However his reasons for recommending the re-entrant tuning for elaborate
solo music like that of Bartolotti
Sanz's solo music is by far not as elaborate as Bartolotti's. Most of Sanz's
pieces in the 'modern style' (not the Italianate passacalles) are charming
little tunes exclusively to be played punteado. Nothing like the polyphony
or the rich battuto-pizzicato textures of a Bartolotti. For Sanz's folk
pieces re-entrant tuning seems ok. Bartolott's name does not appear on the
summary of guitar composers in Sanz's introduction, and he may not have been
familiar with this music.
are all to do with the kind of strings available.
Plain gut strings were used for the bass on most plucked instruments. It
seems odd to suppose that the (supposed inferior) quality of bourdon strings
has been a reason to move over to re-entrant stringing on the guitar.
For a contrasting view, perhaps I may recommend my article 'Bourdons as
usual', in the last issue of 'The Lute' (47), obtainable from The Lute
Society. There you'll find Monica's responses as well. There are no
electronic versions available, I'm afraid.
When it comes to adding the sixth course you have to ask why it took
nearly
150 years before this development took place. The most likely
explanation
is that for both practical reasons to do with stringing and because
re-entrant tuning has some intrinsic benefits it usually had a re-entrant
tuning.
The most practical reason to not use a 6 string/course instrument is perhaps
chord strumming.
The first seven chords of guitar alfabeto, plus the I, O and P chords, all
need no more than three fingers, while frequent harmonies (like E, A or
F-both major and minor) are impossible to play without barré's on a
six-course instrument tuned in G, at least if we wish to include all
courses. It raises the problem of strumming over a limited number of
strings, which introduces theoretical difficulties for the player.
With regard to what Sanz says about strumming the D minor chord and the
resulting 4/6 position (the A in the bass): a considerable portion of his
text is about how to play basso continuo on the guitar, and in accordance
with his advice to use bourdons for that his tablature examples show only
plucked textures, so that the bass will always be in its proper position,
which is below the other voices. This raises the question if his remark
about the D minor chord has anything to do with basso continuo.
Besides, most bass instruments such as the bass viol and the theorbo can
produce the D below the A (the fifth course bourdon) of the guitar. When
playing together with a strummed guitar with bourdons, which is not a
situation described by Sanz (nor by any other writer), the fundamental bass
can still be taken care of on the bass line instrument.
Lex
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