“Se me revento la prima, la segunda y la tercera con los rizos de mi amada voy a encordar mi vihuela...”
An interesting piece of literary iconography, isn’t it?)) RT Sent from my iPhone > On Jan 22, 2018, at 6:46 AM, Antonio Corona <[email protected]> wrote: > > Dear G. > It just might, but I'd rather stay with the categorical statements > rather than just entertaining a possibility. > Here are a few titbits: > A character from a play desires to play the vihuela; his servant > remarks that "no podras señor tañer/ porque le falta la prima / y > estan las bozes gastadas" (Comedia Himenea in Bartolomé de Torres > Naharro's, Propalladia, Naples, 1517). This vihuela is not lacking two > primas ... > A riddle by Pedro del Pozo about the vihuela (Cancionero, ms. 1547) > fastens on the gut strings, and likens them to eleven dead: (Pasando > por una huerta / vi una casa muy escura, / de muy estraña hechura / un > laço hecho a la puerta. / Onze muertos ende estauan / un bivo que les > herÃa ... ). Eleven strings for twelve pegs? > An allegoy about temperance: "Queriendo venir de encima / el tañedor > sin segundo, / no hallo aun que se estima / en la vihela del mundo / > templada mas que la prima" (Jorge de Montemayor, Las obras, Antwerp, > 1554). The reference to the "player without second" would be pointless > with two primas ... > A poet complains about his grief but nevertheless acknowledges tha he > finsd consolation in weeping, "Como aquel que con cautela / afloxa para > otro dia / la prima de la vihuela" (Antonio de Villegas, Inventario, > Medina del Campo,, 1565). Just one string to loosen ... > An allegory about faith and sin; if faith is broken: "ni mas ni menos > como en la vihuela, rompida la prima, auque las demas cuerdas queden en > su punto, la musica queda manca" (Esteban de Salazar, Veynte discursos > sobre el Credo, Granada, 1577). Nothing here about two broken strings > ... > "En vna vihuela, instrumento de musica, aunque ay muchas cuerdas, todas > estan apareadas de dos en dos, vna no mas esta sola sin igual, que es > la prima, que esta sin compañia" (Phillipe Diez, Marial de la > sacratisima virgen, Salamanca, 1595). No further comment needed here. > In an allegory about how our body should be as welll tuned as vihuela: > "A de estar nuestro subjeto tan concertado para tener buena salud, como > como una vihuela bien templada para que suene bien al oydo y no haga > disonancia, porque si las segundas, o la prima hazen dissonancia > sonara mal y no se podra oyr" (Juan de las Ruelas, Hermosura corporal > de la Madre de Dios, Sevilla, 1621). Seconds: plural; prima: singular. > "Prima es la cuerda primera y mas delgada de los instrumentos como la > vihuela y la guitarra" (Sebastián de Covarrubias, Tesoro de la lengua > castellana o española, Madrid, 1611). Note that it states "the first", > in singular. > "Los musicos mas diestros, doblan las cuerdas en los instrumentos > muchas vezes, pero la prima jamas ha de ser mas que vna" (Cristóbal de > Fonseca, Primera parte de la vida de Cristo, Madrid, 1622). Never more > than one prima ... > Another religious allegory: "Ni el tañedor quando templa la vihuela > dexara boluiendo la clauija, de subir la cuerda, y estirarla, y > estirarla, hata que vea, segun el arte, que esta proporcionada con la > prima (por la cual se templan las otras)" (Miguel Angel Almenara, > Pensamientos literales y morales sobre los evangelios ..., Valencia, > 1623). Interesting to learn that it is from the single prima that the > rest of the strings are tuned. > Antonio Ferrer calls Virgin Mary "la prima en la vihuela del universo" > (Arte de conocer y agradar a Jesus, Orihuela, 1631). It would be rather > heretic to consider the possibility of two virgins ... > There are plenty more references and, since there seems to be a general > agreement among the writers of the time, who am I to contradict them? > Best wishes, > Antonio > __________________________________________________________________ > > From: G. C. <[email protected]> > To: Antonio Corona <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, 22 January 2018, 4:23 > Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: Double first courses (chanterelles) > Hola Antonio, > wouldn't the fact that there are 12 pegs indicate the possibility of > DSC, even though it's perhaps not mentioned in the litterature? Why > would they go through the trouble to put an extra peg in just for > decoration? It wouldn't have been put there for the purpose of a 7th > single bourdon, would it? > Saludos > G. > On Mon, Jan 22, 2018 at 11:08 AM, Antonio Corona > <[1][email protected]> wrote: > Dear G. > I'd love to know about the evidence about different usages for the > vihuela. > Best wishes > Antonio > > -- > > References > > 1. mailto:[email protected] > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
