>They used a pen-like device that was made up of a sharp stylus on one end >and a sort of flat scraper on the other to smooth out the table (or erase >bits). The practice of using wax tablets started with the Romans and lasted >up until sometime in the 17th century. > >Here are some references; > >http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/tablets.html > >http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Portal/8927/vindolanda/tablets.html > >http://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk/artefacts/tablet1.htm > >http://geocities.com/karen_larsdatter/tablets.htm > >Regards, >Craig
>>>Thanks for this. Interesting. Other than a nonmusical reference to Hildegard von Bingen, I couldn't find anything related to music at these sites, though. -- Ed Durbrow Saitama, Japan http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ --======================== Dear Ed and Craig, Erasable tablets to sketch music were extensively used by composers and composition students. That is why we have so few sketches on paper. Jessie Ann Owens (Composers at Work: The Craft of Musical Composition, 1450-1600 [OUP 1997]) has a chapter (about 30 pp.) on erasable tablets for music. . There are some that have been found in archeological digs in British and on the Continent, and she has references to pictures and other written references. Cipriano de Rore is one composer who used such tablaets. They were often slate, but rock and even thick paper was used with incised staff lines. Music shops sold them. They came with a variety of staff lines, sometimes 5 lines, others with the grand staff (11 lines). One must recall that the pencil had not been invented, and so to compose and correct sketches made with pen and ink was sloppy, Jessie's is a thorough examination of the matter. These tablets were used for music into the 19th century. Arthur (P.S. I see Jessie's book has been remaindered and is $9.98 (list price $27.50) at Labyrinthe Books, #050062): www.labyrinthebooks.com)
