LUTE

SOCIETY
OF AMERICA QUARTERLY
Volume 54, Nos. 2 & 3
Summer & Fall 2019

The Rasgueado Technique, Part 4: Trio (Section 2)—Pablo Zapico

Mark Cudek: Musician, Teacher, and Administrator—Interviewed by Sean Smith
A Lute Music Database—Peter Steur and Markus Lutz
On the Identity of Jane Pickering—André Nieuwlaat
Sylvain Bergeron: Continuo and Celtic Lutenist
An Introduction to the Trios in the Castelfranco Manuscript—Sean Smith
Social Distancing with Music . . . Boccacio’s Decameron (Golito, 1542)—Wolfgang Wiehe
Lutes and Bandoras as Continuo Instruments in Weimar
during the Eighteenth Century—Christian Ahrens
Paston Songs—Underexplored and Underplayed Repertoire—Charles Weaver
A Digital Transcription of the Castelfranco Manuscript—Gian-Luca Ferme
Silvius Leopold Weiss and the Dresden Manuscript—Tim Crawford

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 1

 LUTE SOCIETY
OF AMERICA, INC.
QUARTERLY
Volume 54, Nos. 2 & 3

Messages
3 From the LSA President and the Quarterly Editor
Catherine Liddell and Sean Smith

Columns & Series Articles

44 The Lute Forum—Comments from Lute Teachers
John Griffiths, Bor Zuljan, Gus Denhard, John Lenti, Paul Beier, and Crawford Young
48 Reviews

Articles & Music

5 The Rasgueado Technique, Part 4: Trio (Section 2)
Pablo Zapico
8 Mark Cudek: Musician, Teacher, and Administrator
Interviewed by Sean Smith
10 A Lute Music Database
Peter Steur and Markus Lutz
13 On the Identity of Jane Pickering
André Nieuwlaat
16 Sylvain Bergeron: Continuo and Celtic Lutenist
19 An Introduction to the Trios in the Castelfranco Manuscript
Sean Smith
21 Three Padouanas by A, Rotta from Intabolatura 1546
Sean Smith
25 Social Distancing with Music . . . Boccaccio’s Decameron (Giolito, 1542)
Wolfgang Wiehe
26 Lutes and Bandoras as Continuo Instruments in Weimar
during the Eighteenth Century
Christian Ahrens
32 Paston Songs—Underexplored and Underplayed Repertoire
Charles Weaver
34 A Digital Transcription of the Castelfranco Manuscript
Gian-Luca Ferme
39 Silvius Leopold Weiss and the Dresden Manuscript
Tim Crawford
Quarterly Editors
General Editor Nancy Carlin lsaq.editor@gmail.com
Assistant Editor Sean Smith lutesmith@gmail.com
Copy Editor John Cassidy judecass@aol.com

Cover
Boccaccio, Decameron (Giolito, 1542) Gionara seconda. Thank
you to Wolfgang Wiehe for the picture. See p. 25 for more information
on this.

2 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 Messages from the LSA President & Quarterly Editor

From the President: who drove to Indiana from Montreal, the lutes are now IN Canada
Greetings All! where they will stay. They are clearly indicated on the Lute Rental
I write to you at the start of a very serious pandemic; Program listing on our website. If any of you have instruments
the airwaves saturated with very worrying news on just about of reliable quality that you are no longer playing and would like
every front. Among the hardships is the shutdown of just about to donate to the program—how good would that feel, enabling a
everything that humanizes us: museums shuttered, concert halls new player to get started!—please get in touch with me or with
silent, arenas empty, libraries closed. Streaming services are do- James Louder (contact information below). We don’t actually have
ing a land-office business no doubt! We lute players, and players a process for that yet, but your desire to donate would be just the
of all instruments, really, we know what to do with time we never impetus for us to develop one.
had before. Those of us who are, for the time being not spending Thanks to Jeremy Kindall who answered the call for ad-
hours on the road getting to work, now have that time to hun- ditional Shipper/Caretakers for the Lute Rental program.
ker down with instrument in lap, finally able to delve into pieces We still need a Shipper/Caretaker Manager. This is not a
we’ve wanted to work on for a long time. How lucky we are! time-consuming job, but it is a very important one. It should be a
If you get tired of playing what’s in your own collection, person with experience taking care of lutes because he or she could
why not poke, excuse me, pluck around in our Digital Facsimiles be fielding the occasional call from a Shipper/Caretaker, or from
and just explore! If you find a piece you just fall in love with, why a renter if something should go wrong. We don’t actually have a
not let us know about it? Help us create a Finder’s Corner in the process set up to receive donations of instruments within Canada,
Digital Supplement to the Quarterly. Tell us where you found the but if you would like to consider this position, let me or Joe
piece and what it was about the piece that grabbed you: pretty Harris know. Either of us can send a list of specific tasks and an-
tune, jazzy rhythm, moving harmony, anything else? You don’t swer any questions you might have.
have to send the music itself, just a link to where you found it. Stay well, everyone!
If you want to send the piece, send it as a Fronimo file or a PDF Cathy Liddel
to Nancy Carlin. Note that we cannot include pieces taken from
copyrighted editions. Cathy Liddell lutesocietyamericapresident@gmail.com
James Louder jameslouder@sympatico.ca
Updates from my last Message Joe Harris TheLutePlayer@hotmail.com
Our Canadian members now have a small collection of Nancy Carlin lsaq.editor@gmail.com
lutes available to rent! That’s right! Thanks to James Louder

A History of the Lute

From Antiquity to the Renaissance
by Douglas Alton Smith

$24.95 LSA Members

$29.95 Non-Members + Shipping
www.lutesocietyofamerica.org

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 3

From the Quarterly Assistant Editor: change within the growing emergency and those whose families
Greetings from the editors’ chairs where we often sit and communities have been hit by loss.
around the electric campfire we call the internet wondering what to Usually I take this moment to introduce our articles and
make of it all. We have our own songs to sing, stories to tell: some pieces and present some inconsequential topic that’s been playing
of them scary tales of flying bridges and frightful stages, foods of on my mind. This issue, however, I feel that we might see our pre-
love and doleful thumps. But this issue marks a particularly dif- ferred eras of musical study as a pool of personal reflection where
ficult time in current history where we must face it squarely and we notice their hardships, community struggles, and outright
realize that we, too, must live through chaotic times. While far chaos and understand their windows into the greater community.
more informed and connected than those who wrote and played Yes, they told joyful or humorous stories like Boccaccio but often
historically, we have the opportunity of seeing the past, seeing mi- to frighten away defeat; played or danced jigs to remember those
nutely into the present, and learning to help each other in ways whose lives filled them with joy; or evoked images to understand
then unimaginable. Everyone tries to make sense of the world, and the beauty of life and love while winter blows in the distance. And
it occurs to me we shouldn’t always see our music as a collection we also look to those whose melancholy strength works through
of solos. We are an ensemble, a chorus, where we let our rhythm catharsis and clarity.
be our shared hands and harmonies our hopes. Each repeat sign is We have the honor of presenting the amazing beauty of
an invitation to remember our best friends, and every varied repeat Weiss in our Digital Supplement this time around. Those who play
brings new stories and emphases to bear. his music will feel the consolation that a master can give. Many
Nancy and I have had the pleasure of preparing this dou- thanks to Doug Towne for the transcription and Tim Crawford
ble issue for quite a while now and we beg your forgiveness that for updates to a portion of his article originally published in the
it only now arrives. Within the LSA we’ve planned for a sum- LSA Journal (2006). Personally, I feel my timing is off completely
mer seminar that will now come to naught. Classes, reunions, old in presenting light hearted ensemble dances from the Castelfranco
jokes, new friendships and faculty visas slip silently to the wayside manuscript, but I’m hoping we can record bits to share over the
as we realize the larger world and its safety must play a far more internet and take each other’s hands in rhythm and harmony and
important role. No doubt many will read this from the safety of forge new friendships while we remember our best from times
their rooms, surrounded by family or at least signs to shelter in past.
place. But some have been called to the front lines. We should re- Sean Smith
member the doctors and nurses who are working to bring positive

4 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 The Rasgueado Technique, Part 4: Trio (Section 2)
Pablo Zapico

Part 3, which is the first part of the study of this rasguea- gueado allows for the pinky and ring fin-
do, ends with an introduction to the fingering that will be used gers to be used interchangeably. I prefer
presently: the trio rasgueado, which starts with a thumb stroke. I to use the first, because it is a more equal
am now returning there to elaborate on one of the most virtuosic finger combination.
and effective repiques I know of. I am sure you, like me, will bene- Unless we are starting the trio
fit from making use of it in your rasgueado accompaniments. rasgueado from another point in the cycle,
Take a look at the diagram of movements, fingerings, and the movements are the same and per-
rotations of the trio rasgueado in its new order of performance. formed in the same order. Look at the following step-by-step im-
When studying it, you must pay attention to the detailed instruc- ages, and check Part 3 if you have any questions.
tions given in Part 1. What we will learn next is a more complex
extension of its uses and possibilities. Don’t forget that this ras-

Initital position First movement

Second movement Third movement

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 5

 To practice it in an orderly and progressive manner, Exercise 1 is a rhythmic combination that doubles in speed, and note fre-
quency. You should always accent the first of every three eighth notes with an upward thumb stroke, as is appropriate. You can have fun
in ④ and ⑤ by emphasizing the rhythm with a binary beat. As the rasgueado fingering is ternary in nature, since three fingers are used.
A binary accent will make your rasgueado richer and more colorful when listeners hear the rhythmic effect of two against three.

Exercise 1

It is always worth working on rhythm control and stroke independence, as shown in Exercise 2. Always make a proper accent at the beginning
of each rhythmic pattern with your thumb.

Exercise 2

In order to progressively build up our triplet options, I have modified ①-③ in Exercise 3 using a time signature, so that reading the exer-
cise is easier. Each beat of the 9/8 will receive an accent with an upward thumb stroke. This hand motion must be constant, even when adding the trio
rasgueado. Finally, Exercise 4 is written as a true triplet inserted in a binary beat time signature.

Exercise 3

Next we combine it with the basic rasgueado. In the first exercise, the combination of the two rasgueados can be performed smoothly. How-
ever, when you practice Exercise 2 in a loop you will notice that, at the end of the trio, the fingering is actually crossed. In order to link it back to the
basic rasgueado, you must get back to the correct fingering order by doing two upward thumb strokes. The difficulty increases in the Exercise 4, since
another trio rasgueado is added at the end of the first. You must also repeat the upward thumb stroke so as to link the two. In both cases, the repeated
stroke will demand a swift wrist rotation.

Exercise 4

6 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 With this we have reached the most complex and virtuosic rhythmic combination presented in this article. Do your best to master it before
moving on. We will get back to this pattern later.

Meanwhile, using the trio rasgueado in triple time is much easier. Take the time to learn the three basic strokes (one downward index finger
stroke and two upward thumb strokes) before adding the trio. Note that the triplet doesn’t change the initial fingering order.

Exercise 5

Finally, summarizing all we have learned, apply rasgueado to some jácaras. The only difference between the following two exercises is their
time signature, since both contain the same rhythmic proportions. The second will surely seem easier to understand after reading the first. In terms of
harmony, you only need two chords: d minor and A major. However, practice with muted strings at the beginning, since later you will need to go from
one chord to the other during the hemiola, and that is no easy task. The change matches the end of each trio rasgueado, and you will see that it requires
a lot of precision, coordination, and speed. The bass line below in mensural notation shows the basic harmonic and rhythmic pattern of the jácaras. In
order to make reading and understanding easier, the measures are written in full, though one of the traits of this dance is that it always begins on the
second beat and ends on the first. Keep this in mind when starting and ending your rasgueado patterns.

Exercise 6

Thank you to the Sociedad de la Vihuela, el Laúd y la Guitarra for permission to publish a translation of this article, which originally appeared as
“Técnica de Rasgueado Vol. 4,” Hispanica Lyra (2019), No. 24, 17-19.

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 7

 Mark Cudek: Musician, Teacher, and Administrator
Interviewed by Sean Smith

is such a comfort having another lutenist

in the department and one I can so eas-
ily collaborate with. Richard joined us in
2006 and together we have developed the
lute curriculum at Peabody. An important
aspect of lute studies here is that his stu-
dents also work with me and my students
work with him.

SS: And you have been the artistic direc-

tor for the Indianapolis Early Music Fes-
tival since 2007! It must give an extra di-
mension to teaching to take (or send) your
students around the country with their
skills and curiosity. You like to take your
groups on the road. Could you tell me a
bit about that?

MC: I know from personal experience

that repeating a program on the road is
the best way to both loosen up individual
Mark Cudek is chair of the Historical Performance Department at the Peabody Conserva- performers and tighten up an ensemble.
tory of Johns Hopkins University and also Artistic Director of the Indianapolis Early Mu- It has been thrilling to witness this in the
sic Festival. In recognition of his work as Founder/Director of the Peabody Renaissance flesh over the decades with various stu-
Ensemble and also the High School Early Music Program at the Interlochen Arts Camp, dent combinations. I am fortunate to have
Mark received from Early Music America the 2001 Thomas Binkley Award and the 2005 a relationship not only with Indianapolis
Award for Outstanding Contribution to Early Music Education. He is a former member of Early Music but with the Conciertos de
Hesperus and has regularly performed with Apollo’s Fire, the Catacoustic Consort, and la Villa de Santo Domingo Festival in the
Folger Consort. In his youth, he worked as a café guitarist in the Virgin Islands. Mark is Dominican Republic. I take an ensemble
the 2014 recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association’s Global Achieve- every other year and we do as many as
ment Award. six performances of sixteenth-century
Spanish music in sixteenth-century ven-
SS: There are so many sides to your life within early music that it is hard to start. Let’s ues in the Colonial City. Over the decades
start with the broadest question I can think of. As a teacher and player, what do you want I’ve developed many contacts in and near
to bring to the American early music scene? And since you are the director there, what are Maryland so our students typically get
your goals at Peabody? professional playing experience while
doing their degrees. I’m thrilled to report
MC: It’s pretty simple, Sean. I want to bring a love of renaissance music and lively, imagi- that a handful of concert series have us
native performances of it to the scene, to my students, and to audiences. I want my stu- back on a regular basis!
dents to be as enthusiastic about this as I am. In addition to developing their technique,
expression, and reading fluency on the lute, I also want them to gain the tools necessary to
make the above happen. They need to know about getting a gig, finding a venue, and both SS: I sense from your frequent Facebook
engaging and building an audience. One of my most important jobs is to get them in front posts that ensemble music, small or large,
of audiences as frequently as possible. is an important aspect of your work.
Where does that come from and where is
SS: Richard Stone also teaches baroque lute and continuo/theorbo. Do you two develop it going? Tell us a bit about your student
all the curricula there? Do you employ minions for research, editing, and all that little stuff groups.
that reaches the page? I’m just thinking that, on top of all that administrative busy work,
curricula, and hands-on playing, you must be stretched pretty thin. MC: I am exclusively an ensemble player
and it is my deepest musical love. This
MC: Yes, it is a sad fact that in our field one must work long hours and wear many hats dates from joining what was to become
to eke out a living. I do feel stretched and especially stressed by all the admin work, but it the Baltimore Consort back in 1980 while

8 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

a master’s student at Peabody. I spent a few years doing solo recit- who needs no introduction to this readership, got his start on re-
als but it was never as much fun as playing duets with Ronn [Mc- naissance lute at Peabody and played a junior recital in 2004 I’ll
Farlane] or broken consort repertoire with the Baltimore Consort. never forget! Matt Wright, who performs with the broken consort
To be honest, it was an overuse injury to my right hand that ended Seven Times Salt in Boston, started playing the lute in my Lute
any notions of a solo career for me. But the silver lining was dedi- Literature and Notation class while a guitar major.
cating myself entirely to ensemble music. I had opportunities to And going further back to the early 1990s when Ronn
learn the viol and recorder as well as study voice and thus further was still teaching at Peabody we have Billy Simms, recent Gram-
hone my skills as an ensemble director. my winner (with Brian Kay) with Apollo’s Fire, and Gus Denhard,
I direct the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble, which is a who did his DMA with Nigel North at Indiana University and is
two-credit, required, “large” ensemble in the Historical Perfor- now executive director of the Seattle Early Music Guild.
mance Department. This group tends to have about twenty mu- Keep your eyes out for Cameron Welke who’ll be fin-
sicians—singers, plucked and bowed strings, and winds and oc- ishing his MM this spring! Cameron’s a baroque lutenist/theorbo
casionally keyboard and brass—but the group has been as big as player in Richard’s studio but also plays renaissance lute in both
thirty-five! I also have a Renaissance Chamber Ensemble, which my ensembles. His duo with soprano Kyle Leigh Carney, Sacred
is by invitation only. This is generally a mixed ensemble with a Monsters, recently toured Italy. Cole Manel is a junior in my stu-
solo singer and consists of our finest students who have a special dio and will also be breaking onto the scene in a couple years!
interest in playing renaissance (and medieval) music. (The vast
majority of students in our department are baroque majors.) This SS: Some groups get together and form a broken consort and
is the group I trot out to concert series throughout Maryland and then move on. You are in this Baltimore Consort that has lasted
farther afield. We’ve been to Rome and Tokyo and have had mul- for nearly forty years—a record, I’m sure. Are you a professional
tiple engagements in Taiwan and the Dominican Republic. A third group that releases a documentary for the big anonymous world or
ensemble, the Peabody Consort, is an alumni group in which Brian a group of friends that just says, What the hell, it’s time to record
Kay (oud and lute) is a member. We’ve done some local series, the something for all our other friends? For those just tuning in, what’s
Hawaii Early Music series, and of course the Indianapolis Early new with the Baltimore Consort?
Music Festival.
MC: We are definitely a group of friends and “the old married con-
SS: Every year brings a new graduating class. There must be a sort” is our nickname for ourselves. We love being with and play-
sense of pride in shepherding young players into the academic or ing music together and of course sharing our music with a wide
professional playing world. Any particular successes you’d like to audience. It’s a delight and an honor that there are almost always
note? familiar faces in our audiences. We’re still very active—in fact,
more active than we’ve been in years! We have a new agent and
MC: We’ve had many terrific lutenists at Peabody over the years! a brand new CD release, The Food of Love: Songs, Dances, and
Brian Kay (BM archlute/theorbo 2013 and MM renais- Fancies for Shakespeare, which is the culmination of both several
sance lute 2015) certainly stands out. He’s now teaching at Case English projects we’ve toured with in recent years and some new
Western and is a member of Apollo’s Fire as well as a recent “digging” by Larry Lipkis and myself. We also have another CD
GRAMMY-winner. Brian is a former member of Ronn McFar- (Christmas repertoire) “in the can” and a new program that I cu-
lane’s Ayreheart and has performed with Hesperus and many other rated. “In Angel’s Wede: Music for Mary, Queen of Scots,” that
ensembles. It’s especially thrilling for me to occasionally make we premiered this past summer in Indianapolis. In the 2019-2020
music with him in the Peabody Consort. season we have or will perform in Washington, California, Hawaii,
Kevin Payne (MM renaissance lute 2011) was the first Indiana, and in Victoria, BC. We even have a couple concerts in
lutenist accepted to Juilliard (GPD) by Pat O’Brien and continued Maryland. These local concerts are rare now as the five core mem-
his studies in Basel with Hoppy Smith. Kevin recently returned to bers live in five different states with two on the west coast. I’m the
the U.S. and has performed with Artek, the English Concert, Hes- lone member whose home is still Baltimore.
perus, House of Time, New Vintage Baroque, Tempesta di Mare,
NY Baroque Inc., and Sonnambula and recently returned to Pea- SS: Thank you, Mark. It’s always a pleasure to hear about early
body to give master classes. music and Baltimore’s part in its future.
Anthony Harvey (MM baroque lute/theorbo 2010) has
performed with Charm City Baroque, Chatham Baroque, Corda MC: Thank you, Sean.
Nova, the Washington Bach Consort, and is now doing further
graduate studies at McGill University. https://baltimoreconsort.com/
John Armato (MM renaissance lute 2008) was our pro-
gram’s first graduate. He’s performed with Concerto delle Donne, https://peabody.jhu.edu/academics/instruments-areas-of-study/
Heaven’s Noyse, La Fiocco, the Washington Bach Consort, among historical-performance/
others, and divides his time playing various early plucked strings
and being a professional photographer. http://iemusic.org/
The tradition for lute studies at Peabody goes back well
before our grad program was instituted in 2006. Charlie Weaver,

