Brass strings (or an alloy closer to bronze) were used on irish and scottish harps from the 1300s onward. It would not be surprising that a lute player might possibly use them for bass strings. I shudder to think what tension they might have pulled on those strings, though. trj
-----Original Message----- From: alexander <voka...@verizon.net> To: Monica Hall <mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk> Cc: Lutelist <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>; Ron Andrico <praelu...@hotmail.com>; Stuart Walsh <s.wa...@ntlworld.com> Sent: Mon, Jul 9, 2012 9:37 am Subject: [LUTE] Re: brass strings on 15th century lutes - testament of loading t does translate as loading?, rather then a separate strings, which appears to rove Mimmo Peruffo's insight. lexander r. n Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:00:00 +0100 Monica Hall" <mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote: > I am not a Latin scholar but the relevant passage reads as follows: His autem chordis ex arietum intestinus communiter factis: sunt qui germanica inventione: gravissime quandam aliam ei per diapason consonantem adjiciunt eneam: Qua concentus non modo itidem fortior. verum etiam longe suavior efficitur. Perhaps some one who knows some Latin could comment. Monica ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Andrico" <praelu...@hotmail.com> To: <s.wa...@ntlworld.com>; <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Monday, July 09, 2012 1:32 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: brass strings on 15th century lutes > Hello Stuart: > Since no one else seems to have answered your question, I'll contribute > a few words. > Tinctoris' mention of brass octave strings has been repeated > willy-nilly throughout the spate of "performer's guides" to early music > that have been published over the last twenty years or so, and it is > even found in Matthew Spring's history of the lute. The information, > as near as I can judge, seems to be derived from an article Anthony > Baines, "Fifteenth-Century Instruments in Tinctoris's _De Inventione et > Usu Musicae_", Galpin Society Journal III, p19-26 (1950). I have this > article lying about somewhere and have quoted from it myself, but I am > told some interpretive questions have been raised concerning Baines' > translation of the passage, quoted here: > "And further, to provide a stronger sound, an additional string may be > conjoined to any string and tuned to the octave, though not when > conjoined > to the first string. The strings are generally of Ram's gut, but there > is > also the German invention in which another [set of] brass string[s] is > added, tuned very deeply through an octave." > Practically speaking, there is some ambiguity here, and the reference > could just as well mean that brass was used in the lower octave rather > than the upper. Then there is the possibility that what we see here is > an early mention of brass overspun strings. I'm sure some string > enthusiasts on this discussion list would have a thing or two to say > about that. > I hope this helps. > RA > > Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2012 22:52:51 +0100 > > To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu > > From: s.wa...@ntlworld.com > > Subject: [LUTE] brass strings on 15th century lutes > > > > (perhaps this has been discussed before) > > Tinctoris (c.1480) "commented on the German invention of brass > strings > > [on lutes] which were added 'tuned very deeply through an octave' by > > means of which 'the sound is rendered not only stronger, but also > very > > much sweeter'." (Keith Polk, German Instrumental Music of the Middle > > Ages p.22, 1992). > > Polk, somewhere else in the same book, talks about the 'ever reliable > > Tinctoris'. I've never heard of wire-strung lutes (apart from > > lute-bodied citterns in the late 18th century). > > Anyone know what Tinctoris is talking about? > > Stuart > > -- > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > --
