The weakest point in any of the two ways of the viola da mano reconstruction
that you mention is that we have absolutely no idea (because of lack of
surviving instruments) what sort of barring arrangement the original
instruments had. And this is a major set back whichever external shape is
chosen for the reconstruction.
Alexander
www.vihuelademano.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stuart Walsh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 9:59 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] vihuela and viola
> vihuela and viola
>
> Today, the 16th century Spanish vihuela tends to almost completely
> eclipse the Italian viola. Some (not uncontroversial) vihuelas actually
> survive and, of course, there's a distinctive body of music composed for
> the vihuela, starting with Milan's publication in 1536.
>
> On the other hand, no violas survive - but there are representations of
> them and they are sometimes specified in Italian tablatures ('for lute
> or viola'). According to Tyler, the so-called Bottegari lute book (1574)
> is really for the viola. There are depictions of violas back into the
> late 15th century and even some fragments of music in tablature from
> that time.
>
> There seem to be at least two kinds of viola. One is only very slightly
> waisted with a sickle-shaped pegbox. Stephen Barber and Sandy Harris
> make a reproduction of one - no.9 on this page:
>
> http://www.lutesandguitars.co.uk/htm/cat12.htm
>
> Obviously Barber and Harris are much more interested in the vihuela than
> the viola.
>
> But there's another kind of viola with deeply incurved sides. This kind
> of viola looks very like its bowed counterpart. I recently came across
> this reproduction of an instrument from c1520.
>
> http://www.anselmus.ch/fr/guitares/guitare_general.htm#signet_01
>
> Although bowed violas and plucked violas look superficially similar, I
> would expect they are significantly different in construction(?) The
> bowed violas have a tail piece, and, at least sometimes, have a visibly
> curved bridge. The plucked violas I've seen all have the player's arm
> and hand obscuring details of bridge or tail piece.
>
>
>
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>
>
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