I wasn't questioning that. Obviously most of us know when octave stringing was introduced and what was the cause of this invention. In spite some people complained it was finally accepted. However we are talking here of another obstacle in attaining smooth transition between treble and bass which could really hinder any proper voice leading at all. A thin metal string has such a different tonal qualities from a thick gut that no matter how plucked it will stick out braking a counterpoint. I doubt very much if anyone would be able to play contrapunctal music from times of Tinctoris on an instrument strung that way. As said before I don't even mention practical issues of this setting like intonation, frets, etc. To your quote I'd say that the old ones had as good ears as we do, so it's not a safe guide to assume they were handicap in this matter and didn't bother about voice-leading. If you say that everything in Tinctoris text is clear, please speak for yourself as there are some people like myself that have doubts on whether it makes any musical sense.
Jaroslaw Wiadomość napisana przez Monica Hall w dniu 12 lip 2012, o godz. 18:38: > matter. The only thing >> that is difficult for me to accept in the result of your translation is >> the fact that it is not a practical solution. Can you imagine playing such >> an instrument? Some people complain about octave stringing on instruments >> equipped with gut only saying that it ruins voice leading, so how it would >> be possible to play a tenor or alto voice crossing 2 addjacent courses - >> one with unison guts and the other with a mixture of gut and wire in >> octaves!!! I won't even mention problems with intonation and frets. It >> sounds like a nightmare to me. I am sorry, but it is very difficult to >> find any logic in this arrangement. Therefore I tend to think we are >> missing something in the interpretation of Tinctoris's words, or he didn't >> express himself clearly. > > For what its worth I'll stick my oar (or ore) in and say that some people > today may complain that octave stringing ruins the voice leading - but there > is very little doubt that plucked string instruments were strung in octaves. > People in the past may have had no choice in the matter as the alternative > may have been even worse. > Octave doubling and voice leading is a major problem on the baroque guitar > for players today but players in the past may not have found it a problem. > As the distinguished musicalogist Howard Mayer Brown said "What we may > think sounds "best" or "right" or "most musical" is not a safe guide to what > was done in the past". (My favourite quote). > Surely the only thing that is not clear in Tinctoris' comment is how exactly > the strings he refers to were actually made or what they consisted of. > > Monica > > > > >> >> Best wishes >> >> Jaroslaw >> >> >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