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 9

 A Lute Music Database
Peter Steur and Markus Lutz

In the beginning Steur and Lutz avoided renaissance

music, but by the time the database grew to 200 sources and the
requests for more baroque work abated, steady requests for earlier
music needed attention. Granted, the baroque collection grew, but
with it also came later examples of veil ton, as well as music by
Kapsberger and Piccinini. At first, realizing its complexity and be-
ing less familiar with the repertoire, metadata such as the key of
a piece was not included. The concordances were started with Ju-
lia Craig-McFeely’s dissertation, and information was updated as
necessary. With more lists and information from users added, the
inevitable inconsistancies were ironed out. At this stage it became
possible to see one of the database’s greatest strengths—that it
could be dynamic. With so much information available it was now
possible to update and check very quickly. Through the goodwill
and feedback from our users we’ve inadvertently “crowd-sourced’’
more growth and governance over quality control—to our mutual
benefit.
As of this writing, we have processed six hundred sourc-
es, many unknown to the general player, including thousands of
concordances and more than 40,000 incipits. Whenever sources
While a few people may have known for years about our are available online, the contact information is given early in the
website—http://mss.slweiss.de and now also at https://mss.lauten- entry allowing one more resource for musicologists. Incipits are
lust.de—I would like to introduce our database to the LSA reader- stored in the original format, be it French, Italian or German tab-
ship and mention our continuing updates which include branching lature. Searching by incipit itself and often this will turn up a sur-
out into the renaissance lute repertoire. Word of the database’s ex- pising number of results. At this point we do not plan to transpose
istence was spread piecemeal with one person telling another, but concordances but, with the right settings, it is possible to expand a
we hope with greater exposure we can not only offer more content, search for variations. It is up to the user to determine whether it is a
but enlist others in augmenting the site and watching for errors. In concordance, variation or cognate. Options also include searching
this article we will give a short history, some hints for using the by author, key or both.
database and some words on our direction in the future. A very important option—especially for musicologists—
This database got its start more than ten yeas ago when is to list together all the concordant versions of a certain piece, so
Peter Steur, in his baroque lute studies, noticed the many concor- that they can see one or more pages (depending on the number
dances in his sizable collection of manuscript copies. As we have of concordant pieces). They can see whether the pieces are really
all experienced, the curiosity to find like settings is strong and, concordant and to which degree they match, at least as far as the
without a concordance reference, also frustrating. While there small incipits allow. To do this choose “Sources\Concordances”
may be a listing in a modern reprint or on the occasional website, from the top bar on the main page, and insert the concordance
there was no single database to turn to. Peter often stored bits of number in the address line. When the renaissance repertoire was
information on scraps of paper here and there for his own personal added to the database, a rough distinction was made between con-
use. Markus Lutz, while setting up his own database on the works cordances for the baroque lute and those for the renaissance lute.
of S.L.Weiss (http://www.slweiss.de), happened to see that they The first start with “Conc_” while the latter start with “ConcR.” In
complemented each other well. And they both saw its usefulness the future a third category, melody (ConcM) is planned.
to the greater baroque lute community and proposed to merge their Improvements are going on continuously. One of the big-
work into a single comprehensive and publicly usable site. Markus gest shortcommings of the page is that the incipits are only shown
would take care of the technical aspects, and Peter could concen- in tablature. The goal is to be able to show all of the tablature
trate on the content. Starting from Christian Meyer’s simple listing as mensural notation and sound files. This will take time as the
information on keys and incipits was added. Eventually pieces in abctab2ps program used for displaying the incipits does not con-
transitional tunings were also included along with more renais- vert easily.
sance music. The complexity grew with a need to specify and ag- As mentioned, it is possible to search for manuscript
gregate information on the various tunings. For more information names, even alternate names they have acquired over the years.
on music in transitional tunings, refer to https://accordsnouveaux. Use the pop-up box, pointing the mouse to the right corner of the
ch/en/—a website devoted to only this repertoire. menu bar, and click on “Available Sources.” Or click on “Sources/

10 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

Selection” on the left side, where you will find a page with a search
box: “Search for string in manuscript data” where it is possibile
to show or hide the source details. Only the names of sources that
have already been listed are shown here; those not yet completed
are shown in dark grey (currently only on the pop-up to the right).
For example, when looking for the Stobaeus Manuscript, type in
“Stobaeus” or just “Stob.” Typing in “Capirola” will take you to
the manuscript held in the Newberry Library in Chicago.
Many tools for the database are only usable through the
URL line and may not be evident at first. You may change the
number of hits by “&nm=” and the number you want displayed. So originally written (German, Italian, French, and even Spanish in
adding “&nm=100” will show 100 pieces on a single page, instead one case). It is possible to force incipits in French tablature by typ-
of the standard ten, For instance: https://mss.slweiss.de/index.php ing “&tabfixfrench” in the URL line.
?id=1&type=listmss&lang=eng&instr=all&nm=100. The fields may only be erased manually by emptying
Displaying more pieces will slow down searches, but dis- them and clicking on “Filter. . .#” once. All filters except titles are
playing at least most of a source on one page is certainly a pos- case sensitive and can be combined.
sibility. It works well even for the Thysius manuscript with its 996 Instruments: you may filter by instrument: uppercase
pieces and shows all of the incipits. But it is not fast. The page will and lowercase for all related sources, while upper case returns
load much more quickly when showing the incipits is disabled. To sources for particular instruments. For instance:
do this add “&showinc=0” to the URL line. “&st=” allows readers
to choose the starting point in a source. Baroque lute = bl/BL (i.e., lowercase or uppercase)
Another search option concerns the tablature incipits. The Renaissance lute = rl/RL
website normally displays the incipits in the tablature they were Angelique = ang/ANG

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 11

 Baroque guitar = bg/BG
Accords Nouveaux = ACN
Ensemble = EN
Theorbo = TH
Mandora = ma/MA
Other plucking instruments = VS

We have been asked whether we own this data since the

site is copyrighted. We do not claim any possession of the data.
The disclamer is just an attempt to discourage illegal use consider-
ing all the hard work involved. We make no money from the site—
adding up all the costs, we estimate that we have spent hundreds of
dollars already, and put hundreds of hours of work into it.
This website is free for everyone to use, and we hope that
it will be helpful for many lutenists and lute lovers, now and in the
future. If, however, anyone uses it for complete editions or publi-
cations, we would like to be mentioned.
We would like to thank the many people who contrib-
uted concordances and complete descriptions of sources. See “Ac-
knowledgments,” where most contributors are listed. The baroque
Titles: Begin in the “list of all sources” found in “Sources.”
lute repertoire was our starting point, and we have added many
They are listed using short RISM sigla names. Start your search
concordances, to the ones from Meyer’s catalog. All the incipits
with the country where the document is located (for example A is
were, and still are, typed in by hand by us (mainly by Peter Steur).
for Austria and US for the United States). In most of the short list-
Even now we encourage caution with the information in
ings the city is next, followed by the library that houses the source
our database, as errors and mistakes are never entirely eliminated.
(for example, A-KR = Austria, Kremsmünster and GB-Cu = Great
It is simply not possible to check every note in every piece in a
Britain, Cambridge University).
database that includes more than 600 sources and about 50,000
Incipit Search: The incipits are useful to find concordances or
pieces. The concordances in the renaissance lute part need to be
similarities. The computer has filtered out all ornaments. Type in
overhauled since definitions for concordances, variations, and cog-
the highest notes, but leave a space between the notes. For exam-
nates differ to some degree. In conclusion, there is still a lot of
ple, to find the famous Bourrée by Weiss, one should input “e | ,a
work to be done, and corrections and contributions will always be
e”. Adding another space between the notes adds a defined place-
gratefully received.
holder. With x1 or x2, variable placeholders (one, two, or more)
can be added. Bars can be added with “|” to increase the accuracy
pesteur@alice.it
of the search, but will only return results that satisfy the terms of
markus@gmlutz.de
the search.
Title: Search for any string in the title or movements.
Composer: Every string inside a field may be searched for a
composer.
Key: Major keys use uppercase and minor keys lowercase let-
ters, which may be followed by b or # (for example f# for f sharp
minor or Eb for E flat major). Unfortunately the search engine still
has trouble differentiating between things like C# and Db, so some
concordances may go undetected.

The Database Uses Mainly the Following Files:

MssNames.csv contains all the names of the sources with
remarks, short descriptions, and if they are found online a URL, if
they are available online. In Concordances.csv all of the concor-
dances are listed. For every source, a file is used with a list of the
pieces, the incipits in tablature, and other details.

12 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 On the Identity of Jane Pickering
André Nieuwlaat
This is an introduction to a new way of looking at the signature Naomi Hopwood on f. 56v in the eighteenth or
Pickeringe Lute Book. In this article I use the spelling Pickering early nineteenth (p. xiv).
(without the final e) when referring to the person Jane Pickering,
as this is the spelling that was used in the sources that I found. The A few months ago, after re-reading Spencer’s introduc-
lute book itself is however referred to as the Pickeringe Lute Book tion, I decided to follow up on these clues, and performed a Google
(GB-Lbl Eg. 2046) [available in the LSA’s online Facsimile Col- search on the combination of the names of Pickering and Main-
lection] since this is the spelling used in the inscription on folio 1v, waring (which is the more usual spelling). One of the search re-
from which the book takes its name. sults that came up was a reference to a book available in facsimile
in Google Books: The Biographical Mirrour Comprising a Series
In this article I intend to demonstrate that sometimes it is quite of Ancient and Modern English Portraits, of Eminent and Distin-
easy to find conclusive answers to some of the unresolved ques- guished Persons from Original Pictures and Drawings (London:
tions that have been around in lute scholarship for decades. The S. and E. Harding, 1795).1 It is comprised of a series of English
amount of information that is available nowadays on the Internet is portraits of distinguished people made from earlier originals. This
so huge that we are finally able to find the answers to at least some book, written by the actor, editor, and bookseller Francis Godol-
of these questions. phin Waldron, is the first of three volumes published in the years
In 1985 Robert Spencer published a facsimile edition of 1795-98, each volume containing fifty engraved portraits, fol-
a lute manuscript that is kept at the British Library Egerton 2046 lowed by biographical notes on the persons portrayed. Page 18 of
[Gb-Lbl Eg 2046], better known as the Pickeringe Lute Book. The Volume I shows the engraving of a young man named Sir William
lute book takes its name from an inscription on folio 1v, which Mainwaring of West-Chester, who was killed in October 1645 dur-
reads: “Jane Pickeringe owe this Booke 1616.” ing the siege of Chester. According to the Biographical Mirrour,
William was the son of Edmund Mainwaring who

After studying the book and its contents, Spencer con-

cluded that the manuscript probably started life as a blank lute
book, bound up some time between 1603 and 1616 for use by one
of James I’s musicians (the royal coat of arms of James I impressed
on the covers very much seems to suggest this), and that this blank
lute book subsequently came into the possession of Jane Pickering
in 1616. According to Spencer, Jane is the principal scribe of the
Pickeringe Lute Book. In his edition Spencer lists 107 pieces of
music in the manuscript, and he believes that Jane Pickering is re-
sponsible for writing down Nos. 1-76 and 107, starting in the year
1616. To the best of my knowledge, Spencer’s interpretation of the
Pickeringe Lute Book has never been discussed or questioned by
any of the scholars who came after him.
In his introduction Spencer describes the attempts that
had been made by him and others trying to establish the identity of
Jane Pickering. All attempts had been unsuccessful:
was educated at All Soul’s college, Oxford; took the de-
So far I have not traced a likely candidate, but future in- gree of L.L.B. [bachelor of laws] there 1605; became a
vestigators should bear in mind two slight clues which Civilian belonging to the King’s Council in the North
may help in establishing provenance: the signature Mrs. parts of England; was created L.L.D. [doctor of laws] at
Manwareringes on f. 55v perhaps implies ownership lat- Oxford, Oct. 10 1629, and afterwards became Chancellor
er in the seventeenth century, and likewise the childish of Chester. He was living in 1650, having had issue by

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 13

 Jane (Pickering) his wife, Sir William Mainwaring, the from the marriage between Jane Pickering and Edmund Mainwar-
subject of the present article. ing to reach adulthood. Furthermore, the registers contain a record
of the christening of Jane herself, which took place in the year
This was of course exactly the combination of names that 1591, again in the church of St. Martin’s in York: “Jane Picker-
I had hoped to find: William Mainwaring was the son of Edmund ing, doughter of Michaell Pickering, was baptized the sixth day of
Mainwaring and Jane Pickering. Unfortunately, the Biographical Aprill.”
Mirrour did not have any information about Jane, other than her After finding these data I decided not to continue with my
name. I did however manage to find some additional information research, although I am well aware that most lute scholars would
on her in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, in the ar- be interested to find out more about Jane Pickering and her back-
ticle about her husband Edmund Mainwaring (written by Sheila ground, as she is generally believed to be the main scribe of the
Doyle). Not only does the article provide a great deal of infor- Pickeringe Lute Book. I believe however that, although it may be
mation about Edmund that is not mentioned in the Biographical interesting in itself to find out more about her, it is hardly relevant
Mirrour (such as the year of his birth—1579—and more details to a correct understanding of the manuscript. The reason for this is
about his studies in Oxford), we also learn that after finishing his simple: when I first read Spencer’s introduction to the Pickeringe
studies, Edmund Mainwaring embarked on a career in the ecclesi- Lute Book, about four years ago now, I immediately had very seri-
astical courts of of the northern provinces, and apparently settled ous doubts about his claim that Jane was the scribe. It didn’t make
in the town of York around 1612. From another source (George any sense to me then, and it makes even less sense now, after find-
Thomas Orlando Bridgeman, History of the Church and Manor of ing out Jane’s identity.
Wigan, Part 2 (Manchester, 1888, pp. 376-77)2 I was able to find At the very beginning of his introductory study (p. xiv),
that he left York in the beginning of 1635, relinquishing his posts Robert Spencer wrote:
there, and moved to Chester, where he was made chancellor of the
diocese of Chester, and where he appears to have spent the rest of The Royal coat of arms of James I impressed on the cov-
his life. As for Jane Pickering, we read in the Oxford Dictionary of ers of the book almost certainly indicates that the blank
National Biography: music paper was originally bound up between 1603 and
1616 for use by one of James’s musicians. The initials IP
Little is known of Mainwaring’s family life. His wife, could have been stamped on the binding when the book
Jane, came from York, and it is likely that they married was acquired by the Jane Pickeringe who claimed owner-
during the early years of Mainwaring’s residence in the ship in 1616 on f. 1v.
city. Three children, Jane, William and Edmund, were
baptized at St. Martin’s, Coney Street, York, in 1614, And on p. xv he continues:
1615, and 1617. William eventually became a royal-
ist lieutenant-colonel who served with distinction at the I suggest the possibility remains that the Pickeringe MS
Siege of Chester which took place in 1643. Mainwaring’s could have started life as a blank lute book issued to one
own estate in Chester was sequestered for his delinquency of the royal musicians (much as I have suggested for the
during the civil war. The date of his death is not recorded. Mynshall Lute Book) which then came into the posses-
sion of the Jane Pickeringe who had her initials stamped
Although Jane’s surname is not mentioned in this, it is on the binding.
clear from the parish registers of the church of St. Martin’s, Co-
ney Street, York that it was indeed Pickering. I did not consult the Robin Mackworth-Young, the librarian at Windsor Cas-
original parish registers, but a modern transcription of them, made tle, knows of no other books at Windsor with this identical royal
by Robert Beilby Cook, was published by the Yorkshire Parish arms block, but reports volumes published in 1612 and 1622 bear-
Register Society in 1909, and is available online.3 On page 57 we ing similar coats of arms:
can find a reference to the marriage between Edmund Mainwaring
and Jane Pickering, which took place in the same church where the I imagine that the presence of the royal coat of arms on a
children from this marriage, mentioned in the Oxford Dictionary of book must normally indicate personal possession by the
National Biography, were later baptized. The entry into the parish Sovereign concerned, except perhaps for volumes such
register, under the heading Marriages Anno Dni 1612, is “Licence. as prayer books, where they may only indicate that the
Edmond Manwaring, batchler of lawe, and Jane Pickering, daugh- volume concerned belonged to a royal chapel. I think the
ter to Michaell Pickering, gent. the first daie of June.” Pickering MS comes into the latter category, broadened
The registers also tell us the exact dates of the christen- to include royal musicians.
ings and deaths of the children from this marriage, mentioned in
the Oxford Dictionary (Jane: 14 April 1614–11 November 1615, No less than three times does Spencer tell us that he be-
William: 19 July 1615–9 October 1645, and Edmund: 25 Janu- lieves, and I think with good reason, that the presence of the royal
ary 1617–15 May 1618). The registers also make mention of an coat of arms, stamped on the volume’s binding, is a strong indica-
unbaptized infant, buried on 4 April 1613. All in all, these data tion that the manuscript was originally owned by one of James’s
allow us to conclude that William Mainwaring was the only child musicians. But I fail to see the logic in the next step that Spencer

14 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

then takes, a step that I can only describe as a giant leap of the moved to Chester), a long way from London. When you consider
imagination, and one for which he doesn’t provide a single argu- the contents of the Pickeringe Lute Book (for instance, the John
ment, other than the fact that her name is found on folio 1v: namely Johnson duets at the beginning, and the later pieces by Gaultier),
that it was Jane Pickering who wrote down most of the music in music which are clearly connected to what was performed at the
the manuscript. If the blank volume was indeed issued to one of court of James I, it is very hard to see how she, living in York at
James’s musicians, wouldn’t it then be much more likely that it the time, would have been able to have access to it. This is music
was he who wrote down the music, rather than not use it at all? that was performed at the royal court (not in public), but was never
It appeared to me when I first read Spencer’s introduction and his published in print, only circulated in manuscripts.
claim about Jane Pickering being the scribe, that there was no rea-
son at all to assume that she had written down any of the music in Notes
it. It was far more likely that the year 1616 did not mark the begin- 1
https://books.google.nl/books?id=qq0EAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP13&lpg=
ning of Jane’s scribal activities, but that it was simply the year in PP13&dq=biographical+mirrour&source=bl&ots=VStQHONEsr&sig=
which she became the owner of the manuscript (the year in which ACfU3U1nsCG98KG3nR5b98VkFPxwtLgFug&hl=nl&sa=X&ved=2
ahUKEwiz8Pfb9qnnAhVFPVAKHawzAZcQ6AEwEHoECBEQAQ#v=
she “claimed ownership,” as Spencer puts it on p. xiv of his intro-
onepage&q=biographical%20mirrour&f=false
ductory study)—a manuscript that had been compiled in the years 2
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_History_of_the_Church_%26_
before that by one of James’ court musicians. Manor_of_Wigan_part_2.djvu/196
I think most people will agree with me that my identifica- 3
https://archive.org/details/parishregisterso36stma/page/n6/mode/2up
tion of Jane Pickering is almost certainly correct. From what we
know now about Jane’s life, it is clear that she spent almost her en-
tire life in York: she was born there, married there, and her children
were born there between 1613 and 1618. And this of course means
that, when she supposedly started compiling “her” lute book, she
was living in York in northern England, where she had always lived
and would continue to live until 1635 (when she and her husband

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LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 15

 Sylvain Bergeron:
Continuo and Celtic Lutenist
LSA: Can you give us few times a year, when
some background on time allows! Once in a
how you got started while I like to get back
playing the lute and to the basics, just my ten
what kinds of lute mu- fingers, and concentrate
sic interest you the most on some lesser-known
these days? How do you manuscript. It recon-
divide your time be- nects me with my child-
tween teaching and per- hood dream of becom-
forming? ing an archaeologist. Of
course, as years go by,
SB: I started playing the the chances for discov-
lute at the age of twenty- ering hidden treasures
four (already forty years diminish!
ago!), coming from a In the last few years,
folk, British progressive teaching occupies more
rock background. After and more of my time.
a short but useful tran- Currently, I teach about
sitional period learning nine hours a week at
classical guitar at Laval McGill University in
University in Quebec Montreal (lute students,
City, the migration from a continuo class for
John Renbourn, Jethro plucked instruments,
Tull, and King Crim- and early music ensem-
son to John Dowland ble coaching). Montreal
and Henry Purcell came has a very lively early
very naturally. Some of music scene where for-
my guitar teachers were mer students perform
quite interested in early regularly.
music, and encouraged
me to switch to the lute. LSA: Since you are in-
I attended a few, very terested in accompaniy-
helpful LSA seminars, and later on, spent a couple of weeks in ing other instruments and singers, do you play mostly theorbo and
Europe. Most of my training however was done on my own, so I archlute?
consider myself mostly self taught. I played renaissance and medi-
eval lutes for years, thinking I could do without baroque lute and SB: I use the archlute a lot because I find it very flexible for all
continuo, which of course was pretty naive. Baroque lute, theorbo, sorts of repertoire, and usually keep the theorbo for Italian and
archlute and baroque guitar came after that and have kept me very French seventeenth-century music. It is common for singers’ recit-
busy ever since. als to include lute songs in the first half and Purcell in the second
Accompaniment on different instruments makes up a half, or early airs de cour (Guédron, Boësset) and composers from
large part of my musical activities. I’ve participated in over eighty the second generation (Lambert, Le Camus, etc.). In both cases
recordings, but of them only two are solo CDs. It’s the same for archlute works well. Baroque guitar is often useful with this music
concerts—ninty percent are playing in ensembles (groups of sing- as well—and by the way, I think baroque guitar is often underesti-
ers, consorts, etc.) or orchestras (baroque string ensembles, mod- mated as a continuo instrument. Of course its bass register is very
ern chamber orchestras)—quite a bit of variety! limited, although using bourdons on the fourth and fifth courses is
a good idea. In an orchestra the guitar really adds to the texture. At
LSA: How about a few words on which solo repertoire interests the end, the important thing is to feel perfectly at ease with what-
you now? With your Doni and Balcarres recordings you have in- ever instrument you choose for continuo.
troduced people to some really neglected repertoire. Are you find-
ing any other overlooked gems? LSA: What are the most important skills for a good accompanist
to have? Do you have any advice on how to go about learning to
SB: Solo playing for me is like a delicacy that I offer myself a

