Well, I can only say, from my own experience and study (such as it is)
that it is not a "sacrifice" to play without bordones. It's different,
but no less rich, and certainly no sacrifice... in *my* experience.
In fact, it has opened up musical possibilities, as well as technical
possibilities I haven't enjoyed before, and that were only hinted at by
my experience with the ukulele. This is the experience of somebody who
has played the guitar and other plucked instruments in a variety of
styles over a period of decades -- but not the experience of a
scholar. Nonetheless, I can't emphasize enough that is it no sacrifice
to play without bordones, any more than it's a sacrifice to play on six
rather than 11 or 13 courses... in my experience. My addmittedly
limited experience with an admittedly limited exposure to the
repertoire.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not taking sides here. I'm just relating my
experience.
__________________________________________________________________
From: Lex Eisenhardt <eisenha...@planet.nl>
To: Vihuelalist <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Tue, February 8, 2011 4:09:08 AM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: The stringing of the baroque guitar - again
Stuart Walsh wrote:
> what do you mean by "elaborate treble dominated style"? Is it this: a
predominantly melodic line interspersed with occasional chords? Which
composers are you thinking of?
>
> The small amount of fancier music for the English guitar/guittar in
the 18th century actually, literally looks like this - melodic lines -
single melodic lines and then occasional chords. But five-course guitar
music doesn't look like this at all. It looks like there's some kind of
bass and treble - it looks like, at least, two part music.
And, what's more, it sounds like it. This applies as much for Corbetta
in 1643 and Bartolotti in c1655 as for Visee and Granata in the 1680s.
This elaborate treble dominated style concept is a someting like modern
myth. As is the idea that players would have sacrificed their bourdons
for only a fistful of campanela's. Which, at the same time can be
performed by making a double use of the lower courses of a bourdon
tuning. Campanelas (the real ones) appear for the first time in print
in Bartolotti's 1640 book. Bartolotti, as a theorbist, was probably
familiar with Kapsberger's cross-string fingerings. In that sphere
changing the stringing of the 4th and 5th courses of the guitar would
only have been a small step. Considering the polyphonic nature of
Bartolotti's music this is more likely than that he dropped his two
bourdons.
What bothers me is that we seem to be obliged to have an opinion on a
very complexe issue, about a large and varied repertoire with many
works that not many have ever played (or studied!) themselves. It is a
situation which easily leads to over-simplified answers.
Lex
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