Thanks Lex Maybe, but plucking to perform basso continuo on the guitar was not unknown if that's what Agazzi really meant (and I'm not convinced we can interpret his description as excluding BC using full chords only - eg strummed). Indeed, there are even some, allbeit later, sources (Matteis, Murcia) which give detailed instructions on playing guitar BC employing only the plucking (lute) style. Corbetta in his intabulated vocal/instrumental settings is also fairly restrained: using plucking play with the occasional strummed chord.
Martyn --- On Mon, 12/12/11, eisen...@planet.nl <eisen...@planet.nl> wrote: From: eisen...@planet.nl <eisen...@planet.nl> Subject: RE: Return to earlier question: {was Re: [VIHUELA] Re: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]} To: "Martyn Hodgson" <hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk>, "Vihuelalist" <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu> Date: Monday, 12 December, 2011, 9:55 Hi, I'm not so sure about the 'etc.' It seems that Agazzari was thinking in terms of counterpoint, the way the guitar was used (strumming) does not fit in easily. In the end, there were more composers who were criticizing the use of the guitar (Castaldi), at that time. I suppose that the plucked chitarrina could be one of the melodic instruments on his list. Lex __________________________________________________________________ Van: Martyn Hodgson [mailto:hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk] Verzonden: ma 12-12-2011 10:24 Aan: Vihuelalist; eisen...@planet.nl Onderwerp: Return to earlier question: {was Re: [VIHUELA] Re: Agazzari guitar [was Re: Capona?]} Thanks Lex. Yes, these sources are fairly well known - I'm just not sure terminoligy was sufficiently standardised at the time to draw unequivocal conclusions and the question as to whether Agazzari had Millioni's four-course guitar, 'chitarrino' in mind or the instrument required in the Conserto vaga is open. But to return to the original question: did Agrazzi purposefully omit the chitarra spagnuola from his list of instruments as suitable for basso continuo, or is it included in the etcetera...? I suggested that since he does not list the instrument amongst those suitable for embellishment then he did think it suitable for continuo (if rarer than the instruments he did singled out). However, I'm certainly not advocating even more banging and thrashing about as fashionable amongst some modern continuo groupings...... regards Martyn -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html