Without having seen the original MS it's difficult to be sure if
Chrysander's edition is wholly accurate, certainly his naming the two
upper staves of the system as for guitar seems editorial (since he
places the chittara in brackets). It would also be revealing to see if
this MS usually identifies a particular instrument on the top line or
if it was assumed (a violin, oboe or flute perhaps). Further, if the
upper line is played an octave down (as you rightly suggest more in the
period guitar tessitura) it crosses the bass line (eg bar 2).
I suggest it more likely that the composer simply expected the guitar
to play along as continuo (hence second line down duplicating the bass
stave) and that a violin, or flute or oboe played the melodic upper
line. the bass then played by cello with/without keyboard.
MH
--- On Sat, 9/5/09, Mjos & Larson <rockype...@earthlink.net> wrote:
From: Mjos & Larson <rockype...@earthlink.net>
Subject: [VIHUELA] Haendel - Cantata Spagnuola
To: vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
Date: Saturday, 9 May, 2009, 7:07 AM
I have been thinking to ask this group for ideas and suggestions on
approaching Haendel's "No se emendera jamas " (Cantata Spagnuola a voce
sola e Chitarra) for some time.
The Chrysander edition is online at:
[1]http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00016889/images/inde
x.html?id=00016889&fip=66.41.254.100&no=5&seite=44
Is it safe to assume it was written for a standard baroque guitar in E?
I have no idea of the original source, but given the range of the part
marked "Chitarra" I would think to play the melody down an octave from
Chrysander's G-clef notation, which would take the melody from the
fifth fret first string down to the second fret on the fourth course.
This strikes me as a bit low for playing a solo part above the
continuo.
The bass notes only seem just to be a continuo line to harmonize.
How might members of the group have performed this, and with what
instrumental forces? Theorbo continuo only, or harpsichord? Bass viol
only?
Or do do we take the subtitle literally that it is only voice and
guitar? Then we have a bit of a range problem with the written bass
line and upper part (assuming my octave transposition of the upper
voice).
Does someone have knowledge of the original notation to be able to
comment on the faithfulness Chysander's edition? He claims it is
faithful here:
[2]http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00016889/images/inde
x.html?seite=7
-- R
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References
1.
http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00016889/images/index.html?id=00016889&fip=66.41.254.100&no=5&seite=44
2.
http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0001/bsb00016889/images/index.html?seite=7
3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
