Monica Hall wrote:
Granata has not clearly indicated in any of his books that he favoured
one
method of stringing the 5-course guitar over another. It is
therefore an
open question.
I see - I understand what you are saying.
There is just one further aspect which I haven't explored. Two
books, one by Abatessa and one by Michaeli include instructions for
tuning the 5-course guitar to the "arpetta". It is not clear what
this is except that it apparently has 8 strings. Abatessa seems to
imply that it is another instrument - a small harp perhaps, but
Micheli's instructions seem to imply that it is some sort of
attachment to the guitar. James Tyler mentions this on p.59 of his
book and says there is a drawing of such an instrument in an 18th
century Portuguese manuscript where it is referred to as a "tyorba
christalina". Apparently there is such an instrument in the Victoria
and Albert Museum.
I don't recall having seen it. Has anyone else?
Monica
I've been in the V&A a couple of times fairly recently and I didn't
notice such a thing. Maybe someone has the V&A catalogue and can check
that for instruments not on display. Could - tuning the 5-course guitar
to the "arpetta" - just mean tuning a guitar with the help of an
"arpetta" (whatever that was).
Stuart
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