[VIHUELA] Re: Strumming as basso continuo {was: Return to earlier question: {was: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]}
- Original Message - From: "Martyn Hodgson" To: "Lex Eisenhardt" Cc: "Vihuelalist" Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 9:52 AM Subject: [VIHUELA] Strumming as basso continuo {was: Return to earlier question: {was: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]} Maybe I am butting in here but I think we are a bit at cross purposes. I don't have a copy of Corradi's book but I assume that it is a collection of solo songs with voice part, bass part and alfabeto over the voice part. What Agazzari is concerned with primarily is accompanying vocal music in several parts - (which in the context I think it is appropriate to refer to as polyphony). The final two pages are concerned with explaining how to accompany Palestrina's Messa Papae Marcelli. Surely the Pope would have had a fit if the baroque guitar or even the chitarrina was strumming continuously throughout (even if the guitarist was Amat!). This is going to be performed in church as part of the Mass and the only likely accompaniment would have been the organ with possible a theorbo or other bass instrument reinforcing the lowest part. The other instruments are more likely to have been involved when accompanying secular vocal music in several parts as in the choruses in the Intermedii. In any case I don't think that the idea is to accompany solo songs with elaborate instrumental accompaniments as often seems to happen today. Monica Dear Lex, Much as I deprecate the high lervels of banging and thrashing about produced by some guitar continuo players these days, I see no reason to suppose that strumming should be generally eschewed ('It seems unlikely however that a chordal style, continuously including all courses of the instrument, was intended'). For example, song accompaniments with Alfabeto are surely nothing more than basso continuo realisations on the guitar (as for example in the Corradi 1616) I mentioned. rgds Martyn --- On Wed, 14/12/11, Lex Eisenhardt wrote: From: Lex Eisenhardt Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Return to earlier question: {was Re: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]} To: "Monica Hall" Cc: "Vihuelalist" Date: Wednesday, 14 December, 2011, 8:51 >> Agazzari was working in Rome and Siena, and probably the chitarra spagnuola was more widely known there around 1600. >> But Agazzari's 'Del sonare sopra il basso' is really about figured bass and counterpoint, and from how he describes the use of the 'ornamental' instruments it appears that the chordal style of the guitar is not within sight. I doubt if Agazzari would have considered the alfabeto of the guitar as a 'foundation', while the bass is not even performed on the guitar. > > I think you are interpreting what he says in too narrow a way. Amongst the second group of instruments he has included the Lirone, Cetera and the Pandora. These are all instruments which are capable of filling in the harmony to some extent. There is no reason to suppose that they played nothing but a single lin - what would the point be - and the same is true of the chitarrina. It could be strumming away in there! Agazzari (in Strunk) says: 'Like ornaments are those which, in a playful and _contrapuntal_ fashion, make the harmony more agreeable and sonorous.' The instruments with 'imperfect harmony [of the parts] such as the cetera, lirone, chitarrina, etc.' could indeed have played more than one voice at a time, although single line should also be considered possible. But I assume that Agazzari would have expected that also this was done 'in a contrapuntal fashion.' And yes, on the cetera and chitarrina that could possibly mean strumming. It seems unlikely however that a chordal style, continuously including all courses of the instrument, was intended Lex To get on or off this list see list information at [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[VIHUELA] Re: Return to earlier question: {was Re: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]}
- Original Message - From: "Lex Eisenhardt" To: "Monica Hall" Cc: "Vihuelalist" Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 8:51 AM Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Return to earlier question: {was Re: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]} Agazzari (in Strunk) says: 'Like ornaments are those which, in a playful and _contrapuntal_ fashion, make the harmony more agreeable and sonorous.' The instruments with 'imperfect harmony [of the parts] such as the cetera, lirone, chitarrina, etc.' could indeed have played more than one voice at a time, although single line should also be considered possible. But I assume that Agazzari would have expected that also this was done 'in a contrapuntal fashion.' And yes, on the cetera and chitarrina that could possibly mean strumming. It seems unlikely however that a chordal style, continuously including all courses of the instrument, was intended I have no problem with that. I just wouldn't rule out the possibility that the chitarrina sometimes added simple chords to the melodic line - in the same way that the violin occasionally indulges in some double stopping - and these could have been arpeggiated in the way that Cerreto suggests using all four fingers of the right hand. Monica . To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[VIHUELA] Strumming as basso continuo {was: Return to earlier question: {was: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]}
