Well - in Mouton's Piece de luth printed in Paris in 1699 at least the 6th
course must be octave strung as there are passages in which the separate
strings of this course are to be sounded successively - the bass string is
represented by a standard size c and the high octave string with a little c.
Dowland is probably being a bit pedantic here objecting to the consecutive
octaves. It is not really any different from organ stops which go in
octaves.
Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lynda Kraar" <lyndakr...@aol.com>
To: "Lute list" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 2:10 PM
Subject: [LUTE] Re: String tension
I re-read this quote (Big D/Besard):
"Secondly, set on your Bases, in that place which you call the sixt
string, or
vi; these Bases must be of one bignes, yet it hath beene a generall
custome
(although not so much used any where as here in England) to set a
small and a
great string together, but amongst learned Musitions that custome is
left, as
irregular to the rules of Musicke."
Does this mean that octaved courses went of out fashion, or that they
were only in fashion in England for awhile? I would think that after
stressing in the earlier part of the post that the highest string was
the loudest, perhaps this was a way of making the lower courses sound
louder?
What say ye?
Lynda
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