16 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

transpose and improvise? Is it better to start by writing out the LSA: How do keep track of guitar, archlute, and theorbo in the dif-
continuo part? How important is it for young lute players to be ferent tunings without tab? Any tips on how to learn this? Do you
good at continuo now? start playing single line melodies to learn the pitches and then add
in the chords? This is an important skill for lute players these days
SB: Accompanists need multiple skills: technical, musical, and and it sounds very difficult, especially when just getting started.
psychological. It is important to understand the role of the accom-
panist—you must be part of a team. Always be in the moment and SB: My advice would be to pick just a couple of instruments: one
support (in both senses) the direction the singer/soloist is leading for solos, one for continuo, and stick to them. Of course, my own
toward. When I first started to play continuo, I remember being story was somewhat different. I started on the renaissance lute,
influenced by reading an interview of Steven Stubbs (“Reflections quickly learned to read staff notation along with the different kinds
on the Art of Accompaniment from a Through-Bass,” Lute Society of tablatures because I was doing ensemble work. G lute first, then
of America Newsletter, Vol. 22, No. 4, November 1987, pp. 7-9) D tuning (bass and soprano lutes). I kept the G tuning on the theo-
where the role of the accompanist is clearly described. rbo for many years simply because I found it more convenient,
then added the guitar in E and a bit of d minor baroque lute later
Skill No. 1 on. I got a new theorbo a few years ago and only then decided to
Learn to read bass and treble clef to start with, but it is tune it in A. I avoid mixing two similar instruments (like archlute
also very useful to be able to deal with a modern realization, four- and theorbo) in the same program, but can easily mix two very dif-
part music, a piano score, etc. You never know what kind of edi- ferent ones (like archlute and baroque guitar).
tion you’ll be asked to play from! It will take a little time and effort So, through the years my brain had to adapt to about five
,,but it is certainly worth it. I don’t think it’s necessary to write different tunings, which I suppose proves it is possible!
out continuo parts. Of course, no tab is allowed. Learning to play
in all keys, even the worst ones, is also very important. Sooner or LSA: Tell us about the advantages of continuo playing, and ac-
later you’ll be asked by a conductor to accompany a long and slow companiment in general.
Handel F# minor aria, without keyboard.
SB: Although playing in ensembles leaves little time for solo pro-
Skill No. 2 jects, I really believe playing with others has a very positive effect
Show up to the first rehearsal super ready. That means on solo playing. You learn so much from good soloist, singers,
that you have gotten the bass part and score in advance, listened to and conductor—phrasing, breathing, articulation, contrast, drama,
the works, added your markings, made sure your music was easy etc)—all elements you can integrate into your own solo playing.
to read, etc. When well prepared, continuo players have a real ad- Developing continuo skills not only opens job opportunities, but
vantage—other musicians usually learn just their own part (which really acts as an eye-opener about the performance and interpreta-
is also often challenging). tion of early music. And the quality of the repertoire improves, of
course.
Skill No. 3
Manage to be heard. Developing a good continuo sound LSA: You have recorded a CD called Dowland in Dublin with La
(different than a solo sound) is very important. For solo music, we Nef. What drew you to this Celtic lute music?
tend to look for a sweet, round, and fleshy sound. In ensembles,
clarity, articulation, and volume are more important. You don’t SB: I think it’s a natural return to my folk roots! I got the idea for
want to be just that long thing in the middle that nobody could Dowland in Dublin after having read an old article, “Irish Ances-
hear. This means you must learn to develop all the resources of try of Garland, Dowland, Campion and Purcell” (W. H. Grattan
your instrument and of your ten fingers! Flood, Music & Letters Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jan., 1922), pp. 59-65 ). Of
Don’t necessarily play everything or play all the time; course, this is pure fantasy, but it is fun to imagine Dowland in a
pick the moments, movements, etc., where you could bring some- pub!
thing to the continuo section. Many conductors do not give precise La Nef and Michael Slattery went even further with another
indications for instrumentation, so it’s up to the musicians to make project based on Purcell, called The People’s Purcell. https://www.
suggestions. Baroque guitar can add that extra rhythmic drive to atmaclassique.com/en/albums/albuminfo.aspx?albumid=1595,
the picture, a kind of subtext. Bass lines are often too busy to be (See below for other celtic CDs.)
played as written on the lute, so it is important to develop a sense
of what is important to keep, especially when there are already two LSA: You have recorded two solo CDs: The Balcarres Lute Book,
cellos, a bass, keyboard, etc., playing beside you. It’s better to put and Livre de Luth de Gioseppe Antonio Doni (for more informa-
the lute in front of the ensemble, and avoid being blocked by some tion about this see Konstantin Bozhinov, “Q and A with Sylvain
colleagues or a music stand right in front of you. Bergeron,” LSA Quarterly, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 5-7) Do you have
plans for another solo CD?
Skill No. 4
Have fun! Trust your ear and be creative! Once you get SB: I have two programs in the works; renaissance lute fantasias
the basic skills and confidence, the fun starts. The feeling of being and dances from Besard’s Thesaurus Harmonicus (1603) and a
part of a great performance is highly rewarding. seventeenth-century Bolognese music program on baroque guitar

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 17

(Granata, Pellegrini) and theorbo (Piccinini). I have played these SB: At the moment I’m working hard to try to fit in my concert
programs a number of times but have not yet found time to record schedule around a growing number of teaching commitments.
them. Even if the teaching is only two days a week, it is a challenge. The
continuo class for pluckers is something I really want to develop
LSA: In addition to playing continuo for others you also have your and is quite demanding. I really love teaching and want to give it
own group La Nef. What kinds of projects is La Nef doing now? the time it deserves!
Many of your earlier La Nef recordings are of medieval music. Are
you still playing this earlier repertoire?
CDs on Atma Classique with a Celtic flavor:
SB: Since its beginning in 1991, La Nef (The Nave) has explored Robert Burns: My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose (with soprano
all sort of music from different periods, different countries, some- Meredith Hall) https://www.atmaclassique.com/en/albums/albu-
times theatrical, and always with a touch of creativity and a free minfo.aspx?albumid=187
approach. The current season shows this eclecticism: seventeenth-
century Bolognese music on baroque guitar and theorbo; Crystal The Battle of Killiecrankie (with soprano Meredith Hall and coun-
Tears—British progressive rock composers of the 1970s, and Eng- ter tenor Matthew White) https://www.atmaclassique.com/Fr/Al-
lish composers of the seventeenth century; Cancionero de Upsa- bums/AlbumInfo.aspx?AlbumID=325
la—a Christmas program with ten singers and instrumentalists;
O’Carolan’s welcome to Sweden—with five stringed instruments, Dowland in Dublin (with Michael Slattery and La Nef) https://www.
a children’s show, etc. atmaclassique.com/En/Albums/AlbumInfo.aspx?AlbumID=1440
In the last few years I’ve been passing the torch to one of
our musicians, Sean Dhager, also excellent arranger and leader.

LSA: What projects are you working on (or trying to find time to
work on) for the future?

The Montreal/Boreal Lute Gatherings

I started these gatherings in 2008 trying to bring together peo-
ple interested in early plucked-stringed instruments. All kinds of lutes,
early, romantic, and classical guitars, triple harp, and singers have also
shown up over the years.
Beginners especially need this kind of encouragement and sup-
port. Here in Montreal we are fortunate to have an excellent luthier,
Claude Guibord, who is always willing to help with maintenance issues.
As time passed, these gatherings focused more on giving students and
colleagues an opportunity to showcase a recital or exam program. We
now get together twice a year (early May and early December), typically
in the afternoon. About twenty people is the maximum we can hold in
my house. Everyone brings something to eat and drink. Those who want
to perform can play for about ten-twelve minutes and receive comments
and praise from colleagues. An improvisation session on a ground bass
usually finishes the afternoon.
Sylvain Bergeron

I have been very fortunate to be able to take lessons every six

months for the past couple of years from Sylvain Bergeron. Each time
I came to Montreal it coincided with a lute gathering of roughly a dozen musicians, many of whom are his students. Not all are lute
players—some are guitar students who are interesed in the lute and the baroque guitar. Five or six people perform for the others in the
intimate setting of Sylvain’s home. Following each performance, Sylvain comments on the performance, giving valuable guidance on
better presentation skills or important insights into the music itself. While sharing something in common with the master class format,
these playing sessions are never labeled as such, and therefore there is a nice fluid and informal aspect to them. It has been rewarding for
me to get to know everyone.
Kenneth Bé

18 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 An Introduction to the Trios in
the Castelfranco Manuscript
Sean Smith
Approximately one third of the Castelfranco manuscript Anyone who has played through the Phalèse trio books
is devoted to dance titles arranged for a trio of lutes in different has noticed the need to edit: phrases differ from one setting to an-
sizes. The scribe, who signed his name Giovanni Pacalono (please other and often they feel as though they were brought in wholesale
see Gian-Luca Ferme’s discussion of his name in his description of from another composer or added by that player on the fly; ficta
the Castelfranco manuscript on page 34), includes seventeen dance clashes abound, and barlines might be anywhere. Thankfully the
pieces and two napolitane arranged for three six-course lutes. Castelfranco trios are more user-friendly. Yes, we still cringe at
The dance selections are grouped by instrument labeled the occasional sharp/flat-against-natural or an Eb chord against a
“Soprano,” “Contra alto,” and “Tenore.” The soprano is tuned a C minor prompting some decision making—but far less often. I
fourth above the contra alto. The tenore is a major second below found the bars mostly well-counted but still noticed a few missing
the contra alto. This tuning is similar to the trios printed by Pierre measures that were easily fixed. Where the prints would further
Phalèse in 1564 (in three volumes: Longe Elegantissima Excel- divide passaggi into thirty-second notes, Pacalono rarely works
lentissimi Musici Ioannis Pacoloni ... Superius [Tenor] [Bassus] divisions beyond sixteenths. As such, they are more comfortable
Louanii ... Petrum Phalesium ... 1564), where they are grouped for playing at a galliard or padouana tempo, without stumbling
as superius, tenor, and bassus, respectively. In neither instance is through blurs of notes.
pitch indicated. A trio of (low) D, E, and a could work as could F, It should be noted that soprano or contra alto parts may
G, and c or even G, A, and (high) d. I’ve heard these pieces in ev- be considered complete as solos, and some solos elsewhere in the
ery combination and feel the scribe had the best intentions in mind manuscript are candidates for inclusion in the trios. Both upper
when not specifying a specific pitch. Pacalono includes this chart parts to the passemezzi moderno and antico are similar in construc-
to illustrate the relative tunings: tion to their solo and duo namesakes elsewhere in the manuscript.
As such it is possible to substitute or add them to these trios. These
are included in case you would like to experiment with them. (See
Quarterly Digital Sepplement No. 10.) The solo to the “Moderno
Padoana” (f.66) is comprised of four “modi.” The fourth variation
is similar enough to the tenore that it may be considered as an ac-
companiment. If included with the trio it would allow the soprano
instrument to become an alternate tenore. If the solo of f. 66 is
Folio 53r detail
added to the trio “Padoana” (f. 75v), we have a total of six varia-
Pacalono begins with the moderno and antico, each com- tions and a complete accompaniment bonus where the contra alto
prising a passemezzo/pavana, a padouana, and a saltarello. They gets only one decorated strain. Was that part to enter only sporadi-
are followed by four saltarelli: “La Gamba,” “Tuti parti,” “Gentil cally? Might there be two soprano lutes to this trio? For alternate
madona,” and “La Roca el Fuso.” The suite of pavana, padouana, solo settings of these popular pieces, see also Antonio Rota, In-
and saltarello returns with “La Verlata,” and the dance collection tabolatura . . . 1546; Giacomo Gorzanis, Intabolatura, 1561; and
finishes with two pavana—saltarello pairs, “La Borroncina” and the Intabulatura di Lauto del Francesco da Milano & Pietro Paulo
“L’ongaro.” The collection in total more resembles the choice Borrono, Libro Secondo, 1546, especially his setting of “Pavana
one might find in a mid-century northern Italian lute book than a detta la Borroncina” and the following “Saltarello Primo.”
French, or indeed, Phalèse’s printed trio collection, Were the collection to end there we would have enough
Pacalono gives no indication as to the order of variations to celebrate, but there are two tantalizing napolitane by Ghinolfo
within each dance. In the forty-year history of playing Pacaloni/ Dattari with only the tenor vocal part surviving in any source.
Pacolono in modern times, there has long been controversy about Again set for the same trio but seperated into their own final sec-
whether the variations for the upper two lutes are to be played tion, we find “Dhe fatte un poco dono allo balcone” and “Che fai
simultaneously. Some parts in the printed trios do support some Dona crudele.” I am indebted to Gian-Luca Ferme for the images
interplay between upper instruments, while the majority of varia- from this book.
tions get along with fewer clashes and less clutter if other parts Each napolitane consists of two phrases and the latter
are simpler. Among the Castelfranco settings all the soprano and is repeated with a modest decoration. The lute parts are gener-
contra alto parts contain at least one strain, usually the first, of a ally chordal with each lute doubling the others except in the final
simple enough nature to accompany the other’s passaggi. A cur- phrase. As such and even with the repeats it finishes very quickly,
sory play-through has yielded few instances of variations being yet turning to the original print we find more verses, so it is quite
paired successfully, but as direction is limited and the strains have possible that these were meant to accompany a vocal performance,
conflicting measure numbers, your ensemble will best work that with the final phrase play only on lutes. There are two more pieces
out. from Dattari, but for solo lute, one of them including a simplified

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 19

 University of Bologna

second (incomplete) lute part. It should be noted that Pacalono dates the manuscript at May 15, 1568 and the Dattari collection appeared
in 1567. Apparently, even if some of the material in the Castelfranco manuscript was somewhat dated, the inclusion of Dattari surely
brought its appeal up to date.

We are all familiar with the pavane and galliard/saltarello pairs, but the third movement, the padouana or piva, was an important
part throughout the first half of the sixteenth century. As in Dalza’s day it retained the quick ternary tempo that would eventually evolve
into the more familiar jig/gigue. Here follow three alternates to the pieces in the Digital Supplement of the Castelfranco trios. All three
are published by Antonio Rotta in his Intabolatura de Lauto ... Libro Primo, Venice, 1546.

I would like to thank Arthur Ness and Gian-Luca Ferme for their help in understanding the history of the manuscript and in
tracking down information on Dhattari.

20 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

Padouana A.A. Rotta
Rotta / Intabolatura
/ Intabolatura . . ...1546
. 1546 f.10v
10v

1 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36 37 38 39

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 21

 Padouana
Padouana A.A. Rotta
Rotta / Intabolatura...1546
/ Intabolatura . . . 1546 f.f5v
5v

1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68

69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81

22 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 Padouana A. Rotta / Intabolatura ...1546 3r
Padouana A. Rotta / Intabolatura . . . 1546 f. 53r

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

34 35 36 37 38 39

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58

59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69

70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 23

 Padouana detta chi
Padouana detta chi Passa
Passa per
per questa
questa strada.
strada. J.J.Gorzanis
Gorzanis/ /Secondo
SecondoLibro
Libro. ....1563
. 1563 p.p53
53

1 . . 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 . . 10 11 12 13 14

15 . . 16 17 18 19 20

Padouana
Padouana deldel
detto [Perfida
detto che sei]
[Perfida che sei] J. Gorzanis
J. Gorzanis / Secondo
/ Secondo LibroLibro ...1563p. p20
. . . 1563 20

2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

24 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 Social Distancing with Music . . . Three Woodcuts from
Boccaccio’s Decameron (Giolito, 1542)
Wolfgang Wiehe

urious how history repeats itself, isn’t it? haps this is a part of a festival or pageant. For more pictures go to
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio https://flic.kr/s/aHsiUH7ojP.
(1313–1375) contains stories told by a
group of seven young women and three According to Pace University’s Martin Marafiot, Boc-
young men who flee from the plague to a caccio’s prescription for an epidemic was . . . protecting
villa outside Florence for ten days. Writ- yourself with stories. Boccaccio suggested you could
ten in Florentine dialect, it is a classic of save yourself by fleeing towns, surrounding yourself
early Italian prose. This edition is a good with pleasant company and telling amusing stories to
example of a renaissance book: wonderful, clear, and readable text keep spirits up. Through a mixture of social isolation
nicely combined with woodcuts—one for each of the ten days. and pleasant activities, it was possible to survive the
Among these woodcuts are two (above and on the Quarterly front worst days of an epidemic.
cover) with musicians (lute, viola da gamba, and singer) and danc-
ers. In addition there is one initial with a lute-playing girl and her . . . there are ways in which Boccaccio’s advice remains
lover, accompanied by a flute player. relevant. The Decameron reminds us that we need the
What music are they playing ? I think it is probably frot- support of others to make it through a public health cri-
tolas and dances from prints by Tromboncino, Dalza, or Spinacino, sis. Rather than letting ourselves be seized by an epi-
which survived in books published by Ottaviano Petrucci. demic of fear, we should try to occupy ourselves with
The people shown above are equally spaced, creating vi- common pleasures such as playing games, enjoying mu-
sual rhythm. The clothes sway and everyone interacts as a dancers sic and sharing stories. These activities not only improve
should. The artist sets the scene with the two most important ele- our sense of wellbeing but also connect us with others.
ments in the foreground: the viol and the dancing feet. The vio-
list is smiling and confident while the lutenist is fretting over his Words by André Spicer quoted on https://www.newstatesman.
part with his contorted hands. The clothing places the scene in the com/2020/03/coronavirus-survive-italy-wellbeing-stories-decam-
distant past but the instruments are squarely in the present—per- eron.

