Henner and All, While this may not exactly answer your query, I have used my 76/120 theorbo in continuo playing and it is in normal Dm tuning. Due to the manageable string length of 76cm on the fingerboard re-entrant tuning was not required or desired. The instrument has double course for the first 6 and single strung basses thereafter. The 7th course is on the board and may be fingered but is a single string.
Not being an ace at continuo, I've have muddled through by taking the score and tabbing out a suitable part for the Theorbo. This is cheating I know, but in my case, the better of all choices if the music was to be realized. As an adjunct, keeping the theorbo in Dm tuning makes for a spectacular instrument upon which to play solo music as well. Regards, Rob Dorsey http://RobDorsey.com -----Original Message----- From: Dr. Henner Kahlert [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 9:25 AM To: Baroquelute net Cc: Lutenet Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] d minor theorbo tuning Dear all, we know that German lutenists in the 18th century like Weiss an Baron played continuo on their theorbos in d-minor tuning too (cf. Ernst Gottlieb Baron, "Historisch-Theoretisch und Practische Untersuchung des Instruments der Lauten", Nürnberg 1727 p. 131, who also wrote that their theorbos had double courses on the fingerboard, not with the basses). When using really big theorbos with a greater string length, e.g. 76 cm and more, not theorboed baroque lutes, I think they had to use a re-entrant tunig with at least the first course tunend in a lower octave. What do we know about the tuning of d-minor theorbos, which sources do exist? Henner -- Dr. Henner Kahlert In der Tasch 2a D 76227 Karlsruhe (Durlach) Tel. 0721-403353 Büro: Tel. 0721-23084 Fax 0721-20978 To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
