1/6, but I can't seem to get passed
the 4th fret on my guitar. How many tastinos will it take? I was
told
by pros, including Stubbs, that things get looser up there, but I
think
that is just continuo talk. Even playing Sanz doesn't pan out, can
anyone help?
Dominic
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