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. <kalei...@gmail.com>
To: Antonio Corona <abcor...@yahoo.com>
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]abcor...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear G.
I'd love to know about the evidence about different usages for the
vihuela.
Best wishes
Antonio
--
References
1. mailto:abcor...@yahoo.com
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