A vendor on eBay with a $116 framed Victorian print of historic musical
instruments (Antiques and Art Section) has been kind enough to provide
highly detailed scans of the entire print which includes a back view of
'Rizzio's Lute' confirming my own suspicion that Rizzio did not play a
lute :-)
It's a view of a chitarra with a slotted headstock and guitar-shaped
body, very sadly from the back because this is wonderfully ornate and
made of many dozens of lozenge shaped wooden sections. From what one can
see it may be a four-course, or five-course, doubled course strung
instrument and might well be wire strung (Italian style) and not gut as
it has a narrow neck and the headstock is hardly angled at all.
Of course I've copied the pictures off the eBay site - very nice quality
scans... no intention of buying the framed picture, prefer to find the
book it was probably sliced out of. Or, even better, the source:
Where is Rizzio's "lute"? Is it in Scotland? Did James Oswald know about
this instrument when he attributed pieces he 'wrote' for the wire-strung
guittar to Rizzio? Because - it's possible that is Rizzio did play a
chitarra he might actually have written them.
I'm sending a copy of this with the piccy to Rob MacKillop, who is the
No 1 authority on Oswald and the Rizzio question, to see if it sheds any
light. Anyone else who wants to see it, email me or go have a hunt on
eBay (a search under lute will find the item).
David
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