I think there is an ambiguity in the guitar's sound. Anecdotal
evidence is in the list archives... How often has so-and-so said that a
performer did use bordones, while another said he/she didn't, while yet
another couldn't tell? I've seen that on this list a few times.
__________________________________________________________________
From: Martyn Hodgson <hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk>
To: Vihuelalist <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>; Lex Eisenhardt
<eisenha...@planet.nl>
Sent: Fri, February 4, 2011 6:14:36 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Where to end?
Lex has a reasonable point in suggesting that Murcia probably had a
particular tuning in mind. If we are aiming to try and recapture the
sounds these early players made and heard this surely ought to be the
focus of our search.
With regard to disjointed part writing indicating a particular
tuning,
this has been the topic of long threads earlier. For such an peculiar
instrument as the early guitar, conclusions based simply on the idea
that if a line jumps an octave it must point to a particular
stringing
seem doubtful. String properties must also be taken into account when
considering such a chimera as an octave string on the 3rd course.
MH
--- On Fri, 4/2/11, Lex Eisenhardt <[1]eisenha...@planet.nl> wrote:
From: Lex Eisenhardt <[2]eisenha...@planet.nl>
Subject: [VIHUELA] Where to end?
To: "Vihuelalist" <[3]vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Date: Friday, 4 February, 2011, 10:49
Monica Hall escribio:
>The point is (I think) that Murcia's music, and for that matter
most
other baroque guitar music, isn't intended for one method of
stringing
rather than >another.
Do we know anything about his intensions with regard to tuning?
At least we may assume that he used some method of stringing
himself.
In out time there has been a lot of disagreement about Murcia's
tuning,
but that does not say that he would not have cared.
>It is arranged in such a way that it can be conveniently played
on
a
5-course instrument and in a way that makes the best use of the
limitations which >having only 5 courses imposes. It relies on
the
ambiguous tone quality of the instrument to create the desired
effect.
What ambiguous tone quality?
>Arguments about whether the music conforms to the rules of music
theory, and the idea that you can leave out one string of a
course
or
strike it in such a >way the emphasis falls on one or other
string
are
futile.
Why futile?
The idea that campanela use of the low courses would point at
re-entrant tunings is mere speculation. I think that it grossly
underestimates the capacities of the 17th century guitarist. With
bourdons you can have it all, bass and treble. Just a matter of
an
appropriate playing technique.
>That's not what it is all about
Then what is 'it' all about?
The whole concept of implied understanding of the intensions of
the
composer, even if the bass rises above the treble, smells so
'new-agy'
to me.
Lex
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