How do do we (ie you) know, without prejudging the issue, that "1) the actual range of sizes of surviving instruments is much larger" This implies you are able to identify double re-entrant instruments from single (not to mention archlutes)- which may indeed be smaller;
2) "99 cm is extremely large by any standard" Again you're prejudging the issue. In fact this size fits with the largest extant instruments, 3) "Praetorius never got within 400 km of Padua, let alone Rome." So? Do you really think there was little or no communication within Europe at the time? MH --- On Sun, 1/6/08, howard posner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: howard posner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Choosing Strings > To: "LUTELIST List" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Date: Sunday, 1 June, 2008, 9:04 PM > On May 26, 2008, at 7:22 AM, Martyn Hodgson wrote: > > > > > Howard, > > > > Without going back to square one and repeating > subsequent postings, > > Much to the relief of the entire list, I'm sure. > > > what I was hoping to say in my last email was that, > despite his > > 'critique', all the theorboes offered on > Barber's website (other > > than his singular 'own design') supported my > views on theorbo sizes. > > Your meaning was clear. I disagree that Barber's > choice of which > theorbos to copy bears on the point. He's making > instruments, not > history. > > > Praetorius in the scaled drawings of Paduan and Roman > theorbos (c. > > 99 and 93cm) indicates only a small(around 6%) > difference between > > the two. > > But this is silly verging on weird, since we know 1) the > actual range > of sizes of surviving instruments is much larger; 2) 99 cm > is > extremely large by any standard, and 3) Praetorius never > got within > 400 km of Padua, let alone Rome. > > > Further, the variations in the very few reported > pitches in 17thC > > Italy does not exclude local variations, not to > mention > > transposition and the general uniformity of vocal > ranges tending > > towards a degree of standardisation. > > It seems to me that much of the problem about pitches > , especially > > in the 17thC and especially in Italy, is the heavy, if > > > understandable, reliance on church organ pitches and, > to some > > extent, statements by such as those by Doni (eg > relating these > > pitches at Naples, Rome. Lombardy/Florence and Venice > in discrete > > semitone steps). > > Domestic music making, especially with lutes, might > well have not > > reflected such a significant and discrete variation > > > > > > > > --- On Sun, 25/5/08, howard posner > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> From: howard posner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Choosing Strings > >> To: "LUTELIST List" > <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > >> Date: Sunday, 25 May, 2008, 7:02 PM > >> On May 25, 2008, at 12:46 AM, Martyn Hodgson > wrote: > >> > >>> Very good mt dear Howard - but really not at > all. I > >> very much > >>> welcomed your informed contributions as > testing the > >> envelope of > >>> knowledge by citing early sources and > organological > >> data rather > >>> than assertions based simply on personal > preference. > >> Sorry if you > >>> thought it at all wrathful! > >>> > >>> However, my complaint about Barber goes back > many > >> years (when I had > >>> the temerity to first question his > identification of > >> the 'Chambure > >>> vihuela' as a typical instrument for the > early > >> 16thC repertoire and > >>> his continuing failure to mention organolgical > work > >> undertaken by > >>> many others), and more recently (pasted below) > when I > >> pointed out > >>> that, despite his most recent criticism (and > personal > >> abuse)of me > >>> for advocating large theorbos, in fact his own > website > >> supported my > >>> position! > >> > >> You have an expansive view of what supports your > position. > >> I suppose > >> this is because your view is essentially an answer > without > >> a real > >> question, and thus meaningless, or at least > nonsensical. > >> Making a > >> blanket statement about the historical size of > theorbos > >> without > >> factoring in the question of absolute pitch is > like making > >> a blanket > >> statement about how long a piece of rope should > be. > >> > >> > >> -- > >> > >> To get on or off this list see list information at > >> > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > Sent from Yahoo! Mail. > > A Smarter Email > http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html > > __________________________________________________________ Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Email http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