Dear Lex, Much as I deprecate the high lervels of banging and thrashing about produced by some guitar continuo players these days, I see no reason to suppose that strumming should be generally eschewed ('It seems unlikely however that a chordal style, continuously including all courses of the instrument, was intended'). For example, song accompaniments with Alfabeto are surely nothing more than basso continuo realisations on the guitar (as for example in the Corradi 1616) I mentioned. rgds Martyn --- On Wed, 14/12/11, Lex Eisenhardt wrote: From: Lex Eisenhardt Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Return to earlier question: {was Re: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]} To: "Monica Hall" Cc: "Vihuelalist" Date: Wednesday, 14 December, 2011, 8:51 >> Agazzari was working in Rome and Siena, and probably the chitarra spagnuola was more widely known there around 1600. >> But Agazzari's 'Del sonare sopra il basso' is really about figured bass and counterpoint, and from how he describes the use of the 'ornamental' instruments it appears that the chordal style of the guitar is not within sight. I doubt if Agazzari would have considered the alfabeto of the guitar as a 'foundation', while the bass is not even performed on the guitar. > > I think you are interpreting what he says in too narrow a way. Amongst the second group of instruments he has included the Lirone, Cetera and the Pandora. These are all instruments which are capable of filling in the harmony to some extent. There is no reason to suppose that they played nothing but a single lin - what would the point be - and the same is true of the chitarrina. It could be strumming away in there! Agazzari (in Strunk) says: 'Like ornaments are those which, in a playful and _contrapuntal_ fashion, make the harmony more agreeable and sonorous.' The instruments with 'imperfect harmony [of the parts] such as the cetera, lirone, chitarrina, etc.' could indeed have played more than one voice at a time, although single line should also be considered possible. But I assume that Agazzari would have expected that also this was done 'in a contrapuntal fashion.' And yes, on the cetera and chitarrina that could possibly mean strumming. It seems unlikely however that a chordal style, continuously including all courses of the instrument, was intended Lex To get on or off this list see list information at [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[VIHUELA] Re: Return to earlier question: {was Re: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]}
Agazzari was working in Rome and Siena, and probably the chitarra spagnuola was more widely known there around 1600. But Agazzari's 'Del sonare sopra il basso' is really about figured bass and counterpoint, and from how he describes the use of the 'ornamental' instruments it appears that the chordal style of the guitar is not within sight. I doubt if Agazzari would have considered the alfabeto of the guitar as a 'foundation', while the bass is not even performed on the guitar. I think you are interpreting what he says in too narrow a way. Amongst the second group of instruments he has included the Lirone, Cetera and the Pandora. These are all instruments which are capable of filling in the harmony to some extent. There is no reason to suppose that they played nothing but a single lin - what would the point be - and the same is true of the chitarrina. It could be strumming away in there! Agazzari (in Strunk) says: 'Like ornaments are those which, in a playful and _contrapuntal_ fashion, make the harmony more agreeable and sonorous.' The instruments with 'imperfect harmony [of the parts] such as the cetera, lirone, chitarrina, etc.' could indeed have played more than one voice at a time, although single line should also be considered possible. But I assume that Agazzari would have expected that also this was done 'in a contrapuntal fashion.' And yes, on the cetera and chitarrina that could possibly mean strumming. It seems unlikely however that a chordal style, continuously including all courses of the instrument, was intended Lex To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html