This was my summary. It caused outrage in some quarters but I still stand
by most of it.
1. Both the conventional and re-entrant tunings were considered
appropriate for strummed music and choice of one or the other was a matter
of practical convenience.
2. The development of an elaborate treble dominated style after 1640
led to a preference for re-entrant stringing.
3. Perhaps as early as the 1650s Corbetta used bourdon on the fourth
course.
4. This became the preferred method of stringing in France, England and
the Low Countries and possibly also in Italy and Spain during the last
quarter of the seventeenth and first quarter of the eighteenth centuries.
5. Developments in the way strings were made lead to regular use of
octaves on both fourth and fifth courses and eventually to a 6-course
instrument.
6. Different methods of stringing were probably used for solo music and
realizing a bass line.
7. The evidence for octave stringing on the third course is ambiguous.
Such a method of stringing would only be suitable for strummed music.
Do I hear howls of rage in the distance?
Monica
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