Dear Stuart,
You're quite right - I do think strumming is appropriate in many of
these pieces, such as Les Bouffons. The block chords across all four
courses are, I suggest, a very clear indicator.
Part of the problem with just finger plucking is that the many
inversions commonly found in these dances are effectively disguised by
strumming (as, of course, in the later 5 course guitar repertoire) but
are laid bare with plucking. Also interestingly, look at bar 5: in the
first section where I suggest the block chords are strummed the lowest
note is the 5th of the chord (2nd inversion) but in the following
divisions section where strumming is not generally practical the lowest
note is the open third course - that is in root position.
The perceived difficulty of plucking the single note in bar one (and
elsewhere) is only a problem if the hand moves back to a bridge
plucking posture and position; if it's taken as though with a light
upstroke (ie a strum movement) of the index (as commonly found in later
5 course tablatures) the difficulty evaporates.
When you say strumming on the guitar only 'emerged at the end of the
16th century' - what's your evidence for this? Of course, the tutors
of the late 16th/and 17th C with alfabeto naturally indicate strumming
but that by no means excludes a similar practice being adopted earlier
before alfabeto was invented. The numerous cittern works also published
by Phalese et al at this time also often require strumming (with
plectrum). We know that small guitars were used to accompany dances
and singing in Intermedii - a good example is Cavalieri's setting in
the Florentine Intermedi of 1589 of 'O che nuove miracolo' (which later
transmogrified into the hit tune 'Aria del gran duca'). where the three
soprano solists sing to a spanish guitar and a small neopolitan guitar.
Strumming of both instruments seems the obvious and practical manner of
performance in such a context.
Does not Foscarini report his own local knowledge when he claims to be
the inventor of mixed notation and, in any event, isn't he really
making the case that he was the first to combine alfabeto with
tablature - a rather different claim.
regards
Martyn
--- On Mon, 2/8/10, Stuart Walsh <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Stuart Walsh <[email protected]>
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Four c. guitar - strumming
To:
Cc: "'Vihuelalist'" <[email protected]>
Date: Monday, 2 August, 2010, 11:11
Here's 'Les Buffons' as in the Phalese edition of 1570 and in
Geisbert's 1969 trancription. Giesbert has added fingering and
strumming symbols that are not in the original.
[1]http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/PhaleseBouffons.jpg
Now some people, like (I hope I'm right in this) Monica and Martyn
think that a piece like this (and many others) might - or even would -
have been strummed. Whenever I have had a run through of this
repertoire - and pieces like this - I've never thought of strumming as
first option but something that might just be added in places.
Martin Shepherd pointed out some examples of strumming in the lute
music of the time but it would seem to be fair to say that out of the
thousands of lute pieces from this time when the lute was the
pre-eminent instrument, strumming occupies only a minute fragment. So
strumming was not a typical or common practice on the lute, it would
seem.Strumming block chords on guitars (on all strings) emerged at the
end of the 16th century (of course, correct me on this if I'm wrong!)
but playing this version of Les Bouffons with strumming would involve
the mixed strumming and plucking style that Foscarini claimed to have
invented in the 17th century.
I play Les Bouffons (and pieces like this) fingerstyle and the fingers
are in position to play the punteado,fingerstyle bits. One of the
issues of the mixed style of the 17th century is that if you do a fancy
strum then your fingers end up half a mile away from the strings and
then you have to get them back to do some fingerstyle play. Also in Les
Bouffons, in the second bar of the second section, if you are
strumming, you have to do a strum which omits the top course. That's a
bit tricky to do and the arranger didn't include the addition of
another note on the top course (fret one) which would make a simple
downward strum easy to do and hardly interrupts the melodic line such
as it is.
Stuart
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--
References
1. http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/PhaleseBouffons.jpg
2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
