This translation is a bit nearer the mark but the phrase
que d'y trouver du rouge et des mouches...
means that you will find on these ladies dressing tables rouge and
"patches" - not flies. The patches were little black velvet spots which
people stuck on their faces often to cover blemishes in their complexions.
I have been a way for a couple of days so need time to catch up with the
discussion.
May indeed supply a more idiomatic translation of the passage in due
course....
Monica.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jean-Marie Poirier" <[email protected]>
To: "'Lute List'" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 5:44 PM
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Bartolotti's continuo treatise
Thank you Howard but Google is not completely up to point. Here is my
translation, not very far from Google's but...
There was at court (of Charles II of England) a certain Italianwho was
famous for the guitar. He had genius for music, and he wa the only one who
could do something with the guitar; but his composition was so gracious
and so tender that he would have given harmony to the most ungrateful of
all instruments. The truth is that nothing was more difficult than playing
after his manner. The taste of the king for his compositions had made this
instrument so fashionable that everybody would play it, good or bad, and
on the ladies' dressing tables you would find a guitar as certainly as
rouge and flies.
The Duke of York could play it fairly well, and the count of Arran as well
as Francisco himself. This Francisque had just composed a Saraband which
charmed or afflicted everybody : because all guitar rakers at Court had
started to learn it and God knows what a universal scraping that was !
At first sight but a bit more accurate than Google I hope ;-) !
Best,
Jean-Marie
Ps : Thank you for the precisions you gave me Ralf ! I feel reassured ;-)
--------------
On Feb 25, 2014, at 8:44 AM, Jean-Marie Poirier <[email protected]>
wrote:
Here is the passage in question (I am confident that you can read
French) :
For those who can’t, I will helpfully offer a translation from Google
Language Tools. I think it speaks for itself.
"He had some Italian in the Court, famous for the guitar. He had a genius
for music, and this is the only guitar could do something;., But its
composition was so gracious and so tender that it would have given the
harmony most ungrateful of all instruments. the truth is that nothing was
more difficult than playing his way. taste the king for his compositions
had made ​​the instrument so fashionable that all played upon the
world good or bad, and the toilet was beautiful also sure to see a guitar
to find the red and flies.
The Duke of York played upon fairly, and the Earl of Arran as Francisco
itself. This Frantz had just made a sarabande or désoloit that charmed
everyone: for all guitarerie Court began to learn, and God knows the
Universal raclerie it was! "
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