OK, here is an idea. In the so called "Swan" manuscript (St-Petersburg,
the library of the academy of science) some of the lute pieces appear to
be re-adapted to play on baryton, or, indeed, on either. I don't have a
copy of this MS with me at the moment but if the memory serves me right
(I used to see the original a number of times but that was 25 years
ago!), a similar sort of numbers are written beneath the bottom
tablature line, next to the usual bass course letters. What this would
mean is that the person would play from the tablature using the main six
strings of the baryton, with the left hand thumb plucking the
corresponding drones at the back of the neck. And it's those drone
strings that would have to be indicated so as to eliminate guess work.
What you can do is to check if the same numbers (2 or 3, for instance)
mean like indicating the same bass note (judging by what's written on
the tablature stave above) or, perhaps, if they are written next to the
same bass course indications (i.e. as for theorbo).
Alexander
On Sat, 20 Mar 2010 Martyn Hodgson wrote:
On the subject of Bartolotti's theorbo works, has anyone yet come up
with an interpretation of the small numbers under the tablature stave
in the Prelude starting at f. 90v of Wien NB MS 17.706. Altho' this
piece isn't attributed to B., a later Allemande in a very similar
style is. I asked this question a few years ago (in fact 14 Dec 2005)
but there seemed no convincing view of what they meant. I've pasted my
original query below and would be grateful for any insights.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
' What I think are even more problematical, are the numbers (ie a '2'
or a '3') appearing under some chords at the bottom of page 90 (179) in
the theorbo pieces at the back of Wien MS17.706. At first glance one
might say these are simply shorthand for bass course tablature, but the
MS uses the usual strokes (ie a /a //a ///a 4 5 6 7) to indicate
these; is it the number of times the chord is repeated? - but in the
context of the particular chord progressions where it appears this
makes little sense; is it how the chord is to be broken? but the
relevant chords have varying numbers of notes (ranging from three to 5)
and he also uses the established ://: sign for arpeggiation; is it some
LH fingering? - but in the context this again makes no sense.'
Martyn
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