Martyn Hodgson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 12:07:37 +0000 (GMT) From: Martyn Hodgson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Query: Position of octaves on courses 4 & 5 in late 18thC guitars To: Early Guitar NET <early-guitar@cs.dartmouth.edu>
As Monica (Hall) reports in her monograph on baroque guitar stringing (Lute Soc 2003), Corrette (1763) and Merchi (1761) indicate bourdons on the 4th and 5th courses. Monica was primarily concerned with the 'baroque' guitar and I presume this is why she didn't mention other late 18thC sources. My query is whether there is any evidence from the late 18thC for the low octave (ie the bourdon) being placed on the 'bass' side of the octave pair (ie plucked first by the thumb). Later sources not mentioned by Monica include: Baillon (1781) 5 course guitar - also tells us that there are high octaves on the 4th and 5th with the bourdons being overwound. His description of their position (at least based on my own, almost certainly less than perfect, translation) seems to say that the strings (the high octaves presumably?) which accompany the 4th and 5th are positioned AFTER the wound strings.('il faut observer que les cordes qui accompagnent la quatrieme et la Cinquieme doivent etre posees apres les cordes filees,'). Since he counts courses down with the chanterelle being 1, presumably this implies the high octaves are towards the bass side of the instrument. He seems to confirm this by adding that they are struck by the thumb firstly (' il faut qu'elles soient les premieres du cote du poulce') - as for earlier 'baroque' guitars. Le Moine (c.1790?) 5 course guitar - gives us the tuning method for single strings but adds that to string a guitar with double courses requires a high octave on the 4th and 5th (but no position specified) Bailleux (1773) 5 course guitar - an engraved representation of a guitar shows double stringing on all courses except the first. However there's no mention of octave doubling and , indeed, his tuning instructions seem to imply both strings of course 4 and 5 at the lower octave ('the 5ths are in unison with the thirds at the second fret' & ' the fourths are in unison with the seconds at the third fret' my translation) Merchi (1777) 5 course guitar - mentions that single strings are easier to put in tune and render the sound purer, loud etc. Ferandiere (1799) 6 course guitar - the guitar is generally double strung except for the first which is better single. Only the low 6th ('sextos) has a high octave and this is placed first (' el primero se llama sextillo, por sermas delgado que el otro, y debe estar una octave mas alta'). I can't quite be certain whether he means on the 'bass' side of the pair. However if it is so then, as far as I'm aware, this is the only 18th instruction which requires this placing of the octave string. For me, it's particularly interesting since this disposition of each string of an octave pair reflects how the Gallichon/Mandora was strung throughout the 18thC and may represent yet another strand of cross fertilization between the two families of instruments. Grateful for any further evidence on this matter rgds MH --------------------------------- To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html