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 25

 Lutes and Bandoras as Continuo Instruments
in Weimar during the Eighteenth Century
Christian Ahrens
For a long time in Germany, the ideas of how a continuo 10, 1707, for the purpose of distributing the inheritance..4 It has at
group should be made up were largely determined by the state- least seven lutes, including two theorboed lutes, an angelique, and
ment made by Philipp Spitta in his Bach biography of 1873 saying a theorbo.5 So four of a total of nine lute-family instruments were
that Johann Sebastian Bach, as the leading baroque composer in theorboed and suitable for use as continuo instruments.
Germany, used the organ as the main instrument exclusively in In 1729 the lute player Adam Falckenhagen (1697–1754)
church music, choosing to distance that music from the “ideal Ital- was employed as a chamber musician in Weimar; however, he had
ian sound.”1 Contrary to earlier insights, Arnold Schering2 took up already left by August 15, 1732.6 No successor is known by name,
this idea in 1936, and exaggerated it, saying that Bach’s wish was and no lute player is mentioned in later sources from the court
to have his works accompanied by the “sacred” organ, not by the chapel. However, there must have been a lute player there, as a
“secular” harpsichord. Neither of these authors nor the interpreters repair document from March 1735 exists.7 At that time the instru-
at that time would have thought that plucked instruments could ment maker Adam Eilenstein (Eylenstein; Eulenstein8) charged six
also be used to play continuo. groschen:
Until the end of the baroque period, some of the infor-
mation needed for performing a piece was left out—information for two wound-silk strings for the lutenists for a lute
which was later explicitly noted in the music. Based on regional [vor zweÿ gesponenen seiden Vor den laudenisten auf
customs or conventions, performers knew how to play the correct eine laude gezogen]
notes, and the composers could rely on them to do this. The con-
ventions ranged from dampening a string, using woodwind and and eight groschen [for resetting the neck on a lute] “vor einer
brass instruments (which can only be inferred from the musical laude den Halß eingesetzt.”9
evidence or the dramatic function of the music), doubling the vio- An undated repair receipt from the court instrument mak-
lin and possibly the viola parts (based on the French use of oboes), er dated 1738 shows that Eilenstein had a theorboed lute at the
which composers such as Johann Theodor Roemhildt indicated time:
with the single reference “con stromenti,” and combining continuo
groups with lutes or theorbos, but also with bassoons and even A new theorboed neck put on a lute, varnished, repaired,
contrabass bassoons, occasionally even with bass bombard or ser- also 6 plain-spun strings put on
pent. The lack of clear indications by the composers, the copyists, [von einer laude, einen neÿen deorbierenden halß an ge-
or the performers poses problems for us today when reconstruct- setzet lackiret auch 6 blanck gesponnene seÿden darauf
ing what the original ensembles were. If one takes seriously the gemacht und Röbariret.]10
explanations of music theorists and scholars who have described
the festivities at various institutions, then the most important thing Since there is no reason to assume that one of the theorboed lutes
is to be aware of the context in which a work might have been per- listed in 1707 would have become unusable in the meantime, I as-
formed, because that determined the specific ensemble that would sume that their number had now increased to three. Another was
be appropriate. added in the same year because an undated invoice from the end of
Modern performances have established that there was a 1738 shows the following under two items with lute repairs:
greater variety of instruments used in baroque continuo groups,
and that the groups were considerably more flexible than had pre- Put a new theorboed neck on a small lute, varnished, in-
viously been assumed.3 In addition to the organ and harpsichord, serted new ribs inside, the joints all glued with parch-
today historically informed performances often include lutes or ment, and repaired 4 thlr.
theorbos, and occasionally a harp or guitar. However, numerous [An eine kleine laude Einen neÿen deoben [Theorben]
sources show the participation of representatives of another group Halß ein gemacht, neÿ lackiret neÿe stäge inwendig ein
of plucking instruments that, as far as I can see, have so far been gemacht, die fugen alle mit bergament verleimet, und
overlooked—the cittern family. This will be discussed below. Be- Röbariret 4 thlr. [Thaler; Thlr.]11
fore that, however, a brief look at the use of the lutes in continuo at
the Weimar court. How many lutes were used in what variety of perfor-
mances at the Weimarer court in the 1730s? The theorbos were
I. Lute probably used in orchestral music, the rest more likely in chamber
The first written evidence of the presence the lute in Wei- music—we cannot be sure. In 1738 there should have been four
mar is the list of musical instruments, which after the death of of these lutes, plus the angelique and theorbos. Remember that
Duke Johann Ernst III (born 1664, reigned from 1683 together at that time no lute player was employed at the court and that the
with his brother Wilhelm Ernst, 1662–1728) was created on June court chapel had been dissolved in 1735. Nevertheless, a lute was

26 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

purchased in 1742 for the price of twelve thlr.12 For the following [. . . und noch in der ersten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts
thirty years, however, there is no evidence of repair or the purchase gehörten zur fürstlichen Hofkapelle in Weißenfels zwei
of lutes. It was not until 1776/77 that the Dowager Duchess Anna “Kammer-Pandoristen.”]22
Amalia’s accounts contain a receipt for three Thlr. for a lute. Typi-
cally repairs were itemized, so it appears to have been the purchase based on Arno Werner’s information is misleading. Pantaleon He-
of a new instrument. benstreit was only a member of the Weißenfels court chapel from
The fact that lutes were used in Weimar after 1777, clear- 1703 to 1707.23 Joseph Doberszinsky (Doberoszinsky; Dobrinsky)
ly for continuo, is evident from an entry on October 2, 1780 in the started employment in the court chapel in 1743, and worked there
accounts of the Dowager Duchess Anna Amalia: the oboist Johann until the death of the last duke, Johann Adolf II (1685–1746; reign
Michael Wiener received sixteen gr. for [repair of and new strings starting in 1736) in 1746, probably until 1747.24 It is unknown
for the theorboed lute] “Reppariren und neue Saÿten auf die theo- whether bandoras were used in the period between Heben’s depar-
rbirte Laute..”13 ture in 1707 and Doberszinsky’s start at the court chapel in 1743.
The use of lutes, including at least four theorboed lutes, The earliest surviving inventory of musical instruments
was documented at the Weimar court up until 1780. For the period available at the Weimar court can be found in the estate catalog
after 1757, however, there are only entries in Anna Amalia’s ac- of Duke Wilhelm IV (1598–1662; reign starting in 1626). Only
counts. This suggests that the death of Duke Ernst August II Con- two plucked instruments are listed in it: [the large bandora and the
stantin (1737–1758) meant the end of the court chapel and music large harp] “Das grose Pa[n]dor” and “Die grose Harffe”—sur-
making at the court. (The court chapel was revived in 1755.) Lutes, prisingly, no mention of a lute.25 This earliest evidence of the ex-
however, continued to be used in chamber music and for private istence of a bandora, which also specifically refers to it as “large,”
performances in the dowager duchess’s castle (the “Wittumspal- already suggests that this instrument was given special importance
ais”). in Weimar. In fact, documents prove that the deceased duke him-
self played bandora.26 And the fact that Johann Gottfried Walther
(1694–1748), court musician and city organist in Weimar, went
II. Bandoras into detail about the bandora and its idiosyncrasies in 1708, speaks
The bandora (pandor, pandore, pandoren, bandor, bandur for its importance in instrumental music there. Walther dedicated
etc.14) is a plucked instrument can be classified as a type of cittern. his Praecepta of the Musical Conposition to his student, Prince
It belongs to this family of instruments because of both its flat Johann Ernst IV (1696–1715) of Saxony-Weimar. It is a musical
back and its metal strings. It has a unique and completely different compendium that includes information on music theory, rules for
sound from other lutes. Reading the common literature and the list composition, and also a lexicon section. In the latter, information
of music examples given by Andreas Michel,15 it seems that the about bandoras can be found under two keywords: “Pandora” and
bandora was mainly used as a continuo instrument in the sixteenth “Mandora, item Pandora.” Walther27 mainly refers to the “man-
and seventeenth centuries (cf. Hamburg Opera and Voigtländer),16 dora” described by Michael Praetorius in the Syntagma Musicum
but was hardly seen after 1700. However, Michel refers to the type in 1619.28 Walther’s entry for “Pandora” seems more important to
of Saxon bandoras that were much used in the eighteenth century.: me because, despite its brevity, it contains important information:

Although they are mostly not classified as citterns in his- The bandora is like a large cittern, strung with wound-wire
torical literature, they are undoubtedly very closely related strings, which can be played polyphonically rather than
to them because the way they were used and the sound of just chordaly.
the metal strings. [Pandora ist gleich einer großen Cither, mit dräternen
[Obwohl sie in der historischen Literatur meist nicht als Saiten bezogen, läst sich noch ziemlich vollstimmig da-
Zistern klassifiziert werden, stehen sie aufgrund ihrer rauf spielen.]29
durch Metallbesaitung geprägten Klangcharakteristik
zweifellos am stärksten in deren funktionaler Nähe.]17 This wording was taken almost literally from the Musicalischen
Trichter (1706) by Martin Heinrich Fuhrmann (cf. note 20), and
Michel also quotes some written and iconographic sources from can be seen as clear evidence that the bandora was used in Weimar
the eighteenth century in which the bandora is mentioned or de- as a continuo instrument.
picted.18 The written sources he mentions mostly only give a de- Relevant repair documents show that bandoras held an
scription of the instrument19 or contain an indication that it was important place in Weimar musical performance until the mid-
once in use; they do not provide any detailed evidence for how the eigteenth century. Which musician played it—apart from the short
bandora was used in the eighteenth century. Only Martin Hein- period of time 1751 to 1758 (see below)—is unknown. Whether
rich Fuhrmann (Musicalischer Trichter, 1706)20 and David Kell- the bandora took the place of a lute or was used together with it,
ner (Treulicher Unterricht im General=Baß, 1732/1737)21 cite the both were used similarly.
bandora as a common continuo instrument after 1800. In 1733 Duke Ernst August I (1688–1748; reigning. from
Michel’s statement: 1709) had two bandoras purchased:30

. . .and still in the first half of the eighteenth century, the For a new bandora with a theorboed neck 4 thlr.
court chapel in Weißenfels had two “chamber bandorists.” . . . For a small bandora with a parchment rose 4 Thlr.

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 27

 [Vor einen neien bandohr mit einen deorwürenden [theo- gich [sic!] auch oben rum, solgen mit neÿen Holß futtern
rbierenden] Halß 4 Thlr.] außgefüttert und verwahret, und nach Jezigen Instrument
[. . .Vor einen Gleinen bandohr mit einer bargament [Per- eingerichtet, Eine neÿe Döcke mit den außgestochenen
gament] Däcke 4Thlr]. stern, und inwendiger fieler bestärgung, unden mit Einen
drommelfel [Trommelfell [sic!] ] auf die Döcke zweÿ
Therefore the court, at least starting in 1733, had a theorboed ban- neÿe Hälsse mit schnürckeln gemacht, ganß neÿ lackiret,
dora, which was most likely used as a continuo instrument. The mit neÿen seÿden bezogen und alles darahn ververdiget,
second bandora listed specifically mentions a “bargamot rose” dreizen stick neÿe schwartz gebeitzte würbel darein und
(and not a “star” made from parchment—see below). 15 stick Knöbgen von Elffenbein wo die seÿden darahn
A remarkable number of documents on the use of bando- angemacht sein, darahn gemacht 8 thlr. [Thaler]
ras at the Weimar court come from the short reign of Duke Ernst
August II Constantin. Born on June 2, 1737, he remained under This unusually detailed description of the work done on this instru-
the tutelage of the Duke Friedrich III of Gotha (1699–1772, reign ment shows the special interest the duke had in the conversion,
starting in 1732) until he reached the age of majority in June 1755 during which the original lute body appears to have remained ba-
and took over the regency. Ernst August II Constantin, who died sically unchanged. The conversion was based on Joseph’s instru-
on May 28, 1858, had only three years left to reestablish the Wei- ment. We find out who this Joseph was from a statement by Wil-
mar court music performances using his own ideas, after the disso- helm Bode and an entry in the court and address calendar (HAC)
lution of the ducal chapel by his father Ernst August I (1688–1748; for 1758.35 It was Joseph Doberszinsky, who was born in Weißen-
reigning from 1709) in 1735.31 fels (see above). In 1751 he worked as a court bandora player in
The first entry on Weimar bandoras dates from June Weimar.36 How long he held this office can only be guessed be-
1757—the court instrument maker Adam Eilenstein made strings cause the court calendars, which were printed in the previous year
for an existing bandora:32 and therefore reflect the staffing of that year, only started in 1757.
In the HAC 1757 the name Doberszinsky is missing; in HAC
I made 6 long spun strings for Joseph’s bandora, the price 1758, however, he is listed as “HofPandorist” among the staff “at
for 2 groschen 6 Pfennig 15 Groschen HofMusic.” HAC 1759, which should have documented the 1758
[6 stick lange dichte gesponnene seÿden, habe ich auf staff, did not appear on May 28, 1758 due to the death of Duke
gnädigsten befehl, auf Joseffen seÿnen bandohr gemacht, Ernst August II Constantin. Doberszinsky is no longer recorded
daß stick 2 gl. (Groschen) 6 dl. 9Pfennig) 15 gl.] in the HAC from 1760 onward, so he must have left Weimar after
the death of the Duke. The strap for a bandora that was purchased
The special significance of this bandora player and his according to an invoice from December 1757 (incidently shortly
instrument is evident from another repair invoice from December before Christmas!) was therefore intended for Doberszinsky and
of the same year: the theorboed lute-cittern that had been rebuilt a few months ear-
lier, as the Nota proves on this invoice, which states:
From a lute, which Your Highness bought in Gotha, and
which was unusable, because a new belly and a new Nota. Your highness had this strap made after the fash-
neck would have had to be fitted on it, I made a bandora ion of Joseph’s bandura.
in the manner of Joseph at your gracious command. I [Nota. Dieses Band haben Ihro Durchl. an die nach der
had to reglue all the joints on the back of the body, re- façon des Josephs erfertigte Bandure binden laßen.]37
inforcing them with parchment, likewise glue the top of
the body again and again, filling it with new wood and The repeated reference to conversions and repairs to the “fashion”
set it up according to the existing instrument; making a of Joseph’s instrument is a clear indication that Doberszinsky, al-
belly with a sound hole in a star shape and attach many ready there in Weissenfels before his appointment at the Weimar
reinforcements inside; coat the bottom of the belly with court, played a theorboed lute-cittern.
hide;33 put on two new necks with curlicues; repaint In the mid-eighteenth century conversions from lutes to
completely, restring with new strings and put every- citterns or, as in our case, to a theorboed cittern (bandora?) while
thing in order; make thirteen new black-stained pegs34 maintaining the lute-shaped body38 were not uncommon—even in
and make fifteen ivory buttons to which the strings are France such instruments were converted. Michel’s reference39 to
attached; 8 thaler. such an instrument in the Berlin Musical Instrument Museum—
“That originated as a lute by Johann Christian Hoffmann, Leipzig
[Auß Einer laude, welge Ihro Hochfürstl. Durchl: in Go- 1717”40 —is an example that for such conversions one did not use
tha gekaufft haben, und so nicht brauchbahr wahr, wo- any simple lute that had become available, but good, valuable lutes
rahn den[n] Erstl: Eine neÿe Döcke und neÿen halß hette were preferred.
missen gemacht werden habe ich auf gnädigsten befehl, Saxon theorboed citterns (of which only a few have
zu Einen bandohr nach Johseffen seiner ahrt ververdi- survived) usually seem to have had string arrangements of four
get, an den under Korbs [Korpus] habe ich alle fugen double courses and eight individual bass strings.41 Since Eilenstein
missen in neÿen leim setzen, selbige Inwendig missen only lists “fifteen pegs by Elffenbein when the strings were made,”
mit Bergament verleimen, die Runde und quer durchgen- this instrument has only seven bass strings.

28 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 See below for the plaster representation of a theorboed cittern ings.47 Mattheson has commented on this in relation to lute-
on the ceiling of a hall in Dornburg Castle, the summer residence of family instruments and has explicitly withdrawn some of his
the Weimar dukes; it is dated 1736.42 There are eight pegs for the bass polemical evaluations in the final chapter of his book Der
strings and five for strings on the fingerboard.43 It is quite possible that neue Göttingische öffentliche […] Ephorus. He emphasized
Doberszinsky had increased the number of fingerboard strings on his that in 1713 he had only presented his personal opinion:
bandora, and that was precisely why they were used as a model for the
conversions in Weimar. Nobody, without a substantial cause, may judge
Other sources prove that not only Duke Ernst August II Con- me; and I want to have the same freedom that ev-
stantin himself and his wife Anna Amalia used bandoras in their musical eryone else has generously exercised.
events, but so did their son Constantin (1758–1793).44 Around the year [Es darf sich niemand, ohne erhebliche Ursa-
1778, several repairs can be traced, including the winding of “5 bass che, nach meiner Wenigkeit richten; und ich will
strings covered with silver wire”45—the prince accordingly used a theo- mir eben dieselbe Freiheit, die ein anderer hat,
rboed cittern in his musical activities. großgünstig ausgebeten haben.]48

• One can only speculate about the reasons why the

bandora was preferred over the lute and probably also the
It is evident from the archives of the Weimar court that the “of- theorbo in Weimar and Weißenfels. Perhaps it was because
ficial” use of the lute ended with the death of Duke Ernst August II Con- it offered variety in orchestral instrumentation, including an
stantin in 1758, but the bandora was its successor and enjoyed a new increase in overtones, volume and projection, especially in
heyday at this court, where it had been established more than a century the bass. A change from the gut-strung lute to the metal-
earlier. This is astonishing when you consider the position of the lute and strung bandora filled a need. The concerns that Lyle Nord-
the reputation of its players. Citterns and also bandoras were spoken of strom expressed in his book The Bandora in 1992 regarding
quite disparagingly as early as 1700, due to the often quoted statements the sound quality of the bandora do not seem to have existed
originally made by Johann Mattheson in Das Neu=Eröffnete Orchestre in those courts:
1713. Ernst Gottfried Baron categorized the bandora as an “imperfect
lute” in 1727.46 Here too there is a clear gap between the statements and It is likely that the theorbo, which covered the
evaluations of the theoreticians and the reality of musical practice, so it same basic range, gradully replaced the bandora as
is necessary to exercise great caution when evaluating theoretical writ- the principal plucked accompaniment instrument
for more serious and sonorous music, and with the
demand for larger orchestras, the more powerful
harpsichord, strung with the same iron and brass
wire, replaced its more subtle and gentle relative.49

In addition, Nordstrom overlooks the need for tonal variety,

which determined the instrument choice for the continuo
group. It offered the possibility of combining or alternat-
ing the use of lute/theorbo and harpsichord or bandora and
harpsichord, as well as the combination of harpsichord and
organ. Remember that lute-family instruments were an in-
tegral part of the continuo group.50 And finally, none other
than Marin Mersenne had already emphasized in Harmonie
Universelle (1636) that the bandora’s tones

last longer than those of the lute, because the brass

strings vibrate longer
[eine längere Dauer haben als die der Laute, wegen
der Saiten aus Messing, die länger schwingen.]51

Antoine Furetière adopted some of Mersenne’s ideas and

characterized the sound as more pleasant, but added that the
instrument was no longer used in France at that time (i.e.,
1727).52
It is strongly recommended that this type of instru-
ment be considered in modern early music performance,
thus offering a more realistic version of the variety of sounds
Picture of a theorboed cittern, Schloss Dornburg, 1736 heard in the eighteenth-century music.53 And that certainly

