[CITTERN] Re: D. Ritter and other English guitar things

[Stuart Walsh]

Hey Stuart,

I had my 7-course guittar built after reading Bland's book years ago. 
There is a 7-course Preston in Paris. I use Ritter's tuning for some pieced

as well - it does make a few fingerings a little more logical. Don't forget
that Oswald suggests tuning in G as well, suggesting that there were larger
instruments about. To me, all of these alternatives to the 6-course
C-tuned cittern suggest that there was experiment going on and exchange
with the continent. Look at Merchi, who sometimes published the same music
arranged for baroque guitar and for cittern in Paris and London.


And, curiously, English guitar music of Merchi's, published in London, 
turns up in cistre music published in Paris. For example, the opening 
Allegro of Sonata 1 from Merchi's Dodici Suonate for two C-tuned 
(English) guitars or guitar and violin (published in London) , is the 
opening Allegro from Sonata 1 for cistre (in A) with simple violin 
accompaniment in Pollet's publication (in Paris)'Six Sonnates' (by the 
best authors). The Rondo of Sonata IV by Merchi for solo guitar (also in 
Dodici Suonate) is an Allegretto in tthe same Sonata.


Pollet's cistre arrangements of Merchi's music are much fuller and may 
sound a bit stodgy perhaps.


..
By the way, I've played through all of Marella's cittern music - there 
are

some real gems in both collections in the BL.

Doc


.
So what's that odd-looking piece called Pantomime like!? Also, playing 
Lesson 33, in C, must be quite brain-crunching, played on an A-tuned 
instrument (as you are so familiar with the C tuning). And I wonder why 
the A major tuning never caught on in Britain?


And, I've got a note somewhere that Marella lived in Dublin at some 
point. And the Dublin guittars are all a bit larger than the usual 
C-tuned guittars. Could some of them have been in A and have played 
Marella's music?




Stuart


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[CITTERN] Re: D. Ritter and other English guitar things

[Stuart Walsh]

James Tyler wrote:

Hi Stuart,

Highly interesting info about Bland, Marella and Ritter. I looked out my photocopy of the Ritter 
Lessons which was taken from the late Bob Spencer's Collection. It is a later edition 
published by Longman  Broderip (ca. 1770). No mention on the title page of Ritter's tuning 
instructions, but it does have an interesting Longman  Broderip catalogue of musical 
publications which lists several publications I've not heard of before. Does anyone know if any 
of these items still exist:
Assuni's Ladies Favorite, Carter's Lessons  Duets, Citeraeni's Divertiments, Clark's Hymns, 
Gerlin's Tunes  Songs or Menezier Divertiments? There are several other unknowns but the list will get 
to be too long.

James

  
I've seen references to Carter's Lessons, and, I think, Clark's Hymns on 
the title pages of publications but I don't know if they survive. I was 
looking at Ghillini di Asuni's 'Lady's Amusement  - being an intire new 
Collection of Favourite French and Italian Songs, Airs, Minuets  
Marches, yesterday in the BL .Also Asuni's  Collection of Duets, Songs 
and Airs for the Guittar (both printed by Welcker) - fairly typical 
fare but the latter has four quite interesting-looking Duetti. Asuni 
published other music, not for guittar.



Stuart

- Original Message -
From: Stuart Walsh s.wa...@ntlworld.com
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009 3:17 pm
Subject: [CITTERN] D. Ritter and other English guitar things
To: cittern list cittern@cs.dartmouth.edu

  
I went to the British Library today - the first time in years. You 
can 
order books online these days!


In Bland's First Collection of Twenty Four Airs etc (London) 
there are 
duets for 6 string guittar and 7-string guittar or a violin. I 
don't 
recall references to 7-string guittars. The lowest note in the 
music is 
G below C. So the tuning would be like a French cistre in C. I'm 
not 
sure, but I don't think I ever remember coming across a 7-string 
guittar,  nor a reference to one.


I looked at Marella's 66 Lessons (for a guittar in A)  - with 
the 
major and minor in every key. ...but not the sharp or flat keys 
other 
than Bb. And about 40 are in A. But they all look very interesting 
and 
I'll get a microfilm. There's a bizarre piece called 'Pantomime'. 
And 
there are some interesting-looking duos and pieces with 
thoroughbass 
(all in A).


I looked at D. Ritter's Lessons for the Guittar (Rutherfords, 
London). 
Years ago I noted this on the title page: the GUITTAR may be 
played in 
an easier  more compleat manner when the second string in the 
BASS  is 
Tuned in D instead of E.. In France, Joseph Carpentier gives the 
tuning 
of the guitharre angloise several times as C,D, E, C,E,G. He also 
mentions a Mr Reithre (+Ritter?) at some points.


Some of Ritter's pieces do exploit the D in the bass. Here's one I 
wrote 
out today - a Rondeau in G major (acknowledgements to current 
thread on 
lute list) first without reverb and second with a bit of reverb  
which I 
think gives it a bit more flavour.  A bit more practice might help 
too...!



(no reverb)

http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/Ritterstaight.mp3

bit of reverb)

http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/Ritter-reverb.mp3

But other pieces by Ritter - just simple little things  - seem to 
be 
more difficult with the C-D-E-C-E-G tuning. I doubt that Ritter's 
tuning 
was widely used.



Stuart



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