Subject: Re: Names of composers (Was: Vihuela)
> > One additional/interesting/ curious thing - Melchore Barberis' book printed > > in Venice in 1549 includes four pieces for a "chitara de sette corde" - i.e. > > 4 course guitar. These are intabulated with the uppermost line representing > > the highest string. The rest of the music, which is all for lute, uses > > standard Italian tab. > It is probably not for guitar, but for "chitarra italiana", a 4-course lute > in guitar tuning. See Renato Meucci's paper on the subject. That may well be the case as the terms chitarra/guitarra etc.are ambiguous throughout the 16th century. Tinctoris refers to "an instrument invented by the Catalans, which some call ghiterra and others the ghiterne" ...which is "obviously derived from the lyre, since it is tortoise-shaped (though much smaller) and has the same stringing and method of playing " Perhaps the Catalan connection acounts for the difference in the tablature. Monica > RT > > > > >