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 29

includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach which were created and […], Hamburg 1688, p. 102), which pandoras [bandoras] performs as or-
performed in Weimar or composed for Weißenfels. dinary continuo instruments in the Hamburg Opera.
17
Andreas Michel, “Pandora” (see note 14).
The LSA thanks the Deutschen Lautengesellschaft for permission
18
Andreas Michel, “Pandora” (http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/
MUSEUM/zist_pandor_quellen.htm; Accessed 5.9.2015).
to publish the English translation of this article which first ap- 19
For example, Johann Christoph Gottsched, Handlexicon oder Kurge-
peared in Die Laute: Jahrbuch der Deutschen Lautengesellschaft, faßtes Wörterbuch der schönen Wissenschaften und freyen Künste, Leipzig
No. XIII, edited by Peter Kiraly and Sigrid Wirth, Frankfurt am 1760. More: “Pandura,” col. 1138f; Johann Adam Hiller, Anweisung zum
Main, 2019, pp. 34-45. Special thanks to Hermann Kelber, Cath- Violinspielen, Leipzig [1792], More: “Pandora,” p. 78.
erine Liddell, and Susan Liddell for help with the translation. 20
Martin Heinrich Fuhrmann, Musicalischer Trichter […], Frankfurt/
Oder, 1706, p. 91: “the bandora is like a big zither/with wound-wire
strings/and can be played quite well.” Fuhrmann describes the bandora as
• “Fundament-Instrumenta.”
21
David Kellner, Treulicher Unterricht im General=Baß […], Hamburg
Notes 2
1737, p. 1 (unchanged reprint of the edition, 1732).
1
Philipp Spitta, Johann Sebastian Bach, Leipzig, 1873, Vol. 1, p. 717. 22
Arno Werner, Städtische und fürstliche Musikpflege in Weissenfels bis
2
Arnold Schering, Aufführungspraxis Alter Musik, Leipzig, 1931, p. 157f. zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts, Leipzig 1911, p. 68.
3
See also Christian Ahrens, “Historisches Vorbild und moderne Interpre- 23
Ibid. p. 75, see Eva-Maria Ranft, “Zum Personalbestand der Weißen-
tation. Zur Besetzung der B.c.-Gruppe in der mitteldeutschen Kirchen- felser Hofkapelle,” in: Beiträge zur Bachforschung, Vol. 6, Leipzig 1987,
musik des 18. Jahrhunderts,” in: Dietrich Kämper u.a. (Editor), Alte Musik pp. 5–36, here p. 18f.
und Aufführungspraxis. Festschrift für Dieter Gutknecht zum 65. Geburt- 24
Eva-Maria Ranft, “Personalbestand der Weißenfelser Hofkapelle” (see
stag, Zürich/Berlin, 2007, pp. 161–173. note. 23), p. 10. Since the Weißenfelser line died out in 1746, the duchy
4
Thuringian Main State Archives Weimar (hereinafter: ThHStAW), fell on hart times when their regent was Friedrich August II, at the time
Fürstenhaus A 628b, division of the legacy of Duke Johann Ernst III. von also the king of Poland. This probably explains Doberozinsky’s name as
Sachsen-Weimar among his children, fol. 100v–105v, here fol. 100v/101r. “Königl. Pandorist ”in an entry dated 10.8.1747 in the Weißenfels baptism
I would like to thank the Fritz Thyssen Foundation Cologne, who made book.
the archival work in Weimar possible. 25
Cf. Adolf Aber, Die Pflege der Musik unter den Wettinern und wet-
5
Also listed are: 4 guitars (one from the Tielke workshop), 2 bandoras tinischen Ernestinern. Von den Anfängen bis zur Auflösung der Weimarer
(“little Padorgen,” one of them without strings) and 6 cithrinchen. Hofkapelle 1662, Bückeburg and others 1921, pp. 150f. The fact that ban-
6
ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus A 254, Entire Chamber Rent Chamber Bills doras were also used at other royal courts can be seen, for example, from
1731/32, No. 254, fol. 92v and 93r: Payment of the outstanding salary to the inventories of the Kassel court orchestra (cf. Ernst Zulauf, Beiträge
“[Falckenhagen] from July 1, 1731 to August 15, 1732 because he left the zur Geschichte der Landgräflich-Hessischen Hofkapelle zu Cassel bis auf
employment.” die Zeit Moritz des Gelehrten, Diss. Universität Leipzig, Kassel 1902 ).
7
The date is remarkable because the court chapel was dissolved by Duke The inventory from the 1638 records “Ein Pandor, so von I. f. g. [Ihro
Ernst August I only a few weeks later, at the end of April of that year. fürstliche Gnaden] erkaufft worden” [A bandora, that was bought by your
8
Adam Eilenstein died in 1749. His successor in office was Johann Wil- royal grace] as well as “Ein Pandor, daruff Stoffel wierholt [sic!] eine
helm Eilenstein, probably a direct relative. newe Decke machen lassen vnd das macherlohn dem Orgelmacher zahlt,
9
ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus House A 874, Accounts [Schatullrechnungen] of davor er sie in seinem Gebrauch hat.” [A bandora, which the musician
Ernst August I., 1735, fol. 74v and 75r. Like many other craftsmen, Adam Stoffel, who plays the bandora, had the organ builder make a new belly
Eilenstein had only a rudimentary knowledge of orthography and his writ- for] (p. 135).
ing was similar to the dialect he spoke. 26
Reinhold Krause, Kleine Kulturgeschichte der Laute und Guitarre in
10
ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus A 874, Accounts [Schatullrechnungen] of Duke Beispielen aus Weimar und Umgebung, Weimar-Tiefurt 2009, p. 41.
Ernst August I, 1738; Receipt without number (belongs to Nr. 212). Krause’s source is unfortunately not correct; the document in question has
11
Ibid. not yet been identified.
12
ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus A 883, Accounts [Schatullrechnungen] of Ernst 27
Johann Gottfried Walther, Praecepta der musicalischen Composition,
August I., June to December 1742, fol. 749. The information does not HS. Weimar 1708, Vol. 1, p. 134 (https://haab-digital.klassik-stiftung.de/
indicate whether the instrument was new or used. viewer/toc/1238517919/1/; Zugriff: 6.10.2017).
13
ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus A 938, Accounts [Schatullrechnungen] of Anna 28
Michael Praetorius, Syntagma Musicum, Vol. 2, De Organographia,
Amalia, Christmas 1779 to 1780, fol. 38v; Document No. 840. Anna Ama- Wolfenbüttel 1619, p. 53f. In Vol. 3 of Syntagma Musicum (p. 141). Prae-
lia’s special preference for the guitar is demonstrated by the acquisition of torius explicitly included the bandora as one of the main instruments.
instruments and music, and also by performances by traveling musicians, 29
Johann Gottfried Walther, Praecepta der musicalischen Composition
including lute players—from an entry in the Accounts [Schatullrechnun- (see note 27), p. 141. The wording is taken almost literally from Martin
gen] from 1793. The traveling lute player Rackmann from Wesel with 4 Heinrich Fuhrmann (Musicalischer Trichter; see note 20).
children received 15 Thlr on 2.9.1793. 8 gr. “Zehrung” for a stay of one 30
ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus A 872, Accounts [Schatullrechnungen] of Ernst
week in Weimar (ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus A 990, Accounts [Schatullrech- August I., 1.1.1732–31.12.1734, fol. 122; Dated 7.10.1733.
nungen] of Anna Amalia, 1793; date: 2.9.1793). 31
For this see Christian Ahrens, Die Weimarer Hofkapelle 1683–1851.
14
Andreas Michel, “Pandora” (http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/ Personelle Ressourcen. Organisatorische Strukturen. Künstlerische Leis-
MUSEUM/zist_pandora.htm; Zugriff: 5.9.2015). tungen (Schriften der Academia Musicalis Thuringiae, Vol. 1), Sinzig,
15
Ibid. 2015, pp. 36–44.
16
See the forewords to Historia von der Auferstehung Jesu Christi by 32
ThHStAW, Fürstenhaus A 91455, Accounts [Schatullrechnungen] of
Heinrich Schütz (1623) and Allerhand Oden und Lieder […] by Gabriel Ernst August II. Constantin, Michaelmas to Christmas, 1757, Receipt No.
Voigtländer (1642) as well as the statement by Heinrich Elmenhorst (Dra- 85; Dated 29.6.1757.
matologia antiquo-hodierna, das ist: Bericht von denen Oper-Spielen 33
The purpose of the hide is not clear.

30 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

34
Apparently two pegs did not need replacement. lichon (Gallichon), a variety of the mandora that was used as a solo and
35
Hochfürstl. Sachsen=Weimar=und Eisenachischer Hof= und continuo instrument (cf. Dieter Schossig, Der Colascione, Großmehring
Address=Calender auf das Jahr 1758 [Weimar 1757], p. 100. 2010, pp. 6–9) Calichons can also be found in Leipzig, cf. Dieter Kirsch,
36
Wilhelm Bode, “Überblick über das weimarische Theater während der “Zur Frühgeschichte der Mandora,” in: Für Aug’ und Ohr. Musik in Kunst-
Lebenszeit Goethes,” in: Goethes Schauspieler und Musiker. Erinnerun- und Wunderkammern, edited by Wilfried Seipel, Milan and Vienna, 1999,
gen von Eberwein und Lobe. Mit Ergänzungen von Dr. Wilhelm Bode, pp. 87–99, here p. 92, and Wolfram Steude, “Bausteine zu einer Ge-
Berlin, 1912, pp. 204–225, here p. 224. schichte der Sachsen-Merseburgischen Hofmusik (1653–1738),” Musik
37
ThHStA, Fürstenhaus, Nr. A 91455, Accounts [Schatullrechnungen] of der Macht–Macht der Musik. Die Musik an den Sächsisch-Albertinischen
Ernst August II. Constantin, Michaelmas to Christmas, 1757, Receipt No. Herzogshöfen Weißenfels, Zeitz und Merseburg, edited. by Juliane Riepe,
99; Dated 20.12.1757. Hamburg, 2003, pp. 73-101, here p. 94. The Gothaer court acquired a
38
Andreas Michel (http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/ “Calcidon” in 1704 and 1705 (Thuringian State Archive Gotha, Chamber
zistern.htm; Lautenzistern). Weimar is now to be added to the locations Gotha—bills 17/86, November 17/18, 1685). According to the bill dated
listed by Michel (Leipzig and Danzig), where there is evidence for similar June 15, 1725, a “Calcidohn which was broken was again restored”; ibid.,
conversions. invoices 1724/25, invoice no. 2596). For the description of the calichon
39
The name “cistre allemand” used in France could indicate that this among the plucked instruments cf. Andreas Schlegel, Mandora/Galizona/
type of instrument originated in Germany (cf. Andreas Michel, http:// Colascione (http://www.accordsnouveaux.ch/de/Instrumente/M_G_C/
www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/zistern.htm;Lautenzister). M_G_C.html. Accessed 10.8.2017, also numerous others sources).
In 2009 Heidi von Rüden reported on an instrument like this owned by
the Musikinstrumentenmuseum Berlin (“Zur Restaurierung einer Theor-
benzister,” in: Laute und Theorbe. Symposium im Rahmen der 31 Tage Al-
ter Musik in Herne, editors Christian Ahrens and Gregor Klinke, Munich-
Salzburg, 2009, pp. 144-156).
40
Andreas Michel, “Quellen zur Geschichte der Zister in Sachsen vom
16. bis 19. Jahrhundert,” in: Gitarre und Zister—Bauweise, Spieltechnik
und Geschichte bis 1800 (Michaelsteiner Konferenzberichte, Vol. 66),
Michaelstein 2004, pp. 87–120, here p. 108 (Sign. Q. 53).
41
Andreas Michel (http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/zis-
tern.htm; Theorbenzistern).
42
Compare: die Angaben von Reinhold Krause (Kleine Kulturgeschichte
der Laute und Guitarre in Beispielen aus Weimar und Umgebung (see
note 26), p. 52) for provenance.
43
Ibid. p. 60.
44
Ernst Gottlieb Baron, Historisch-Theoretisch und practische Untersuc-
hung des Instruments der Lauten, Nürnberg, 1727, p. 36.
46
On the problem with theoretical writings describing folk and art music
instruments, where specific types of plucked instruments play a particular
role, cf. Christian Ahrens, “‘Von denen Divertissements der großen Her-
ren,’ Populäre Musikinstrumente im Zeremoniell deutscher Fürstenhöfe,”
in Populares und Popularität in der Musik” (Michaelsteiner Conference
Reports, Vol. 85), ed. by Christian Philipsen with Ute Omonsky, Augsburg
and Michaelstein 2017, pp. 175–195.
47
Johann Mattheson, Der neue Göttingische […] Ephorus […], Hamburg
1727, p. 109.
48
Lyle Nordstrom, The Bandora: Its Music and Sources (Detroit Studies
in Music Bibliography, Vol. 66), Warren, Michigan 1992, p. 7.
49
Christian Ahrens, “... the tone is so immediate and strong that it works
very well for accompaniment”—for the existence of special harpsichords
for playing continuo” in: Das Cembalo als Generalbaßinstrument. Sym-
posium im Rahmen der 29. Tage Alter Musik in Herne, editors: Christian
Ahrens and Gregor Klinke, Munich—Salzburg 2008, pp. 118–136, here
pp. 125f.
51
Marin Mersenne, Harmonie Universelle, Paris, 1636, pp. 52–53, here p.
52 (translation: C. Ahrens). Compare: Ingo Negwer, Laute und Theorbe
in Marin Mersennes Harmonie Universelle. Zur Aufführungspraxis früh-
barocker Musik in Frankreich, Frankfurt/Main, 2000.
52
Articla “Pandore,” in: Antoine Furetiere et al., Dictionnaire Universel,
Vol. 3, Den Haag, 1727 [fol. 709].
53
The inventory of instruments at the Rudolstadt Collegium Musicum
from 1729 includes “1 chalcedony and sheath” (Ute Omonsky, “Werden
und Wandel der Rudolstädter Hofkapelle als Bestandteil des höfischen
Lebens im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert,” Die Entwicklung der Hofkapelle vom
17. Jahrhundert bis zum Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts, Rudolstadt 1997,
pp. 13–94, here p. 68 (Document VII). “Chalcedon” is obviously a Ca-

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 31

 Paston Songs—Underexplored and Underplayed Repertoire
Charles Weaver
I first read about the Edward Paston lute manuscripts in difficulty only by some of Fuenllana and Pisador’s more
in Matthew Spring’s The Lute in Britain.1 Paston (1550– ambitious intabulations—another underexplored and un-
1630) maintained a large collection of music in manu- derplayed repertoire. The Paston collection is, in fact,
scripts, with his interests clearly shaped by his recusancy a bit more user-friendly for the aspiring lute-song duo
(Paston maintained the Roman Catholic faith at a time than the vihuela books. Paston’s songs are for soprano
in England’s history when that faith was illegal). Given (one of the more common pairings nowadays), while
the contents of these lute manuscripts—intabulations the vihuela intabulation-song repertoire is for a more
covering a remarkably broad spectrum of genres and varied selection of voices (judging from the red ciphers).
periods—I was astounded that they did not hold a more Only a few of the sacred vihuela intabulations are for the
prominent place in current understanding of the English soprano voice.4 Additionally, the Paston intabulations omit
lute repertoire. Where were the editions, the recordings, the the part that would be sung (as opposed to including them with
performances, and the articles? As it turned out, I could only blame red ciphers as in the vihuela books), which simplifies the intabula-
my own ignorance, since scholars and performers had indeed been tions enormously. We have a complete collection of a wide variety
exploring this music. Still, I found the music itself difficult to ob- of sacred and secular music in several languages. The compiler
tain, especially compared to the famous Cambridge manuscripts. of these manuscripts shows excellent editorial judgment. Annota-
Hector Sequera’s research proved invaluable, as it included edi- tions at the beginnings of pieces (“Excelente”) mark particularly
tions of some of the smaller works.2 I am very grateful that he successful intabulations. I have come to agree with these indica-
allowed me to use his editions for a small performance of some tions over time. I am convinced that this is a worthy and practical
of the Paston material in New York in spring 2016. Later in that repertoire that will amply repay further study and performance.
year, the British Library posted digital facsimiles of three of the What is the process like? With a few exceptions, I have
five principal manuscripts online.3 I have spent a great deal of time avoided making editions, preferring to play from the facsimiles,
since then playing through the music, playing it in a few public which are quite legible and relatively error-free. Since the man-
performances, and surveying the material in summer workshop/ uscripts are missing the treble part, which would presumably be
seminars. sung, there is an extra step compared to the programming process
What excited me most about these manuscripts is that for a more typical lute-song recital. Fortunately, with the advent
they filled an enormous stylistic gap in the lute repertoire. Aside of huge online collections of public-domain music (IMSLP and
from this collection, intabulations of vocal music are relatively CPDL), free and decent editions are available online for most
scant in English manuscripts, compared to contemporary conti- of the music. In many cases this is a straightforward process—a
nental sources. We could probably trace this fact to the particular Google search suffices—but there are some traps for the would-be
history of the English reformation. This is especially unfortunate reader of sacred lute songs. Excerpts of larger works in the Paston
given the riches of pre-reformation English polyphony, with lu- manuscript occasionally do not indicate the name of the source
minaries like Taverner (ca. 1490–1545), Tallis (ca. 1505–1585), they are extracted from. For example, the piece (in four parts) on f.
and Fayrfax (1464–1521). All of these composers are amply rep- 17v of GB-Lbm Add. 29246 is inscribed “Lud: Victoria Et Jesum.”
resented in Paston’s collection. There is a special poignancy to To find the original, you would have to know that this text refers
this recusant Catholic’s preservation of a music whose liturgical to a section of the prayer Salve Regina. Some searching among
function was irrevocably swept away by the vicissitudes of Tudor Victoria’s settings reveals that this is an excerpt of the eight-part
family history. Equally impressive though, is that alongside these setting.
older composers is an array of madrigals, motets, and chansons There are a few other issues that have to be ironed out
by more recent composers like Victoria (1548–1611), Lassus (ca. in rehearsal. One is the use of accidental inflection (musica ficta).
1532–1594), and Marenzio (ca. 1553–1599). Paston consciously The choices in the manuscript occasionally conflict with the mod-
kept quite current with the musical trends of his coreligionists on ern edition. This is a common enough problem for performers of
the continent. Unsurprisingly, pride of place goes to Paston’s great this kind of music. Another is the question of the adaptation of a
recusant contemporary William Byrd (ca. 1540–1623), with many thick polyphonic texture to the medium of the lute. Perhaps most
songs (both sacred and secular) and motets replicated in neat and important, there is the issue of meter and mensuration. As with the
spare lute transcriptions. printed vihuela books, the Paston manuscripts invariably bar the
All three of the manuscripts follow the sensible pattern music by semibreve (whole note), regardless of the mensuration
of arrangement in order of increasing complexity, ranging from sign of the original piece. This creates the practical problem that
pieces originally for two or three voices up to pieces originally for lute facsimile will often have two or three (or occasionally four
seven voices. This scheme is reminiscent of the printed vihuela or six) times as many bars as the modern edition, which can slow
books, with which the musical ethos of the whole collection shares down the rehearsal process. It raises the question of the coinci-
a clear affinity. Indeed, the music in six and seven parts is rivalled dence of meter and mensuration, which has been a topic of some

32 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

recent heated debate among scholars. If the intabulations consis- similar instrument could have played the bass line in performance.
tently make no distinction between perfect and imperfect tempus, I have since reconsidered this. Now, I think the inversions too are
even when the mensuration changes in the course of a piece, this something to embrace. Again, this would be similar to a guitartype
calls several typical assumptions into question. There is certainly practice. In my more recent performances, I have been less fussy
no indication that a tempo change or proportion is called for be- about the bass notes, and I now believe that the chordal texture
tween successive sections. Further, there is nothing on the page to sounds convincing enough without the low notes. I am leaving
suggest that perfect tempus is to be experienced as a triple meter in them in the present edition, so my readers can draw their own con-
the modern sense, as is often suggested by current editorial prac- clusions.
tice (i.e., barring at the breve [two whole notes] level). In the typical fashion of pre-reformation Mass settings,
All of these editorial and performance issues are on dis- the mensuration of the original changes from cut-circle to cut-C
play, especially in one of the more spectacular and ambitious in- halfway through the movement. According to standard editorial
tabulations: the Gloria from Taverner’s six-voice Missa Gloria tibi practice, this means a change from triple measures to duple mea-
trinitas (MS Add. 29246, ff. 56v–57v). An edition of this work sures. In performance this change is often accompanied by a tempo
can be found in LSA Digital Supplement No. 10, pp. 96-104 on the change or even a proportional change. As with all oFs not indicate
LSA website. This Mass section illustrates some of the stylistic the change at all. This certainly calls some performance-practice
idiosyncrasies of the collection as a whole. assumptions into question, though a full discussion is beyond the
Taverner’s setting of the Mass ordinary is surely one of scope of this article.
crowning masterpieces of Tudor polyphony. A survey of available On the face of it, this intabulation of such a complex
recordings suggests a duration between ten and twelve minutes piece is impractical, or even quixotic. The texture is so thin and
on average. Several editions, dating back to R.R. Terry’s from Tu- vulnerable, while the music calls for sumptuous polyphony. Hav-
dor Church Music (1923), are freely available online.5 Taverner’s ing spent some time working with this music and performing it,
writing often works best with a few singers on each part, which I have concluded that this lute version has its own charm, even
probably approximates the original forces. What could be a more though it differs so markedly from the original texture. The music
poignant example of the plight of England’s recusant Catholics is occasionally quite difficult, but playing it and working on it has
than this setting for one singer? Is it possible that this setting was brought me immense musical satisfaction. I hope this edition of
used liturgically for a secret and illegal house Mass? While we can the Taverner Gloria will convince others of the worth and vitality
never really know the answer to this question, I think it unlikely, of this excellent and mostly unexplored repertoire.
because attempting to play from the lute part with a singer read-
iFng the score quickly reveals that the lute setting is incomplete.
In fact, the intabulation only sets the portions of the movement Notes
that feature the treble. Sections involving smaller ensembles of the
1
Matthew Spring, The Lute in Britain: A History of the Instrument and its
lower parts are simply omitted. The closing tutti section, “Cum Music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 259.
2
Hector Sequera, “House Music for Recusants in Elizabethan England:
Sancto Spiritu,” is also unaccountably missing. Sections that are
Performance Practice in the Music Collection of Edward Paston (1550–
included occasionally commence in the middle of measures, ac- 1630)” (PhD Diss., Unversity of Birmingham, 2010).
cording to the modern editions. 3
BL Add MS 29246: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.
What of the setting itself? As with the equally ambitions aspx?ref=Add_MS_29246&index=0
Pisador and Fuenllana intabulations, the luxurious six-voice po- BL Add MS 29247: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.
lyphony tends to devolve into a succession of block chords when aspx?ref=Add_MS_29247&index=0
set on the lute. There are examples of this phenomenon in the BL Add MS 31992: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.
Bottegari Lute Book as well. How should the modern lutenist ap- aspx?ref=Add_MS_31992&index=0
proach this? I think all efforts to trace out the individual lines are
4
I.e., Pisador’s intabulations of Praeter rerum seriem and Miserere mei,
both by Josquin.
doomed to failure. If that is a priority, rearranging the music for 5
hhttp://ks.imslp.net/files/imglnks/usimg/6/6b/IMSLP472676-
two or three lutes (a practice specifically recommended by Juan PMLP767142-Taverner_Missa_Gloria_tibi_trinitas.pdf
Bermudo) would seem to be more fruitful. Instead, without being 6
Amat relates a story in which he argues with four other guitarists over
too inelegant about it, I find embracing this chordal texture as a whether it is possible to reduce polyphonic music in several parts using
feature rather than a bug is more satisfying. What I have in mind a simple algorithm of assigning (mostly root-position) triads to the bass.
must be something like what Amat described regarding accompa- They hand him some music by Palestrina, and he quickly makes his ac-
nying Palestrina on the five-course guitar.6 companiment using his table. They all sing together with a guitar strum-
Also guitarlike is the intabulator’s practice regarding bass ming along. This is rather far from the modern expectation of Palestrinian
notes. Taverner’s bass line descends frequently to low F, one note performance practice! Joan Carles Amat, Guitarra española, y vandola
en dos maneras de guitarra, castellana, y cathalana de cinco ordenes
below the open sixth course. In the intabulation all of those notes
(Gerona: Joseph Bro, 1763), 28–31.
are simply omitted, leaving what a modern musician might call
“chord inversions.” There is no attempt to revoice the harmonies
to have the proper bass note on the bottom. In my edition, which
I first made in 2016 when the manuscripts first appeared online,
I attempted to remedy the problem by supplying notes on a sev-
enth course, tuned to F. My working theory was that a bass viol or

