Dear Stewart, what an answer! Thanks for this very informative and entertaining lecture.
I could insist and say that your answer refering to the usual chord scheme of the quadro pavan is still unclear regarding the relation to the lute. But I think you will voluntarily give an encore without my invitation .. Best regards Thomas (strumming "Bile dem cabbage down" on his lute) Am Mit, 2004-05-26 um 02.11 schrieb Stewart McCoy: > Dear Thomas, > > In answer to your question, "Is playing the Quadro Pavan on the > banjo lute related?" I would say, "Of course it is." > > The Quadro Pavan is named after the quadrant or square-shaped sign > looking like a modern natural sign, which was used in the lowest > hexachord of the hexachord system - based on G - for the 3rd degree > of that hexachord. Quadros appear in several lute sources, in > particular early ones like Marsh and Willoughby ... > > Let's start again, and keep things simple. Today we have "do, re, > mi" for the first three notes of the scale. In the past they called > it "ut, re, mi." If you started your scale on bottom G (bottom line > of the bass clef stave), G would be Gamma ut (origin of our word > gamut, which now means a whole range of things, not just notes, and > certainly not just the first note), A would be A re, and B would be > B mi, i.e. B natural. Instead of writing the letter B, they wrote a > natural sign, which they called the quadratum. "Quadro" is just a > fun way of saying "quadratum" or low B natural. > > The point is that you get B natural in major keys (B flat in minor > keys), so the Quadro Pavan simply means a pavan in a major key. > Richard Allison found another way of saying the same thing. He > called his well-known piece the Sharp Pavan, because it was based on > a major key, not a minor one. He couldn't call it Quadro Pavan, > because the Quadro Pavan had became associated with the following > chord sequence: > > G - C - G - D - G - C- GD G - > > Thomas Morley refers to this chord sequence as Gregory Walker, > because it walketh amongst all the barber shops, i.e. any old idiot > can strum it on his cittern. [I'm afraid I can't find the exact > quote from Morley's _A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall > Musick_ (London, 1597), because I'm sitting at the computer in > complete darkness. The light bulb has gone in the room, I can hardly > see what I'm doing, and the beer in the Vale of Belvoir earlier this > evening was particularly good. It would take too many lutenists to > put in a new bulb, but please don't ask me why.] > > Now, anyone who has had the pleasure of learning the 5-string banjo > will have learned the old favourite, "Bile dem cabbage down", which > has the following chord sequence: > > G - C - G - D - G - C- GD G - > > The more observant lutenetters may have noticed that there is a > striking resemblance between the chord sequence of the Quadro Pavan > and "Bile dem cabbage down". So if Garry goes off to frail the > Quadro Pavan on his banjo, he could as well pluck (thumb-inside, of > course) "Bile them cabbage down" on his renaissance lute. > > Here is "Bile dem cabbage down" arranged for a lute in F double # > with metal frets: > > |\ | |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ > |\ | |\ |\ |\ | |\ > | | |. |\ | |. | > _e__e__e__e____f____e__e__c__a____c____c___ > _a___________|_c__|_a___________|_a______|_ > _____________|____|_____________|_a______|_ > _c___________|____|_c___________|________|_ > _____________|_a__|_____________|_c______|_ > _____________|____|_____________|________|_ > > |\ | > |\ | > | | > _e__e__e__e____f__f__f__f___e__a__c__c___a_____ > _a___________|_c__________|_a_____a____|_a__||_ > _____________|____________|_______a____|_c__||_ > _c___________|____________|_c__________|____||_ > _____________|_a__________|_______c____|____||_ > _____________|____________|____________|_a__||_ > > Chorus: > > Bile dem cabbage down, > Bake dem oat cakes brown. > The only song that I can sing is > Bile dem cabbage down. > > [NB: "Bile" = "Boil".] > > There are many verses, of which the following is my favourite: > > 'Twas on the bridge at midnight, > My heart was all a-quiver. > I undid her suspender, > And her leg fell in the river. > > Those particular lyrics might not have been quite what Thomas Morley > had in mind when he wrote his hard and difficult introduction to > theoretical music, but as far as the harmonic sequence is concerned, > he could have happily jammed away for hours on his organ, > improvising > countless divisions on Bile dem cabbage down, yet believing all the > time that he was playing the Quadro Pavan. > > Best wishes, > > Stewart McCoy. > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Thomas Schall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Lautenliste" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 10:34 PM > Subject: Re: Subliminal message - please read > > > > Am Die, 2004-05-25 um 21.27 schrieb Garry Bryan: > > > > > > > > Garry ( off to play the quadro pavin on the banjo again ) > > > > > > > ... which is worth discussing. Is playing the quadro pavin on a > Banjo > > lute-related? <grin> > > > > Thomas > > > > (having tried to distinguish between the "et" and "con", the "x" > and > > "r", the "g" and "et" in Sixt Kargel which is so frustrating that > I > > wouldn't bear any politics anymore - can one "dislearn" german > tab? I > > never had such problems reading it) > > > > > > > > -- > -- Thomas Schall Niederhofheimer Weg 3 D-65843 Sulzbach 06196/74519 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.lautenist.de / www.tslaute.de/weiss --
