It's good to read you again, Jarosław, and with such an
interesting example.
I would not presume to give any answers, just add a question or two.
It would be good to have Mimmo's specialist opinion, on this.
Aesthetic/loaded?
I note that MP does give two examples contrasting aesthetic
use of string colour,
with something more systematic that he thinks could be consistent
with loading:
aesthetic (Ludovico Lana 1597-1646):
http://www.aquilacorde.com/valeriani1.JPG
red basses: they suggest a loading treatment
http://www.aquilacorde.com/b.jpg
but your example is sort of in between, interpretable either way?
unless there is a technical reason (string length) which would
preclude loading?
Demi-filé?
However, if the date is 1649, it seems unlikely that the white
string could have been "silver wound" demi-filé, because of the
early
date.
Mimmo's example is from 1770:
Zophany, 1770 ca. The Sharp family: see the white basses
http://www.aquilacorde.com/zophany.jpg
If for a specific purpose, why substitute for 7c and not also for 6c?
I think your suggestion that
2/ La Hyre painted what he saw at that given moment - the white 7th
string was put on after the original proper (loaded?) string had
broken
3/ 7th string was made of some kind of substitute which the
player
consciously preferred to have on that course.
are quite plausible (both possibilities); but if (3) and 7c was a
preferred substitute, why was it not also preferred for 6c, which
remains red (loaded?), unless 7c were a special type of loaded (but I
might be missing something here about the reentrant tuning).
Indeed, on my new 11c lute, Stephen Gottlieb did not put the full
complement of loaded basses (from 6 to 11), instead he stopped at 8c,
and substituted for the smaller basses : a Gimped on 7c and a pure
Venice on 6c (probably just because he already had them), but also
because he said they would be more frequently stopped down.
Place marker?
The gimped string, while good, did break the smooth transition of the
voices, but proved quite useful while I was learning to use the
basses, as a sort of place marker: I could both see and hear where I
was.
Although, I would not actually like to suggest a similar "place
marker role" for the white string in this painting.
I agree it is most likely a temporary substitute (as mine in fact
were also), just possibly there for its preferred quality, if it was
a special loaded string.
Loaded?
Could this white string have been a loaded one?
Notice, that my Venice 6c was yellowish, but it looks quite white in
contrast to the redder basses, and this is a painting, so the
difference could be exaggerated:
http://tinyurl.com/burdjo
Could the 7c of this painting be the canary-yellow lead oxide MP
mentions, if it was there for a specific purpose (Mimmo doesn't
mention any white coloured loading)? I suppose it is more likely to
be plain gut, but that is also usually yellowish, unless bleached.
Some artistic implication?
Although, the instrument could perhaps be an artist's prop, for
which the strings could have been chosen for some particlular
artistic effect, somehow part of its allegoric message. The white
string runs through the heart of the rose. The index (trigger finger)
is on this. If so, I have no idea what the implication for the artist
might be.
However, a painting with a primary allegorical message, could be a
little less safe in terms of the data it gives us for an actual
playing set-up, than say, the protrait of a particular lutenist (even
if this might also have some allegorical undertones).
Just my uninformed musings
regards
Anthony
