This communication does not seem to have been copied to the lute site: here
it is again.
I should be grateful if anybody can shed fresh light on interpretation of the
figures (3 and 2) under some chords in 17.706 which I mention in the second
half of the message. I'm told that an edition Bartolloti's theorbo music has
been published by the French Lute Society but in this it seems that these
figures have been either edited out or misinterpreted (as in (a) below) without
comment......
Martyn Hodgson
Martyn Hodgson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 09:53:19 +0100 (BST)
From: Martyn Hodgson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] Bartolotti's theorbo AND TIORBA NOTATION
To: Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
Vihuela Net <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Lute Net <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Dear Monica,
At the back of MS 17.706 (Nationalbibliothek Vienna), which mostly contains
11 course lute music (first decades of 18thC), are 7 folios of theorbo pieces
in French tablature. The 'Accordo della Tiorba' clearly shows octave down for
the first two courses and an instrument in A.
On f. 89v is an 'Allemanda di Angelo Michiele' which I presume to be our man.
This piece also requires the first two courses tuned at the lower octave (eg
pre-penultimate bar with campanella passage). None of the other pieces name a
composer but on stylistic grounds could be by A.M. I've spotted no
concordances with B's guitar works, but.....
-------------------------------------------------------
This MS also has another interesting and unique(?) marking in a fine
'Preludio' for theorbo on f. 88v - 89 (cld again be by A.M.). I've previously
asked for any information on this marking both on this list and elsewhere but
with no results. I'd be grateful for any fresh insights from you or anyone else.
In short, the numbers 2 or 3 are written under some two, three, four and five
note chords which generally form some sort of sequence. What do they mean? -
how are they to be played? A few observations:
a) The seemingly obvious answer that they indicate the 8th and 9th bass
courses doesn't fit the evidence since the more conventional (in French
tablature) signs of /a and //a are used throughout this MS and, indeed, in
this piece. Moreover in one case the figure 2 is placed under a three note
chord with /a in the bass.
b) It might be to indicate how to arpeggiate/break the chord, but how - the
figures 3 and 2 are found below two succesive three note chords - the figure 2
is found under three and four note chords and the figure 3 under five, three
and two(!) note chords
c) Is it to show how many times a chord is to be struck? but it seems and odd
way to indicate this (especially marking underneath the chord) as well as
making no stylistic sense in the sequence.
d) There is one piece of evidence to support a hypothesis that the figures
indicate some way of breaking a chord in - under a six note chord and a four
note chord is the common Italian sign ://: for an arpeggio so perhaps these
figures are indeed a shorthand for something similar - but what? and how?
Martyn
Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Does anyone on this list know the correct tuning for Bartolotti's theorbo
music.
Looking at the tablature it seems to be standard lute tuning for the six
courses on the fingerboard and diatonic basses but are the top two courses
tuned down an octave?
Monica
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