As Monica (Hall) reports in her monograph on baroque guitar stringing (Lute
Soc 2003), Corrette (1763) and Merchi (1761) indicate bourdons on the 4th and
5th courses. Monica was primarily concerned with the 'baroque' guitar and I
presume this is why she didn't mention other late 18thC sources.
My query is whether there is any evidence from the late 18thC for the low
octave (ie the bourdon) being placed on the 'bass' side of the octave pair (ie
plucked first by the thumb).
Later sources not mentioned by Monica include:
Baillon (1781) 5 course guitar - also tells us that there are high octaves
on the 4th and 5th with the bourdons being overwound. His description of their
position (at least based on my own, almost certainly less than perfect,
translation) seems to say that the strings (the high octaves presumably?)
which accompany the 4th and 5th are positioned AFTER the wound strings.('il
faut observer que les cordes qui accompagnent la quatrieme et la Cinquieme
doivent etre posees apres les cordes filees,'). Since he counts courses down
with the chanterelle being 1, presumably this implies the high octaves are
towards the bass side of the instrument. He seems to confirm this by adding
that they are struck by the thumb firstly (' il faut qu'elles soient les
premieres du cote du poulce') - as for earlier 'baroque' guitars.
Le Moine (c.1790?) 5 course guitar - gives us the tuning method for single
strings but adds that to string a guitar with double courses requires a high
octave on the 4th and 5th (but no position specified)
Bailleux (1773) 5 course guitar - an engraved representation of a guitar
shows double stringing on all courses except the first. However there's no
mention of octave doubling and , indeed, his tuning instructions seem to imply
both strings of course 4 and 5 at the lower octave ('the 5ths are in unison
with the thirds at the second fret' & ' the fourths are in unison with the
seconds at the third fret' my translation)
Merchi (1777) 5 course guitar - mentions that single strings are easier to
put in tune and render the sound purer, loud etc.
Ferandiere (1799) 6 course guitar - the guitar is generally double strung
except for the first which is better single. Only the low 6th ('sextos) has a
high octave and this is placed first (' el primero se llama sextillo, por
sermas delgado que el otro, y debe estar una octave mas alta'). I can't quite
be certain whether he means on the 'bass' side of the pair. However if it is so
then, as far as I'm aware, this is the only 18th instruction which requires
this placing of the octave string.
For me, it's particularly interesting since this disposition of each string
of an octave pair reflects how the Gallichon/Mandora was strung throughout the
18thC and may represent yet another strand of cross fertilization between the
two families of instruments.
Grateful for any further evidence on this matter
rgds
MH
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