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 33

 A Digital Transcription of the Castelfranco Manuscript
Gian-Luca Ferme
In 2017 Arnoldo Forni Editore went out of business. With were hired to entertain both the local nobility and foreign visi-
it we lost another source1 for reproductions of many rare old manu- tors. Well-known instrument makers also moved their activities
scripts only otherwise available in institutions and research librar- to Padua.6 where income was guaranteed by the constant flow of
ies around the world. One of these published by Forni was the international students eager to learn to play Italian lute music and
Castelfranco manuscript,2 housed in the archives of the Cathedral socialize.
of Castelfranco, a town about forty miles west of Venice. Padua is a mere thirty-six kilometers from Venice. It may
In order to make it available to other lutenists, I decided be difficult to imagine today the thriving political and cultural fer-
to transcribe this manuscript, compiled in 1565 by the lutenist vor of these two cities in Pacalono’s time. In the mid-1500s, Ven-
Giovanni Massarotto, known as Pacolono. This article explores a ice was still a link between the Middle East and Europe. Entire
few questions about the author and this book. I will try to place blocks in Venice were occupied by emissaries and employees of
the Castelfranco manuscript (hereafter CM) in its historical con- foreign trade missions. Today, Venice—a city of roughly 50,000
text, and explain my process in transcribing the tablature. Both people—appears to be a romantic, sleepy town on the water, but in
my transcriptions and the MIDI3 files can be found at http://www. the 1500s it was a densely populated maritime power, with nearly
kaleidorama.com/the-castelfranco-manuscript. 170,0007 citizens (in comparison, London had 80,000 inhabitants).
Yet Venice was starting to face increasing pressure from the Otto-
The Manuscript and Its Context man Empire along its eastern outposts, so it turned west, to Italian
Currently, there are only two known collections of com- territory, for its expansionist goals. Padua was Venice’s bridge to
positions that we can attribute with any degree of certainty to its western possessions, and as such it enjoyed wealth and an ac-
Giovanni Massarotto from Padua, who used the nickname, and tive cultural and social life.
was called by others, “Pacalono”:4 Venice had also become an important music publishing
center in the 1500s. Italian and European authors and composers
F his tablature book of dances for three lutes, published came to Venice to publish their work.8 The availability of large
by Pierre Phalèse, in Leuven, in 1564 amounts of printed music was a vehicle for the rapid dissemination
F a handwritten collection of music for lute found in the of new material from the most fashionable composers of the time,
cathedral of Castelfranco, dated by him May 15, 1565 be they madrigalists or instrumentalists.
The international flavor of Venice/Padua is also reflected
The CM, as the second one is commonly called in Eng- in the CM, where we find:
lish, is a collection of handwritten lute music in Italian tablature.
Pacalono copied it for an Englishman, Tomas Paro (Thomas Parr? F intabulations of madrigals from the Franco-Flemish
Thomas Sparrow?), whom he calls conpare et patrone (friend and school
patron/master). Pacalono lived near a building in Padua that hosted F a choice of Italian fantasias (a number of them by Fran-
English students attending the University of Padua. We can as- cesco da Milano—no surprise)
sume the proximity to the boarding house facilitated Pacalono’s F Spanish fantasias by Milán and Narvaez
friendship with Tomas. F two pieces by the Hungarian Bakfark
We do not have any other historical information about the F numerous dance pieces, capped by a closing sequence
relationship between Pacalono and Tomas, but it is possible that of dances (galliards, passemezzos, saltarellos, and pa-
Tomas hired Pacalono at some point, since he calls him “patrone,” vans) and intabulations of villanelles, all for three lutes
which indicates a working relationship. Given the large number
of compositions, the manuscript must have taken a few days, if The three-lute consort seems to have been a niche busi-
not weeks, to complete, although the handwriting is very uniform ness for Pacalono—they are the main focus of the only book pub-
throughout. Only the last written page—a galliard—is written by a lished under his name (by Phalèse in Leuven9 in 1564), a year
different hand (maybe Tomas Paro’s?). before the completion of the CM. It is not known why Pacalono
In the mid-1500s the University of Padua was one of chose the distant Leuven instead of Venice for his publication.
the most prestigious universities in Italy and attracted young men Aside from the CM and the Phalèse book, we find only
from Italy and abroad.5 It was founded around 300 years earlier by two additional compositions by Pacalono: one preserved in Mu-
students and professors from the University of Bologna who had nich, Germany10 and one in Lvov, Ukraine.11 Both of these fanta-
tired of censors monitoring the ideas being taught there. The Uni- sias by Pacalono are included in books compiled by lutenists who
versity of Padua’s motto is Universa Universis Patavina Libertas, returned to their own country after studying or performing in Italy.
(All and for everyone, freedom at the University of Padua). This This is another indication that musicians traveling to Padua in the
ideal must have appealed to young Europeans, eager to get away mid-1500s ran into Pacalono and learned his music. Other music
from the restrictions imparted by religious entities. This in turn by Pacalono may have been lost or perhaps he just was not a very
created a favorable situation for musicians in Padua, where they prolific composer, aside from his arrangements for lute trios.

34 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 The cross-fertilization of people from around Europe did Rossi’s introduction, also use the name Pachalono and Pacalone
not always result in positive outcomes—the menace of the plague for the lutenist. And, in the previously mentioned Munich manu-
was a constant threat to the Venetian republic, brought in by people script, the scribe addresses him as Zuà Pacalono (Zuà is a dialect
on the move. For example, the lutenist Bálint Bakfark12 died of version of Gian, short for Giovanni), while the Krakov manuscript
the plague in Padua in 1576, together with his wife and four chil- has his name as Gioane Pacalono.
dren. It was common practice to burn all the possessions of plague There is evidence about his birthplace in the CM. Pa-
victims, and since Bakfark was a respected virtuoso, it has been calono calls himself Patavino (from Padua) and we know that his
speculated that the scarcity of his music in both printed and manu- father Alessandro, was active in Padua and Venice years before.18
script sources is due to his belongings having been burned after his Finally, even though it is not a rigorous method of scholarly re-
death for fear of contagion. Rossi, in his introduction to the CM, search, if you enter the last name Massarotto (Pacalono’s family
wonders if the absence of information on Pacalono’s later years name) on a site that maps the distribution of Italian last names,
may also be due to his succumbing to the plague. you will notice that its occurrence is very high in the Venice/Padua
area19 while Pacoloni does not occur anywhere on Italian soil. Pa-
Paca, Paco, Lini, Loni colini appears between Liguria and Tuscany and in Latium, not in
Today, most musicians and music historians call him Pa- Emilia Romagna (where Fétis places Pacolini’s birthplace) or near
coloni or Pacolini, but he never used either of those names himself, Padua, where the Pacalonos/Massarottos lived.
nor did the people around him.
From Rossi’s introduction to the facsimile of the manu- The Transcription
script, we find out his real name was Giovanni Massarotto. He was In November 2017, looking for lute music to learn,
the son of a barber and lutenist named Alessandro, who worked for I came across a paper by Franco Pavan on the compositions by
Venitian noblemen, poets, and artists. His father too was known as Francesco da Milano in the CM.20 After some research, I found
Pacalono. and bought the Forni facsimile of the CM. Using the printed copy
The last name Pacalon13 can be found in different parts was of little help in trying to sight-read the tablatures because of
of France, but it is completely absent in Italy. Pacalonio and Pa- the state of the original manuscript, which is missing a few sheets
calono were nicknames used in the Veneto region of Northern Italy and is damaged by what look like liquid stains. This edition came
around the time of our lutenist. If you search for Pacalonio on the with a DVD of the manuscript in PDF format. Using the PDF and
web, you can find a letter written by Venetian actor and author An- Adobe Photoshop to clarify and increase the contrast, I copied the
drea Calmo in 1554, where he uses the name Pacalonio Benintendi notes in Italian tablature with Fandango software. I numbered each
for one of his characters.14 piece to sort the files in the order they appear in the manuscript.
I was not able to establish how Pacalono/Pacalonio en- My transcription of the CM is not a critical edition—my
tered the Venetian vocabulary. I asked acquaintances from the aim was to make it available to other musicians so that the music
Veneto but they were unable to tell me what “pacalonio” means or gets played. With that in mind, after transcribing the tablatures, I
if it substitues for a common name. Italian and dialect dictionar- looked for other versions of the most problematic pieces in the CM
ies did not yield any leads. Furthermore, the ending of the word to complete them.21 Two compositions stood out:
in “o” is unusual, because in northern Italian dialects, augmen-
tative endings of names. and adjectives in “on” would become, F “Occhi miei lassi mentre io vi giro,”22 an intabulation
in standard Italian, “one” and not “ono.” So “Pacalon” would be- by Giovanni Maria da Crema of a madrigal by Jacques
come “Pacalone” and not “Pacalono.” Both his father (Alessandro Arcadelt set to a text by Petrarch
Pacalono) and his sister (Alessandrina Pacalona) were addressed F “La canzon delli ucelli,”23 an intabulation by Francesco
using this nickname, even in legal documents, probably because da Milano of “Le chant des oiseaux” by Clément Jane-
Massarotto is a very common last name in the Venice/Padua area quin (see signature below).
and people preferred using a more distinctive moniker.15
In the CM Giovanni Massarotto never refers to himself Both these pieces differed considerably from the printed
as Pacoloni (used by Phalèse in his book of trios for three lutes)16 versions, with omissions of entire measures. Maybe Pacalono was
or as Pacolini (used by Fétis in his encyclopedia).17 Phalèse’s ad- transcribing them from memory and they were part of a past rep-
aptation of Pacalono into Pacoloni is understandable since Phalèse ertoire, since other pieces with known printed counterparts in CM
tried to translate the name using “Ioannis Pacoloni” for the Latin are an exact note-for-note copy.
title of his publication. This version of Pacalono’s name would be When I was finished transcribing the tablatures, I listened
the same thing as using “Mediolanensis” for “Da Milano” today, to the MIDI versions of them and checked for mistakes, either in
when referring to Francesco Canova. my transcriptions or in the original.
Three hundred years later, François Fétis published an For the lute trios, I combined the three MIDI files (alto,
encyclopedia including biographies of well-known musicians, and contralto, tenore) into MP3 files using the Audacity software pro-
he calls the Paduan lutenist Pacolini. But, in addition to the new gram. Most of these compositions did not have the same number of
variation on his last name, Fétis lists the wrong years and place for measures in all three parts, so I thought listening to the combina-
two of his publications, and gives a dubious reference to the vil- tion of the three voices would give me an idea of where they went
lage of Borgotaro, in the duchy of Parma, as his birthplace. astray. I have not finished this part of the project yet.
Legal documents from around the mid-1500s, cited in

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 35

Tunings transition had begun years before. In paintings you can see this
The “Pavana deta la descordata” (No. 59), “Conde shift in portraiture: compare the portraits of Florentine nobles in
Claros” (No. 60), and “Capricio piacevole” (No. 61) require the the Uffizi from the late 1400s to the early 1500s side by side with
sixth course to be dropped one step, even though that’s not men- those by Titian and Giorgione in the late 1500s. The bright reds,
tioned by Pacalono. The trios were played by tenor, contralto, and blues, and greens and the shaven faces of the former, have been
soprano lutes. The notational tuning of these instruments is not replaced by dark garments and beards of the latter. In the same
indicated, but the contralto is tuned one step above the tenor and way, Italian musicians were moving away from the paradigms of
the soprano a fourth above the tenor (for more information on the the renaissance and now turned west for inspiration.
trios, see the article by Sean Smith on pp. 19-25). In the CM we find three Spanish pieces: two Fantasias
(CM 31 and 37) from El Maestro by Luis Milan and “Conde
Spanish Ties Claros” (CM 60), the popular ground, set by Narvaez and other
The CM can be seen as a transitional document: you have vihuelists. We do not know which sources Pacalono used to fill
many intabulations of famous madrigals by Franco-Flemish com- the pages of his manuscript nor where they came from, but in CM
posers, but you also have Spanish compositions as well as dances we find a singular reference to Spanish Milan:25 Pacalono includes
influenced by Iberian style and rhythms. Eisenhardt, in his book two of his galliards, “Il Ducale” and “Il Medeghino: Gagliarda
on the Italian baroque guitar in the 1600s, points out the influence Lonbarda.”
of Spain on Italy, including things like how people dressed.24 This

Various signatures of the copyist follow many dance settings and trio parts.

36 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 The Ducale in the title of the first galliard is no doubt Didactic Manual or Collection?
a reference to the Spanish duchy of Milan. The second galliard What was the intended function of the CM? Did Pacalono
bears the name of an interesting character: Gian Giacomo Medici, create it as an instruction book or just a collection of the most
or “Il Medeghin.”26 Medeghin was a legendary Milanese condot- popular pieces of the time? The tablatures have an extraordinary
tiero in the service of Emperor Charles V. His monumental tomb, number of open strings, first, second, and third fret notes. When I
by sculptor Leone Leoni (a pupil of Michelangelo) is in Milan’s looked for comparable versions of “Susanne un Jouor canzone a
cathedral. He had been dead for eleven years when Pacalono wrote 4. Francese,” the manuscript’s first composition, I did not find any
his manuscript, but he must have still inspired awe in his contem- others in the same key as Pacalono’s.29 The Munich manuscript’s
poraries. version shows ties to the Paduan musical world and is played on the
The lion’s share of dances in the CM are based on the upper frets, requiring a more skilled hand. Pacalono’s “Susanne”
passemezzo. Not counting the versions for three lutes (arrange- does not go past the fourth fret. Did he transcribe it to “dumb it
ments of some of the same solo compositions in the CM, repeated down” for his pupil?
for three lutes at the end of the manuscript), there are eight differ- The manuscript is missing its first page, not enough to
ent passemezzi: passemezzi milanesi, passemezzi novi, and one contain a large number of exercises for the beginning student. The
dell’ongaro. Musicians like Pacalono made a living playing at only true practice piece is on pages 60-61, “tirate per far la mano
their patrons’ gatherings, and news of the theatrical events at the di franceco Milanese. Molto legiadre ~~~.” In modern musical
Spanish court of Milan must have reached other Italian cities. A pedagogy, exercises such as this would have been placed at the be-
book on dance steps by Pietro Negri27 begins with lists of society ginning of the book. So it is safe to assume that, if Tomas commis-
members from Milan, the instruments played by musicians, and sioned the book for himself, he had the skills of an intermediate-to-
participants at the celebrations for Spanish governors during the advanced musician. Compare the difficulty of the first six pieces,
second half of the sixteenth century. One of those governors, rul- which are fairly easy, to the seventh composition, “Pass’e mezzo
ing Milan for the Spanish crown from 1538–1546, was none other a piu modi.” The length of the piece requires a certain endurance
than Alfonso d’Avalos, author of the poem that Cipriano de Rore that only an experienced musician would have.
set to music in the madrigal “Ancor che col partire.” An intabula-
tion of this madrigal preceded by a fantasia based on it are also Musical Taste
found in the CM. Pacalono calls Tomas’s attention to specific compositions
by using adjectives in their title. We find bella for two anonymous
Villanelle fantasias, Bellissima for one of Francesco da Milano’s fantasias
In addition to the large number of madrigals in the CM, and Pacalono’s own “Represa.” There is also a fantasia spagnola
there are also a few arrangements of villanelles by Ghinolfo Dat- dolce et alegra (sweet and merry Spanish fancy, by Luis Milán),
tari, a singer employed in the choir of Saint Petronius in Bologna. an untitled capricio piacevole (pleasant capriccio) and Da Mila-
Another song for which Pacalono created a chordal accompani- no’s scale exercises which he calls molto legiadre (very pretty).
ment is “Dolc’amorose e leggiadrette ninfe” by Giovanni Leon- But it is still Francesco da Milano who demands the utmost praise
ardo Primavera. Some songbooks by both Dattari and Primavera with dolsicima et amorosa (most sweet and loving) for a fantasia
were published in Venice by Scotto.28 and the adjective divina, which is added by Pacalono to two tech-

An unidentified villanelle(?). 53v

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 37

nically challenging pieces: “La canzone degli uccelli” and a fanta- for in Venetian: Big Pasquale.
sia by Francesco only present in the CM and in Donaueschingen. 14
Le lettere di Messer Andrea Calmo, riprodotte sulle stampe migliori;
No doubt Pacalono wanted Tomas to know which pieces he or his con introd. ed illus. di Vittorio Rossi (Italian edition). Torino: Loescher,
listeners liked best. 1888.
15
Massarotto is a descriptive version of massaro or field-hand.
16
Longe Elegantissima Excel/Lentissimi Musici Ioannis Pacoloni Che-
Conclusion listae Patavini, tribus testudinibus ludenda Carmina. Louvain: Petrum
The unique quality of the CM is that it was written by a Phalesium, 1564.
musician for a friend. We do not know much about Pacalono or 17
Fétis, Francois Joseph. Biographie Universelle des Musiciens, et Bib-
Tomas Paro. Because of this, the manuscript offers insights and liographie Générale de La Musique. 2nd ed., Paris: Librairie du Fermin
inspires many interesting hypotheses. The document comes from Didot, 1877, p. 401.
an environment in Padua, rich from multiple influences during the 18
See the introduction to the Castelfranco Manuscript by Franco Rossi.
second half of the sixteenth century. The CM is a treasure trove of Alessandro Pacalono is mentioned in a text by Ruzante (alias for Angelo
lute music where practices from the early renaissance meet new Beolco, a poet and actor from Padua, who also worked in Venice and was
wildly popular in Venice and abroad): Dialogo / Facetissimo et / Rid-
cultural ideas brought in during the Spanish rule of Italy. Milan, in
iculissimo di / Ruzzante / Recitato a fosson alla caccia, / l’anno della
particular, seems to have inspired some of its music, as well as two carestia./ 1528. In Vinegia, appresso Stephano di Alessi, Alla Libreria del
original compositions by Pacalono himself. Because of the skills Cavalletto, Fondego dei Todeschi, in Calle della Bissa, 1554. For an on-
required to play this music we can assume that the repertoire con- line version of this text, go to gag.cab.unipd.it/pavano/public/testo/testo/
tained in the CM offers a selection of the best compositions played codice/RUZANTE%7Cfacetissimo%7C001. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
in Padua, which Pacalono wanted his English friend to play. 19
“Diffusione Del Cognome MASSAROTTO—Mappa Dei Cog-
nomi.” Mappa Dei Cognomi, 2015, www.mappadeicognomi.it/index.
php?sur=massarotto&s=Genera. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
Notes 20
Franco Pavan. “The Compositions of Francesco da Milano in the Castel-
1
Another notable one was Minkoff Editions, publishing facsimiles of franco Veneto Manuscript Further Considerations.” Academia.Edu, 2019,
many renaissance lute books, including the Siena Lutebook (Tablature de www.academia.edu/5491736/THE_COMPOSITIONS_OF_FRANCES-
luth italienne, dit Siena manuscript [ca 1560-1570]). Facsimilé du Ms. 28 CO_DA_MILANO_IN_THE_CASTELFRANCO_VENETO_MANU-
B 39 (ancienne Bibliothèque Scheurleer), La Haye, Gemeentemuseum. SCRIPT_FURTHER_CONSIDERATIONS. Accessed 12 Nov. 2019.
Introduction, étude des concordances et index by Arthur Ness. Geneva: 21
If you are interested, however, I still have all the intermediate steps of
Editions Minkoff, 1988. all the pieces transcribed before I modified them.
2
Rossi, Franco, ed. Intavolatura Manoscritta per Liuto Del Duomo Di 22
Castelfranco Manuscript, pages 11v-12, No. 13 in my file.
Castelfranco Veneto: Arnaldo Forni, 2012. 23
CM 26, No. 27 in my file.
3
Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a standard for controlling musical 24
Eisenhardt, Lex. Italian Guitar Music of the Seventeenth Century.
devices. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2015.
4
Most of the information I use here comes from Franco Rossi’s introduc- 25
Milan had been under Spanish rule since 1535.
tion to the facsimile of the manuscript: Rossi, op. cit. pp. 8-10. I will refer 26
Medico, medegh in Milanese dialect, is the Italian word for doctor, and,
to Giovanni Massarotto as “Pacalono” since this is the name he used for given his short stature, the diminutive medeghin was used to address him.
himself and it is the nickname his contemporaries used when they referred He commanded the troops of Charles V.
to him. 27
Cesare Negri, as an old man in 1602 looking back to his heyday, pub-
5
We know there were women teaching at the University of Padua such as lished an instruction book on how to dance the most popular dances of the
Cassandra Fedele, in the late fifteenth century, but most likely attendance late eenaissance: Nuove lnventioni di Balli. In the introduction he lists the
was reserved to men. members of the nobility who danced at the various engagements hosted by
6
The two most notable ones may be Leonardo and Wendelin (Vendelio each of the Spanish governors of Milan. This book is available on various
Venere) Tieffenbrucker. sites online.
7
Dursteler, Eric R. A Companion to Venetian History, 1400-1797. Leiden: 28
Canzoni villanesche di Ghinolfo Dattari bolognese a quattro voci nova-
Brill, 2014. mente da lui composte & date in luce. Milano: Francesco Moscheni, 1564;
8
Examples of lute music include Neusidler’s first and second lute books and, Il primo libro de canzone napolitane a tre voci. Vinegia: Scotto, 1566.
printed in Venice by Antonio Gardano in 1566. But the list could go on The original songs intabulated by Pacalono in the CM can be found online at
with names such as Francesco da Milano, Giovanni Maria da Crema, etc. http://www.bibliotecamusica.it/cmbm/viewschedatwbca.asp?path=/
9
Why Pacalono would have had his 1564 book of lute trios printed in cmbm/images/ripro/gaspari/_S/S081/, though this book only contains the
Louvain instead of Venice is not clear. One possible explanation is that it bass and tenor parts.
was brought about by one of his pupils who returned to the Netherlands. 29
Many thanks to Andre Nieuwlaat for sending me reproductions of other
10
Mus. Mss. 266 Bayerische Staatsbibliothek: 189 Stücke in Lautentabu- versions of “Susanne un jour.”
latur. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. 15-?.
11
This manuscript is also known as the Krakow Lute Manuscript, from
the city where a part of its contents was compiled. See Pozniak, Piotr.
“The Kraków Lute Tablature: A Source Analysis.” Instytut Muzykologii
Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 2004, www.
muzykologia.uj.edu.pl/documents/6464892/ef1a2c73-607c-4c0d-991f-
3f58b9ef43f9.
12
Valentin Bakfark is present in CM in at least one composition, the
“Pass’e meso detto L’ongaro” (Passemezzo called the Hungarian). 13 May-
be from Pascalon, or Big Pascal? And that may be what Pacalono stands

