Roger wrote: >Well, you're entitled to your interpretations. I'm not sure how you're >coming to think _metal_ strings though. I have thought that I've been seeing >"single strings" for quite some time in some other pictures but I haven't >made an issue of it -- I have other battles to fight ;').
Ok, clearly you're offended by any dissenting discussion here. I thought we were having an interesting and friendly discussion to determine what the instrument in fact was. If I gave offense I apologize. My intent was not to argue but to discuss and thereby learn more. Since you wish to call it a vihuela and to discount any contradiction I'll keep my opinions to myself from now on, though I think your supposition that the "rose" rises above the sound board is unfounded as such a thing would definitely brush against the strings and, in my opinion, hinder playing. I've never heard of any plucked string instrument (from period, just so we understand that I'm not talking about a modern steel guitar or dobro) with such a raised rose. >I'm quite satisfied to call it a vihuela or viola -- and a stunner at that! >There is no one "true" vihuela nor viola -- that should be understood by >now, yes? Yes, but calling it a vihuela doesn't make it so. A guitar is not a gittern which is not a bandora which is not a vihuela. I'm satisfied that this instrument is something unique, but not a vihuela in the sense that we understand what a vihuela is (an entirely different discussion from what a vihuela isn't). >I think you might be getting a little over-analytical. Enjoy the thing, it's >cool and beautiful! ;-) I'm certain it was a stunning new design to them >too at the time they were painting it -- very distinct from any recent past >medieval model, a Corvette to a model-T, racy. Why not call attention to it >with that big gold rose against the blue starry-sky back-drop. Maybe it's >doubling as "the moon" (symbolically). I am not certain of anything with respect to this instrument. That's why I ask questions and make speculations. I'm not as comfortable saying a thing is so if there's some doubt unless I have absolute certainty. My interpretations of the painting based on my experiences as a musician lead me to a different conclusion. So be it. For you it's a vihuela. For me it's a puzzle. I like puzzles, but not so much "battles". Regards, Craig To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
