your goodselves and google are all i've got! inaccuracy on the internet is bad enough but coupled with a failing memory ... it's a real problem ... to wit:
i remember reading ... somewhere ... that the canary island timple was introduced to the islands by arab miners brought from n. africa to work the mines there. it's possible that the figure "8" shape could have traveled back to the maghreb from iberia but i suspect the opposite is more likely. could a half-section of an hour-glass gourd be the source of the figure "8" shape? - bill --- Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I am afraid Google has got most of it wrong. > > The term guitarra/quinterne etc, in medieval sources > does not necessarily > refer to the figure of eight shaped instrument at > all but to a type of small > lute. > > I can't go into all the details but Tinctoris > describes the guitar as > follows > > > -a small tortoise shaped instrument invented by the > Catalans which some call > ghiterra, others ghiterna > > > > The ghiterra is used most rarely, because of the > thinness of its sound. > When I heard it in Catalonia, it was being used much > more often by women, to > accompany their love songs, than by men. > > > > In other words the instrument is a small lute or > mandora. > > > > The vihuela is described as > > > > -an instrument invented by the Spanish, which both > they and the Italians > call the viola, but the French the demi-luth. > > > -this viola differs from the lute in that the lute > is much larger and > tortoise-shaped, while the viola is flat, and in > most cases curved inwards > on each side. > > > > The relevant article to read is still > > > > Lawrence Wright - The medieval gittern and citole : > a case of mistaken > identity > > > > in Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 30, 1977, p.8-42. > > > > Mudarra is indeed the first person known to have > published music for the > 4-course guitar. > > > > Only five of the books printed between 1550-1555 are > by Leroy & Ballard. > The rest are by Morlaye/Gorlier. They do not > include any 5-course music. > > > > There is a lot missing from the rest of it but I > haven't time to write a > book on the subject at present.. > > > > Don't believe everything you find on the Internet. > > > > Monica > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "bill kilpatrick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 2:23 PM > Subject: [VIHUELA] who invented the guitar > > > > gleaned the following from a "5c. vihuela" alert > on > > google in response to the question of "who > invented > > the guitar?" ... anything missing?: > > > > 1265 Juan Gil of Zamora mentions the early guitar > in > > "Ars Musica." > > > > 1283-1350 Guitarra Latina & Guitar Moresca are > > mentioned multiple times in the poems of the > > Archpriest of Hita > > > > 1306 A "gitarer" was played at the Feast of > > Westminster in England > > > > 1404 "Der mynnen regein" by Eberhard Von Cersne > makes > > reference to a "quinterne." > > > > 1487 Johannes Tinctoris described the guitarra as > > being invented by the Catalans. This refers to the > > four course guitar. Each course represents one > pair of > > double strings. > > > > 1546 "Tres Libros de Musica en Cifras para > Vihuela" by > > Alonso Mudarra is the first publication to include > > music for guitar. > > > > 1551-1555 Nine books of tablature were published > by > > Adrian Le Roy. These include the first pieces for > 5 > > course guitar. The addition of the fifth course > was > > attributed to Vicente Espinel > > > > 1600-1650 Many publications of tablature for the > > guitar. It's popularity begins to rival the lute. > > > > 1674 Publication of "Guitarre Royal" by F. > Corbetta > > increased the guitar's popularity. It was > dedicated to > > Louis XIV. > > > > 1770-1800 A sixth string was added to the guitar > and > > the courses were replaced by single strings. > > > > 1800-1850 Guitar enjoyed a large popularity both > in > > performances and publishing. Fernando Sor, Mauro > > Guiliani, Matteo Carcassi and Dioniso Aguado all > > performed, taught, wrote and had published their > > compositions. > > > > 1850-1892 Guitar maker Antonio de Torres develops > the > > larger more resonant instrument we know today. > > > > 1916 Segovia performs at Ateneo, the most > important > > concert hall in Madrid. Before this it was thought > > that the guitar did not have the volume for this > type > > of venue. > > > > 1946 Nylon replaces gut as a string material > > > > http://earlymusiccharango.blogspot.com/ > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________ > > Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there > knows the answer. Try > > it > > now. > > http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/ > > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > http://earlymusiccharango.blogspot.com/ ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it now. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/