38 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 Silvius Leopold Weiss and the Dresden Manuscript1
Tim Crawford

This article is an updated portion of “Sylvius Leopold Partie I learned under Mr. Weiss”), confirming its use as teaching
6
Weiss and the London and Dresden Manuscripts of His Music,” material by the composer.
Journal of the Lute Society of America, Vol. XXXIX (2006): 1-74. The second of the three autograph sonatas in C major
The complete article is available on the LSA website at https:// (D9/S-C37, D10/S-C38, and D12/S-C40) is somewhat more sub-
lutesocietyofamerica.org. Click on LSA Publications/Journals to stantial, but D12 is of entirely another character: this is a large-scale
find the the . In conjunction with this article, Douglas Towne’s edi-
and virtuosic sonata carrying the dedication: “P[our] S[on] A[ltesse]
tion of the Dresden Manuscript will be published in the Quarterly
Digital Supplement, starting with Part 1 in LSAQ DS No. 10. S[érénissime] M[onsieur]. L[e]. D[uc]. De Lobkowitz” (or, alterna-
7
tively, “… L[a] D[uchesse] De Lobkowitz”), and is among Weiss’s
The London and Dresden manuscripts2 contain most of finest pieces, although not in the style of his very latest works.
Silvius Leopold Weiss’s music. Together they provide us with mu- The fully mature style is represented most strikingly by the
8
sically reliable texts for 60 out of his oeuvre of over 100 sona- autograph of the superb D minor sonata (D7/S-C35, p. 41) which
tas—twelve of which appear in both sources—as well as almost must have been written down here, and thus probably composed, as
three dozen other pieces, amounting to just under 400 individual late as any other works we have; the handwriting seems consistent
movements, of which around 90 (15 sonatas) appear in both manu- 9
with that in the Schmid Stammbuch (1742), and may even betray
scripts. Most of these sonatas survive in no other source. The sig- the signs of a slight hand-tremor, although this is by no means
nificance of these two manuscripts is further enhanced by the fact
conclusive.
that a sizeable quantity of the music is written in the composer’s
hand. Numerous annotations in each of them make clear that both The remaining autograph sonata, D29/S-C25, beginning on
manuscripts were intended to be preserved for posterity as collec- p. 245, is different from the others. The size and type of the paper,
tions devoted exclusively to Weiss’s music. the way it was originally folded, and the fact that the three folios
The six volumes comprising Dresden, Sächsische Landes- are numbered with Roman numerals in the middle of the bottom
bibliothek, MS. Mus. 2841-V-1 were purchased by the library in of each page suggest that it originally came from a quite different
1929 at the sale of the enormous music collection assembled by Wer- source than the rest of these autographs. It seems to have been copied
3
ner Wolffheim (1877–1930). A number of other lute manuscripts rather late, although the music must have been composed by around
written out by the principal copyist of Dresden were dispersed to 1725, as the same sonata is also found, with a different sarabande
4
other libraries at the same sale. Nothing is recorded of the history (a little earlier in style?), in London (ff. 122-5); copious fingerings
of the manuscripts before they came into Wolffheim’s possession at in the autograph copy suggest that it was prepared by the composer
some time in the late 19th or early 20th century, but it seems almost for a pupil.
certain that he acquired the complete series of lute manuscripts from As well as copying some pieces that found their way (per-
a single source. In contrast with London, Dresden is in fact a col- haps at different times) into the collection, Weiss also authenticated
lection of sonata-fascicles, ordered systematically into five volumes four sonatas. Three of these are definitely early: Düsseldorf 1706
of solo lute music by key and a sixth by genre (volume VI consists (D31/S-C7, pp. 262-7: Weiss’s note reads “Von anno 6, In Düssel-
of ensemble-music parts only). With a single exception (discussed dorf. ergo Nostra giuventù comparisce.” “From [170]6, in Dussel-
below) each sonata is written on a separate fascicle from its neigh- dorf, so our youth shows.”); Rome 1710-14—D18/S-C44, pp. 144-9:
bours; the copying was completed before binding. The sonatas are headed in red ink, not in the composer’s hand, “Suonata del Sig.
further sorted within each resulting volume by size or complexity, Weiss composta a Roma” and signed in pencil “[in Weiss’s hand:]
10
and hence—as it turns out—more-or-less by date, though whether Weiss [in another, later hand:] Sil: Leop:”; and another from the
this chronological order is either intentional or even entirely reliable same period (D17/S-C12, pp. 135-41; this carries the title “Suonata
is not certain. del Sigre Sigism. Weiss,” but the name “Sigism.” is crossed out,
and “S.L. Weiss” written by the composer in pencil. Lute composi-
Weiss’s Contribution to the Dresden MS tions by Weiss’s brother, Johann Sigismund Weiss (c.1690–1737)
Six sonatas in Dresden are in Weiss’s autograph. Two of are sometimes ascribed to Sylvius Leopold in other sources; early
these (D5/S-C34 in D minor and D9/S-C37 in C major) are clearly sonatas are more likely to be subject to such misattributions). The
intended as straightforward sonatas for inexperienced players. In- fourth authenticated sonata (D19/S-C16, pp. 152-8: signed in pencil
deed, according to Hans Neemann’s study of Dresden, published in “S. L. Weiss”) also appears in autograph in London (ff. 74v-77) in
5
1927 before the Wolffheim collection had been sold, the D minor the context of a number of explicitly dated sonatas from 1719; an
sonata (D5) formerly bore a note in red ink: “Diese Partie habe autograph copy for 11-course lute of the menuet, entitled “Mad: la
ich zu allererst bey Ms. Weisen gelernet” (“This was the very first grondeuse,” is in Vienna1078, f. 47v, a manuscript compiled for

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 39

Prince Lobkowitz, possibly as early as 1717. London may in fact century. Some even have an earlier written foliation (all three hands
11
represent a later revision, and the Dresden/Vienna18829 version are represented among these).
may actually be somewhat earlier (1717?). At the time of this final reordering of the collection, a
Authentification of a negative kind has been carried out in pair of eight-page fascicles was added at the beginning of the first
a sonata written out by copyist B. A single piece, the Menuet in a volume on which three sonatas in F (D1/S-C33, p. 1; D2/S-C32, p.
sonata in B flat (D24, p. 208), has been cancelled with a note prob- 6; D3/S-C1, p. 11), numbered by the scribe, were copied. (Uniquely
ably written by the compiler: “ist nicht von Mr Weis”; presumably in this collection, D2 begins on one fascicle and ends on the next.)
at the same time the compiler copied a substitute minuet, notably The lateness of the handwriting of the scribe is betrayed by clear
shorter than the rejected one, onto the spare staves of the page. It signs of tremor.
is possible that this adjustment was made under the supervision of At about the same time, preludes were added at the begin-
the composer. nings of sections that lacked a prelude to the opening sonata. These
The inserted minuet—by implication an authentic work of do not seem to be specific to the sonatas that immediately follow
Weiss, unlike the one it replaced—is in fact an arrangement of the them, but rather intended to introduce the new section
final chorus, “Lieto giorno,” of Domenico Scarlatti’s opera Tolemeo Also, some corrections and position-changes (made by moving
e Alessandro (Rome, January 1711). As it also appears in a major a note to another string, an unusual and significant type of alteration
authentic source for Weiss’s early works (Paris, Bibliothèque natio- in a tablature source) were made in previously copied sonatas. It is
nale, Rés. Vmc. Ms. 61, f. 14) together with an alternative version impossible to say with certainty whether these technical changes
a tone higher in C major on the same page, and Weiss undoubtedly were made from comparison with a better source or as an “editorial
took part in the opera’s performance as continuo player (both he and improvement” on the part of the compiler. A change of instrument
Scarlatti were at the time employed in Rome by the former Queen might even have prompted such action.
of Poland, for whom the opera was composed), there is a strong Baron and Gottsched both mention that music by Weiss was
likelihood that the arrangement was by Weiss.12 hard to obtain, and imply that the composer was at least reluctant
In contrast to his contribution to London, Weiss did not to allow it to be circulated. The presence in Dresden of numerous
make corrections, additions or improvements to the music in Dres- autographs and copies apparently made from autograph exemplars
den, even to the eight sonatas written out by the unreliable copyist suggests an unusual degree of close contact between the compiler
B, which are full of careless errors, often rendering the pieces hard and the composer or posthumously with his family.
to interpret. Fortunately for us, most of these pieces also exist in It was possibly a little earlier than the final reordering of
other copies. Presumably Weiss did not have the collection in his the collection that the compiler seems to have gained access to what
hands for the extended period necessary to “proof-read” the music must have been Weiss’s personal archive of music and acquired: 1)
thoroughly. the late d minor autograph sonata (D7/S-C35, p. 41); 2) the C major
From the appearance of the signatures and other marginal “Lobkowitz” autograph sonata (D12/S-C40, p. 91), which is unlikely
15
comments, it would appear that the annotations were carried out to have circulated openly before Weiss’s death; 3) the other big,
late in the composer’s life. Some bear a marked resemblance with mature solo sonatas unique to this source as exemplars for copying
the pencilled annotations Weiss made in several theorbo continuo (D8/S-C36, 14/S-C42, 16/S-C43, 20/S-C45, 21/S-C46, 27/S-C50,
parts for Hasse operas performed at Dresden during the lutenist’s 30/S-C51) and the chamber music in volume 6, presumably all in
13 16
final years (the last as late as October 1749). autograph exemplars for copying; 4) a good source for numerous
corrections (e.g. to the E-flat sonata D34/S-C30, p. 288) which were
The Compiler of the Dresden Manuscript considered more authoritative than his own copy—this must have
From the physical data summarised in Appendix 2 [see been an autograph, too. The G minor autograph sonata (D29/S-C25,
the full article available on the LSA website at https://lutesocietyo- p. 245) may have come from Weiss’s own library or from another
famericaorg. Click on LSA Publications/Journals to find the 2006 source; thus it could have been added at any time.
Journal], a few general observations can be made about the role Although the standard of copying and musical integrity of
played by the compiler of Dresden. The most significant actually the copies made by the compiler (A) is on a very high level, it is prob-
concerns what is probably the last phase of the compilation. The able that we are dealing with an “amateur” or “dilettante” (in the best
compiler’s latest action seems to have been to “tidy up” what seems sense of both words) musician rather than a professional lutenist. In
to have been a somewhat diverse collection. The manuscript’s pages some cases, this person seems to have lacked the confidence to make
were reordered, and the various fascicles rebound in sections by necessary corrections in the music without an exemplar; there are
key. Title-pages were provided for the separate sections at the same almost no alterations to the corrupt versions copied by scribe B, for
14
time. Some of the fascicles (notably most of those in the hand of example. Hans Neemann believed that the manuscript was compiled
the unreliable copyist B) show signs of having been originally bound and largely copied by an amateur musician who was a high-ranking
into a different series of volumes whose fore-edges were sprinkled official at the Dresden court, the Saxon minister for war (appointed
with red ink, a common form of decoration for books in the 18th in 1739), Friedrich Wilhelm Raschke..17 This hypothesis, although

40 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

superficially attractive, was based on some over-hasty conjectures, The overall impression is that the compiler attempted to
18
as Wolfgang Reich showed in his study of Dresden. Neemann put together as much music by Weiss as was available in a system-
asserts, without giving any supporting evidence, that Raschke was atic fashion, paying more than customary attention to matters such
a student of the lute with Weiss over several decades, and goes on as the authentification of dubious works. It has been suggested
24
to suggest that he may have stepped in as continuo theorbist for the that Breitkopf himself was a lute-player, although I have seen no
Dresden court opera after his death in 1750. documentary evidence confirming this. He was certainly a keen
Recent research by André Burguete has revealed evidence supporter of the instrument in his printing and music-manuscript
25
that offers some support to Neemann’s identification of Raschke as publishing activities between 1757 and 1770. In the preface to his
the compiler of Dresden and the group of other related lute manu- experimental publication of a fantasia by Baron and a set of minuets
19
scripts from the Wolffheim sale, despite Reich’s reservations about by Seidel, Breitkopf mentions a plan to issue a printed edition in
Neemann’s argument. Raschke owned a castle at Moys, near the tablature of the works of “one of the greatest German artists” on
26
Silesian town of Görlitz on the present German/Polish border; two the lute, referring, of course, to Silvius Leopold Weiss. Dresden in
13-course lutes from the Weiss era formerly in the famous de Wit its present form can hardly be described in toto as “a correct manu-
collection in Berlin are described in the catalogue as coming from script, proofread by the author himself,” and the possibility that it is
Moys, and it is possible that de Wit may have acquired the lute indeed a vestige of Breitkopf’s grand project, although a tempting
manuscripts at the same time and subsequently passed them on to conclusion, seems currently less likely than Raschke’s ownership.
20 27
Wolffheim. As D. A. Smith has suggested, the Breitkopf “Complete Works”
In the introduction to volumes 5 and 6 of the Sämtliche were probably to have been based on another collection altogether,
Werke, written too late to take full account of André Burguete’s new possibly assembled from those formerly owned by Frau Luise
evidence, I proposed a connection with Leipzig, in particular with Adelkunde Victoria Gottsched and others, now almost entirely lost
the early music-publishing activities of the printer and publisher or dispersed in various subsequent sales; any remaining remnants
Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf (1719–94), who took over were probably destroyed in the Allied bombing of Leipzig in 1944.28
responsibility for printing in his father’s firm in 1745 and became
21
overall head of the business in 1762. Summary
A study of the paper-types in Dresden and the related The most important single fact for performers that emerges
manuscripts, together with information from the list of Weiss’s lute from this first close critical examination of London and Dresden is
22
music offered in the Breitkopf thematic catalogue of 1769, seemed that we cannot simply describe one of these sources in toto as more
to support a Breitkopf connection for the greater part of Dresden, as or less “authentic” than the other, in that it more accurately repre-
23
was put forward by Ortrun Landmann. The matter is complicated, sents the composer’s wishes. Both manuscripts provide authentic
however, by the various rearrangements and rebindings of the fas- sources for some works, and authentic evidence for the composer’s
cicles making up the volumes of Dresden. The evidence of spattering revisions in some cases, but not all works in all cases.
with red ink in conjunction with old foliation numbers shows that Dresden was put together from a variety of sources, ranging
at least one, possibly two, bound volumes of such fascicles of lute from Weiss’s own collection to the work of a hack copyist, by an
music (possibly by various composers) were broken up to provide enthusiast, probably F. W. Raschke, working during the last years
Weiss sonatas for this collection, and it is possible that these may of the composer’s life and for some years after his death; the com-
even have been handled by Breitkopf’s firm. poser’s contribution was limited to authentification and cancelling
On the other hand, the fact that paper used by Breitkopf of several works without detailed examination of the music.
copyists and in other MSS with Leipzig connections (the Bach MSS In both sources, the number of preludes added retrospec-
mentioned in the notes on paper types found in Dresden, Appendix tively to “complete” sonatas shows that in general, Weiss, being
3 [available on the LSA website https://lutesocietyofamerica.org. a master of the art of improvisation, attached less importance to
Click on LSA Publications/Journals to find the 2006 Journal]; written preludes than did his disciples, who needed a model from
the lute MS Munich 5362) was also used extensively in Dresden which to perform. Clearly, by implication, the sonatas need preludes
does not necessarily imply that the latter manuscript originated in in performance; whether they are those written out by Weiss, or are
Leipzig; it simply means that the paper was of common origin. As improvised, depended then, and depends today, above all on the skill
well as providing music, both printed and manuscript, Breitkopf’s and experience of the performer.
enterprise was one of the principal sources of music manuscript
paper in Saxony. In fact, one of the companion manuscripts from
the Wolffheim collection, that of Baron’s sonata for flute and lute
(see note 27), is on paper clearly watermarked “GOERLITZ,” a
striking coincidence with Raschke’s place of residence very close
to that city.

