Thanks for your message.
I should point out that the subject in most of the previous messages is
not actually Murcia - this was due to an oversight on my part!
Folio 101v has resurfaced and a = G doesn't occur in any of the pieces
on that folio either.
One thing I haven't mentioned so far is that the manuscript includes
pieces for the mandora and this is likewise tuned to a major or minor
common chord although there is a 5th between the 3rd and 4th courses.
This suggests to me the possibility of some sort of relationship
between it and the guitarre theorbee.
One reason why the guitarre theorbee might lack a=G is because this
would be in unison with the 3rd course and therefore redundant.
But I am in two minds about Granata.
Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: [1]Martyn Hodgson
To: [2]Lex Eisenhardt ; [3]Monica Hall
Cc: [4]Vihuelalist
Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 4:44 PM
Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] Re: Murcia
Following on from our earlier discussion, one of the problems with the
lower octave tuning for the theorboed basses is the relatively short
string length of the theorboed guitar basses to produce a satisfactory
bass response with plain gut. From what I can see the=the extended
basses on these instruments were nothing like as long
as theorbo/archlute basses (150 - 170cm) which have the same/v
similar low bass pitching. I suspect the low bass option is more a
matter of modern wishful thinking (ie wanting a 'complete' instrument).
The use of higher octave basses, essentially leading from the 3rd
course down, allows the repertoire to be played with strong sounding
basses and an idiomatic ('inconsistent') guitar (rather than
archlute/theorbo) style.
MH
--- On Sat, 18/7/09, Monica Hall <mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
From: Monica Hall <mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk>
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Murcia
To: "Lex Eisenhardt" <eisenha...@planet.nl>
Cc: "Vihuelalist" <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Date: Saturday, 18 July, 2009, 4:12 PM
Thanks for your comments.
It may be possible to explain the gap like that. However I would make
the
following points:
1. If the instrument has 8 open basses, the first of these - G -
represented by
a is not used in the music as far as I can see - (I have temporarily
mislaid
f.101v but neither Pinnell nor Gill mentions it).
2. From a purely musical point of view there are five places in this
piece
where the treble
and bass parts are two octaves and a perfect 5th apart which is not
very
satisfactory - at least when the music is played on a keyboard (I don't
possess a guitarre theorbee).
3. If the instrument does have a course a = G, it would make much
better
musical
sense to use this instead of the low G' - in bar 3 and 14 for example
where
the bass line falls a 7th rather than rising by step to the dominant.
I have put a version of the piece separately on my ning page -
www.earlyguitar.ning.com . showing the bass line in the lower octave.
The
file is called "Gallotdoublebass".
I was hoping that someone who plays the theorbo might comment on some
of the
idiosyncracies in the music.
Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lex Eisenhardt" <[5]eisenha...@planet.nl>
To: <[6]vihu...@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 2:21 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Murcia
> Dear Monica, vihuelians,
>
>
>
> I hope you are doing well.
>
> Thanks for sending the PDF. In fact I had already seen the longer
> version on the guitar summit list.
>
>
>
> I would proceed as follows
>
>
>
> Start with the next tuning
>
>
>
> e', b, g, d, A --- G, F, E, D, C', B', A', G'
>
> a, /a, //a, ///a, 4, 5, 6, 7
>
>
>
> Then retune:
>
> e', c', g, e, C --- and keep the basses as they are
>
>
>
> In this way the Gallot piece can be played and the gap in the
tuning
> has a reasonable explanation.
>
> Please note that it is a 13 course instrument like this. In your
> transcription the indication for the 6th course (the 'a' directly
under
> the tablature system) is not reckoned with.
>
>
>
> With kind regards,
>
> Lex
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [7]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
--
References
1. mailto:hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk
2. mailto:eisenha...@planet.nl
3. mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
4. mailto:vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
5. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=eisenha...@planet.nl
6. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=vihu...@cs.dartmouth.edu
7. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
