Thanks Chris
I should have said I'm not playing these pieces on a mandore, but on a
small, single-strung instrument, tuned like a mandore. My instrument has
a string length of 37cms and so is larger (and, no doubt, easier to
play) than a typical four-course, four-string mandore. On the other
hand, maybe there was a difference in size between the four-course
(four-string) plectrum-played mandore and the five-course, fingerstyle
(or plectrum+fingers style) instrument.
I knew about the Ulm tablatures from Donald Gill and James Tyler but it
was Jean-Marie Poirier who pointed me in the direction of the Cornetto
catalogue.
http://www.faksimiles.org/verlag.htm
I think there are three separate tabaltures in the Ulm collection and
the Cornetto facsimiles are quite expensive. At Jean-Marie's suggestion
I got Cornetto catalogue, 0073 which turned out to be two
nicely-produced facsimiles. The main 'book' (there's probably a
technical name for a publication roughly 8 inches by 6 inches) has music
for a five course instrument and uses a couple of tunings but mainly one
(in fourths and fifths, without lowering the first course). Like the
Skene MS, it has to be fingerstyle or plectrum plus fingers. The
supplementary 'book' has only a few pieces, all or mainly from the
larger collection, but now set for a four-course instrument, presumably
to be played with a plectrum.
Stuart
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