Lex wrote...
"What kind of evidence are we looking for? Visee and Corbetta (and most
likely many players who played their music) probably had reverse stringing
on the fourth course. Nevertheless it is mentioned nowhere in their books."
You have no evidence that that was what they did. What they don't say in
their books you just think you can make up! Rafael Andia on his recording
of de Visee's music has the bordon on the thumb side and this doesn't seem
to have an appreciable effect on the music.
The only reference to reverse stringing is in Ruiz de Ribayaz in 1677. You
and numerous other people are happy to argue that because the earliest
mention of the "French" tuning is in 1670 and much of the Italian repertoire
was composed before that date it can't possible have been used before that
date or by Italian guitarists. On that basis reverse stringing can't have
been used before 1677 - and then perhaps only in Spain - as a compromise
since Spaniards usually used octave stringing.
You just interpret the evidence to suite yourself.
< <This brings us back to Bartolotti, who was the first to publish a book of
elaborate music with (real) campanelas. It is highly unlikely that he
dropped his bourdons.
What you mean of course is that his is the earliest surviving book which
features elaborate music etc... But of course you don't know whether he
used bordons in the first place. It may well have been he who popularised
the "French" tuning.
That would have ruined his music.
Whether or not it ruins his music is entirely a matter of personal taste -
which was the point I was trying to make when I mentioned the different
views on stringing suitable for Santiago de Murcia.
<<With him I vote for
reverse stringing of the fourth and fifth courses.>>
If we are going to have a vote on it I think it should be by secret ballot.
You have no right to claim categorically that you, and only you know
Bartolotti's ideas on the matter.
Monica
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