Thank you Ralf (and Chris for your earlier),
This passage certainly seems to reinforce my own (and Chris's) view
that these little numbers reflect some form of chord breaking pattern.
The problem I found originally, and still now, is that the figure 2
appears not only with three note chords but also with one 4 note chord;
and the figure 3 mostly with three note chords but also with one five
note chord.
I therefore originally speculated that the 2 figure might mean some
form of 'um-cha' chord, whether containing three or more notes, whereas
the 3 might mean breaking a three note chord into a triplet arpeggio -
but I wasn't entirely convinced by the result. And what to make of the
3 under a five note chord!
Martyn
__________________________________________________________________
From: Ralf Bachmann <[email protected]>
To: Christopher Wilke <[email protected]>; Lute Dmth
<[email protected]>; Martyn Hodgson <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 17:21
Subject: RE: [LUTE] Re: Notational query in NB Wien MS 17.706
Hello Christopher,
in the manuscript PL-WRu 60019 (former call number Mf 2002 and part of
the Gruessau collection until 1945) there is an explanation of the
symbols used in that tablature. Under point 20) one reads
" Wan ein Bass soll zwey drey oder 4 mahl arpegieret werde, wird es mit
Ziffern notiert, wo aber keine Ziffer, nur einmahl."
"If a bass has to be arpegiated two, three or four times, it is
anotated with numbers; if there is no number, then only once."
There exists a study by Andreas Schlegel of the most common arpegiation
patterns found in tablatures
to be applied in such instances.
I have a (incomplete) copy of that study if you are interested
Best wishes,
Ralf
> Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 05:20:26 -0800
> To: [email protected]; [email protected]
> From: [email protected]
> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Notational query in NB Wien MS 17.706
>
> Hi Martyn,
>
> I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you, but possibly more
intrigue. In the Gruesau RM 4141 for 13-course lute (which I recently
downloaded via a link provided here on the list) there is a curious
symbol above numerous chords made up of varying numbers of notes. Most
of these look like a "2." I thought they could possibly be rhythmic
symbols, but they look just like the "2" found on page numbers and
elsewhere in the manuscript, standard rhythmic signs are written over
chords that are probably arpeggiated. On p.5, there are is also a "3"
and a "4", written over chords made up of between 4 and 6 notes. Like
Martyn, I think the numbers might indicate some types of arpeggio
patterns, but I can't relate them to any practice with which I'm
familiar on baroque lute. Anyone have insights?
>
> Chris
>
>
> Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A.
> Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer
> www.christopherwilke.com
>
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