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 41

Notes manuscript (V1078, ff. 23v-27; anonymous concordance in Eb1740, ff.
1
This study began life many years ago as a paper read at the Weiss 11v-16). The Duchess was praised for her skill on the instrument in a
Congress at Freiburg im Breisgau, September, 1992. It has been amplified poem written in 1727 (see Jiri Tichota, “Francouzská loutnová hudba
in light of work done on the Dresden source for the S.L. Weiss Sämtliche Cechách,” in Miscellanea Musicologica 25-6 (Prague, 1973), pp. 41-
Werke. I should like to express my gratitude to Douglas Alton Smith, André 2); a sarabande by “C[omtesse?] W[ilhelmina?]” in a Brno manuscript
Burguete, Timothy Burris, Prof. Thomas Kohlhase and Dr Wolfgang Reich has been plausibly ascribed to her by Jiri Tichota (op. cit., pp. 39-40).
for their valued help in this research, which has been partially funded, at
various times, by Das Erbe deutscher Musik, the Leverhulme Trust and A pair of almost-identical undated ebony-backed 13-course lutes made
King’s College, London. by Thomas Edlinger in Prague is now in the Leipzig Musikinstrumenten
2
London, British Library, Ms. Additional 30387, and Dresden, Museum, Nr. 497 and Nr. 3319. The fretwork of the pegbox of the latter
Sachisische Landesbibliothek, MS Mus. 2841-V-1. Published in facsimile instrument incorporates the same monogram as the bookplate of Prince
and keyboard transcription in D. A. Smith and T. Crawford, eds., Silvius Lobkowitz as found in several of his lute manuscripts, proving that the
Leopold Weiss: Sämtliche Werke für Laute vols 1-4, The London instruments were formerly owned by the Lobkowitz couple (see Eszter
Manuscript (Frankfurt: C.F. Peters, 1983-9), vols 5-8, The Dresden Fontana, “The Edlinger Lutes in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main,” this
Manuscript (Cassel: Bärenreiter, 2000-7). This edition will be referred to Journal, 35 [2002]: 74-101).
in this article as Sämtliche Werke; the sonata-numbering derived from this 8
Some pages from this piece are reproduced in facsimile in D.A. Smith,
edition will be preceded by “S-C,” thus: “S-C 47 in A major.” Throughout
this article, the two manuscripts will be referred to as London and “Sylvius Leopold Weiss: Master Lutenist of the German Baroque,” Early
Dresden, respectively. Owing to the difference in their physical makeup, Music 8 (January, 1980): 47-58.
it is impossible to adopt a consistent page-reference scheme for both
9
In August 1742, Weiss contributed a passage in tablature and a poem
manuscripts. The method used here will be as follows: for London the to the Stammbuch of Conrad Arnold Schmid. (Christoph Wolff, “Ein
straightforward foliation scheme reproduced in Sämtliche Werke facsimile Gelehren-Stammbuch aus dem 18. Jahrhundert ...” Die Musikforschung
will be followed; for Dresden, each of whose volumes has a separate 26 (1973): 217).
pagination, the sequential numbers given in the 1977 facsimile edition, 10
See note 6.
W. Reich, ed. Silvius Leopold Weiss, 34 Suiten für Lauten solo... (Leipzig: 11
The London copy ends with a through-composed (i.e. non-binary)
Zentralantiquariat der deutschen demokratischen Republik, 1977) will be
given, with the prefix “D,” together with the page-reference to that edition; movement entitled “Pastorell,” which seems, like Corelli’s well-known
references to the sixth volume of Dresden, which was not included in the “Christmas Concerto,” to imitate the Italian shepherds’ bagpipe, the
1977 facsimile, will use conventional manuscript pagination. For both zampogna, traditionally associated with Christmas. The final gigue of the
manuscripts, occasional use will be made of the Sämtliche Werke sonata- sonata’s Dresden version can be found, in the hand of a copyist, on ff. 55v-
numbering, where appropriate. The late Douglas Alton Smith’s doctoral 6 of London (S-C 12/7); the Dresden version is identical to that found in
dissertation comprises a study of the series of mature works in Dresden: Vienna 18829, ff. 16v-19.
D.A. Smith, “The late sonatas of Silvius Leopold Weiss,” unpublished 12
T Stone, “Italy and the Transformation of Weiss’s Solo Lute Style,”
PhD dissertation, Stanford University, 1977. Journal of the Lute Society of America, vol. XXXIX (2006), 65-74.
3
Versteigerung der Musikbibliothek des Herrn Dr. Werner Wolffheim, vol. Thanks to Peter Steur and Markus Lutz for drawing my attention to this
2 (Berlin: M. Breslauer and L. Liepmannsohn, 1929), pp. 39-40, lot 68. concordance.
4
Leipzig, Musikbibliothek der Stadt, MS III.11.46a (Wolffheim Versteig- 13
Based on a cursory examination of the theorbo parts at the Sächsische
erung, lot 69), vol. II (lute-tablature continuo parts for 14 arias from Landesbibliothek. My thanks are due to André Burguete and Dr Wolfgang
Hasse’s opera Cleofide, first performed at Dresden in 1731, but probably Reich for drawing attention to the existence of these parts, which are
intabulated for domestic performances some 20 years later); its companion discussed in Timothy A. Burris, “Lute and Theorbo in Vocal Music in
volume, III.11.46a vol. I, a miscellaneous collection of 36 “Hassische 18th-century Dresden: A Performance Practice Study,” PhD diss, Duke
Opern Arien auf die Laute versetzt von R.” dated 1755, entirely comprises University, 1997.
intabulated extracts from works performed at the Dresden opera, 1747-55; 14
Transcribed in Neemann, “Die Lautenhandschriften von Silvius Leopold
III.11.46b and III.11.46c (Wolffheim Versteigerung, lots 70 and 71) are Weiss ...,” pp. 396-7, but not present in the MS today.
lute arrangements of Hasse keyboard sonatas together with scribal copies 15
Prince Philippe-Hyacinth von Lobkowitz died in 1734; if the dedication
of the original keyboard versions; III.11.6.a (Wolffheim Versteigerung, copy remained in Dresden, Weiss may have retained this sonata rather than
lot 72), parts for “Sonata à 2 Luthe è Flauto traversi d[i] S[ignor] Baron;” sending it to Vienna or to the Prince’s seat at Raudnitz (now Roudnice,
Krakow, Biblioteka Jagiellonska, ex-Berlin MS 40633 (Wolffheim Czech Republic) on hearing of his death.
Versteigerung, lot 66), includes pieces (some in pencil) by “Raschke,” one 16
The compiler carefully reproduces Weiss’s dating on the tablature of an
dated 26 May 1753. These collections are discussed in Reich, op. cit., and ensemble partita in F major: “S. L. Weiss Ao 1731” (S-C 53, Dresden,
briefly in T. Crawford, “Contemporary lute arrangements of Hasse’s vocal vol VI, f. 6).
and instrumental music,” in I. Poniatowska and A. Zorawska-Witkowska, 17
Hans Neemann, “Die Lautenistenfamilie Weiss,” p. 179; this identification
eds,, Johann Adolf Hasse und Polen, Materialen der Konferenz Warszawa, seems to have been based on an earlier study (not acknowledged by
10-12 Dezember 1993 (Warsaw, 1995): 73-95. Neemann) of one of the “Raschke” lute sources in Wolffheim’s collection
5
H. Neemann, “Die Lautenhandschriften von Silvius Leopold Weiss (now Krakow/Berlin MS 40633; see footnote 32) by Adolf Koczirz,
in der Bibliothek Dr. Werner Wolffheim, Berlin,” Zeitschrift für “Verschollene neudeutsche Lautenisten (Weichmanberg, Pasch, de
Musikwissenschaft, Jg. 10 1927/8: 400. Bronikowsky, Raschke,” Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, 3 (1921): 272-8.
6
Unfortunately, no trace of this note remains visible today, even under 18
Reich, “Quellenkundliche Bemerkungen ...,” pp. iii-vi.
ultra-violet light. Dresden was seriously damaged by water from fire- 19
See note 4.
hoses during the wartime bombardment of the city in 1945. Another note 20
P. de Wit, ed., Katalog des Musikhistorischen Museums von Paul de
in red ink to D18, p. 144, mentioned by Neemann, has also been washed Wit, Leipzig (Leipzig: de Wit, 1903), nos. 129, a 13-course lute with
out in similar fashion; in the latter case, however, impressions of the letters bass rider, “In Padua Vendelie Venere de Leonardo Tiefembrucker 15 ...”
given here in italics can still be seen in the paper of the MS: “Suonata del with repair label “Josephus Joachimus Edlinger me reparavit Pragae an.
Sig. Weiß composta a Roma.” 1732.” (p. 5, illustrated on p. 67), and 148, a “swan-neck” 13-course
7
Both Duke (Prince) Phillip Hyacinth Lobkowitz and his wife Wilhelmina lute, “Joh. Christian Hoffmann, Königl. Poln. und Churfürstl. Sächs.
were expert lutenists and apparently composers for the instrument. There Hoff-Instrument und Lautenmacher in Leipzig.” (p. 70, illustrated on
is a suite for lute ascribed to the “Prince de lobkowitz” in a Vienna p. 69). See André Burguete, “Die Wiederauffindung der Theorbe von

42 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

Silvius Leopold Weiss,” in Wolfram Steude and Hans-Günter Ottenberg,
eds, Theatrum Instrumentorum Dresdense: Bericht über die Tagungen zu
Historischen Musikinstrumenten, Dresden 1996, 1998 und 1999, Schriften
zur Mitteldeutschen Musikgeschichte 11 (Scheverdingen, 2003): 65-85.
21
See G. Stauffer, “The Breitkopf family and its role in 18th-century music David Fitzpatrick
publishing,” in G. Stauffer, ed., J.S. Bach, the Breitkopfs and 18th-century
Music Trade, Bach Perspectives 2 (Lincoln, Nebraska and London, 1996): Lutes and Guitars
1-8.
22
B. Brook, ed., The Breitkopf Thematic Catalogue ... 1762-1787 (New
!
York: Dover, 1966), Supplement IV (1769), cols. 369-76.
23
O. Landmann, “Breitkopf’s music trade as reflected in the holdings of 4247 Forty Acre Town Rd.
the Sächsiche Landesbibliothek,” in G. Stauffer, op. cit., pp. 169-79, p. Ionia, MI 48846
175, footnote 23. (616) 822-6907
24
See J. Klima, “Karl Kohaut, der letzte Wiener Lautenist,” in davidefitzpatrick@yahoo.com
Österreichische Musikzeitschrift, 26 (1971), 141-44 www.DavidEFitzpatrick.com
25
In Breitkopf catalogues from 1761 and 1770 are advertised no fewer
than 514 substantial pieces of lute music: 279 solo works (including 66
partitas by Weiss); 23 duets for two lutes; 161 chamber-music items,
mostly trios for lute, violin and basso; 51 concertos for lute and strings.
See T. Crawford, “Haydn’s music for lute,” Le luth et sa musique II J.-M.
Vaccaro, ed. (Paris: C.N.R.S., 1984): 69-85: 78, footnote 25.
26
F. Seidel, Zwölf Menuette für die Laute ... samt einer Fantasie von Herrn
Baron (Leipzig: Breitkopf, 1757/R1969), p. 3, Nachricht: “so möchte ich
vielleicht bald Gelegenheit haben, den Kennern und Liebhabern der Laute,
durch den Abdruck der Werke eines der grössten deutschen Künstler auf
diesem Instrumente, einen angenehmen Dienst erweisen zu können; da ich
durch ein richtiges und von dem Verfasser selbst übersehenes Manuscript,
in den Stand gesetzet werde, solches auf das beste und vollkommenste zu
bewerkstelligen.” (“then I may soon have the opportunity to be of pleasant
service to the connoisseurs and lovers of the lute, by printing the works
of one of the greatest German artists on that instrument; as I am being
enabled to do so in the very best and most perfect manner by the provision
of a correct manuscript, proofread by the author himself.” Translation by
Irene Auerbach.)
27
Smith, “The Late Sonatas ...,” pp. 22-3
28
It should be noted, since it may be relevant to the provenance of the
Dresden Weiss manscripts, that J.G.I. Breitkopf was in fact the landlord of
Luise Gottsched and her husband in his house called Der Goldene Bär in
Leipzig (see https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldener_Bär_(Leipzig).

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 43

 The Lute Forum
Comments from Lute Teachers

The Lute Forum is a column where you will be seeing comments from lute teachers about various aspects of playing the lute and other
historical plucked stringed instruments. Contact column curator Douglas Hensley (douglashensley@shaw.ca) if you have questions or
comments for future columns.

The question for this edition of the Forum was “How important is that will make them the kind of players that people want to listen
it for lute players to have a basic, or even more advanced overview to—through their intellectual awareness, they are much more like-
of musicology to become a good player? Or should that be lute ly to interpret in a way that contributes wisdom to performance. It
musicology?” all helps the music make more sense when we listen to it.
Doug Hensley

John Griffiths: Bor Zuljan:

Thanks for the question. I would express the answer in Research and musicological knowledge is, in my opinion,
a slightly different way. Basically, I think there is a difference important for anybody wanting to deal sincerely with historically
between being a musicologist and having an idea of what music informed performance. But I think it should always be combined
research is and thus, the knowledge that arises from it. That is dif- with an open mind and much curiosity. Musicological approach
ferent from being one of the people who produces such knowledge sometimes excludes things that are not (well) documented, but this
(which is what musicologists do). This was one of the themes that does not necessarily mean they did not exist. What is more, many
came up repeatedly at the recent conference in Bremen on the lute things are documented but we just do not want to see them or we
in higher education. try to interpret things in some other way.
One of the most exciting things about being a lutenist Everyone should create his own critical approach, inspir-
who started playing in the 1970s was that there were more ques- ing himself with good knowledge of the historical, sociological,
tions than answers: neither our teachers nor existing musicological and philosophical context, deep understanding, and knowledge of
studies could answer these questions. Every lutenist had to engage other arts, etc. . . . In addition, some practical performing, and
with the latest research in order to be able to find out how to play organological evidence that can come from (but not limited to) a
whatever repertory or pieces or whatever. This is the exciting thing general understanding of the large family of plucked strings in-
about early music that makes it different to being a regular conser- struments. We could call this “practice-based musicology” or an
vatory student (of bassoon or whatever). interdisciplinary approach, something that is, in my opinion, much
So my answer to your question is that I believe that lute- more important.
nists who engage in the historical and musicological issues related Research and knowledge should be there to inspire, not to
to their instrument are the ones who, through their intellectual en- limit us!
gagement, are most likely to achieve the level of enlightenment

44 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 I don’t think a lutenist need be a musicologist. I don’t
think a musicologist has enough time to practice. I tend to make
the following analogy when somebody mistakes me for a musicol-
ogist: think of the parish priest, who serves in his community, reas-
sures people in times of trouble, and administers the sacraments to
whoever approaches the rail, and then think of the brilliant theo-
logians who spend millions of hours pondering the nature of the
trinity, turning themselves in logical knots over questions of free
will and predestination and whatever else they think about. This to
me is the difference between a musician and a musicologist. That
priest, or any lute player, needs lots of training, to do a great deal of
homework, and to have a good working knowledge of the relevant
-ology, but the troubling and esoteric hair-splitting and analytic
Gus Denhard: philosophizing and hermeneutics and heuristics and exegetical ac-
robatics should mostly be left to the professional scholar in his
No disrespect intended to anyone, but I think the most
library carrel.
interesting thing about the question is our tendency to connect the
lute to western academia and have that avenue be the endorsed
path for its study and artistic development. It is an isolationist ten-
dency that will keep the lute grounded in white/European circles. I
would like to see questions that explore the connections, both past
and present, with northern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Paul Beier:
I’ve been following this discussion with interest. Gus
Denhard is right to think of the lute as an archetype that finds
expression throughout the world. And the LSA benefits from an
openness to lute players from every cultural tradition. But why
does he think that its connection to “western academia” will isolate
John Lenti: it “in white/European circles?” Surly western academia, by which
Interesting point, Gus. Perhaps we should clarify the I think maybe he means the whole field of musicology in general,
scope of the question. By “lute,” do we mean any of the myriad is also interested in studying the musical cultures of Africa, India,
plucked string instruments with necks that have been played by a China, the Middle East? Might not a pipa player benefit from mu-
significant plurality of the world’s peoples since time immemorial, sicological studies, too?
or do we take “lute” to mean the plucked instrument with an of- John Lenti makes an interesting comparison: do lutenists
ten bent and always fretted neck with the usually teardrop-shaped stand to musicologists as a parish priest stands to a high theolo-
body and in most cases the bowl for a back that was played in gian? I think the answer is no! They are independent of each other.
western Europe in a little bit of the medieval era and the whole of You can be a great musician and not be particularly interested in
the renaissance and baroque periods and not thereafter until the musicology. In fact, it is the musicologists who study musicians,
early music movement revived it? On second thought, maybe it not the other way around! Of course, many practitioners of early
doesn’t make a difference. music see part of their job as trying to understand what early com-
Unless one starts as a child fortunate enough to be steeped posers intended when they wrote their music: we would like to
in a sophisticated culture, playing either the theorbo or the pipa, to cultivate an “historical imagination” to try and get into the mind of
be worth a damn at either, to grasp the elements of technique and the composer, or at least into the spirit of the culture in which the
style that are the gateway to playing the music well and seriously, music was written. For this musicology can be of great help, but
yes, yes we need some musicological grounding. Otherwise we’re it is just one of many tools at our disposal. For example, if I want
just tourists having a good time with expensive toys from different to play Piccinini, it helps to read, say, musicologist Anthony New-
eras or different cultures, which is okay for a hobbyist but not for comb’s magnificent study of the madrigal at the court of Ferrara,
a professional performer. where the Piccininis served. But it is just as helpful to read books

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 45

by historians such as Frances Yates or Ingrid Rowland (to men- more income from teaching than from performing, often substan-
tion two of my favorites) on the history of ideas, art, architecture, tially so; their teaching subsidizes their performing, so to speak.
literature and religion in the renaissance. And to study the works Because so few conservatory-trained lutenists today are able to
of Monteverdi, Caravaggio, Palladio, Marino, Bruno, and other make a living exclusively from performance—especially in the
contemporary Italian artists, writers, musicians, and philosophers. U.S.—performance skills in historical music imply competence
All these things can help create a sense of Piccinini’s moment in and credibility as a teacher. In my experience what is learned in a
history and inspire a performance of his music. (Of course, con- lesson about how to move the fingers effectively always goes hand
temporary musicians might feel this way, too: a friend of mine in hand with thinking, conceptualizing, and creating: in a word,
who wanted to play 4’33” read everything John Cage ever wrote with interpretation.
in preparation for her performance.) Teaching erases the difference between the musicologist
One last thought. John Lenti asks the lute player to do and the performer in the sense that both instruct primarily with
his homework, but to leave the esoteric hair-splitting and analytic words, words describing what is in essence indescribable: music.
philosophizing to the professionals. Sometimes, though, the “pro- Musical sounds and passages may be used to illustrate concepts of
fessionals” go off track, and it is they who should be listening to interpretation and technique, but no music lesson or music history
the musicians! For example, some musicologists still refer to the lesson takes place without speaking.
baroque lute with a bass rider as an “archlute,” following the Ger- The ancients (since classical Greece) recognized this by
man classification of the late-nineteenth century. Much innovative dividing any study into theory—speaking, writing—and practice,
work in lute musicology during the last 50 years or so has been or doing, executing. Social structure was dependent upon the di-
done by players or player-scholars who were not trained as musi- vision; for example, in the middle ages, the construction of any
cologists, sometimes as a corrective to the work of musicologists. stone building was realized by stonemasons executing practical
So, to answer the original question: is it important for lute players skills under the planning of an architect who had studied archi-
to pay attention to the work of musicologists? I actually think the tectural theory. Musicians, too, were categorized by the degree to
answer is no: you can be a great musician without having an inter- which they incorporated both theory and practice. Medieval ac-
est in musicology. But if you subscribe to the central axiom of the counts describe one type of musician who is ignorant of music
early music movement, to understand the composer’s intentions, theory—a so-called cantor (“singer”)—and an opposing category
then reading musicology can certainly give us a plenty of food for as a musicus (“musician” in the original sense), one who under-
thought: it is one of many paths available to us in cultivating an stands the liberal art (= science) of music. A musicus is literate in
“historical imagination” in service of the music we love. music theory as transmitted in treatises, which represent authority.
The musicus always took pride of place over the cantor, for as
Holy Scripture stated, “in the beginning was the Word” (i.e., me-
dieval culture accepted Authority inasmuch as it was represented
by ancient writings). The cantor (some of whom had little aware-
ness of the science of music, the numbers behind the sound) was
sometimes described as a beast or animal who knows not what it
does, whereas the term “musicus” meant an educated person fully
cognizant of the nature, cause, and effect of their chosen actions,
in this case, in the musical art.
An account from the early renaissance (later fifteenth
century, Arnulf of St. Ghislain) provides a useful contemporary
witness regarding what for this discussion can be called the bal-
ance between lute playing and musical/cultural knowledge. There
are four levels of lute players (I use “lute player” for Arnulf’s
“singer” in this context, because cantor was the term for any musi-
Crawford Young: cian, regardless of area of special skill). The first or lowest have
What is a “good lute player”? Is it the same as being poor technique, think that they play well, and disdain any kind of
a professional lute player? Is a professional someone who lives knowledge about music. The second have better technique, some-
exclusively from performing recitals, or does professional apply times are also flashy, are literate with music notation and respect
to anyone who is sometimes paid for playing the lute, also as a others who understand music theory, although they themselves
teacher? And “musicology”? This is a problematic word, because have but a superficial knowledge of it. The third-level players have
it may mean different things to different people. Are we referenc- a deep knowledge of music theory and a commitment to achiev-
ing the current academic discipline/profession, or are we talking ing technical mastery, although through a lack of natural gift, they
about our understanding of, and knowledge related to, historical will never become virtuosic players. The fourth and highest level
music practice, theory, context, and worldview? manifest a true gift, as these combine consummate technical mas-
Musicologists in academia teach classes and publish re- tery and a deep comprehension of the science of music achieved
search, whereas professional lute players practice and perform through long study of the authoritative treatises.
onstage. The reality for professional performers is that most are Arnulf’s categories of musicians allow us to better con-
obliged to augment their income with teaching, and many make textualize existing sources of lute music. For example, the Pesaro

46 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

lute manuscript (the oldest and main section was copied c. 1490- deeper understanding of the whole picture, i.e., the background in-
1500) is a document which was compiled by a level-two lutenist, formation referred to above, and we bring this into our contempo-
following the four levels outlined above. This player understood rary musical practice on the lute. The evolving early music scene
the basic principles of French tablature but was not fully conver- since the 1970s is an ongoing dialogue with the past. Each of us
sant in the use of rhythm signs. He or she did not correct multiple can participate in this new art, this fascinating game of creation,
errors in counterpoint, repeating them over and over, and needed mirroring today the ideas that formed our culture centuries ago.
explicit “T” or tenuto signs in order to keep bass notes correctly
sounding for consonance. The presence of these signs in some There is a big difference between musicians and lute
pieces indicates that these pieces were created not by the copyist players.
but by someone who at least understood the necessity for indi- These know, those talk about, what music is.
cating the duration of consonance using this sign; this notational And he who doesn’t know what he talks about is consid-
convention catered to just such amateurs as the copyist of Pesaro. ered an animal.
The ricercare of the manuscript, perhaps composed by the book’s
owner, are decidedly insecure and hesitant, although occasional [Johannes Tinctoris, Terminorum musicae diffinitorium,
passages in other works require at least an intermediate level of 1470s]
technique. A picture thus emerges of a lute player with intermedi-
ate-level technical facility (or who had at least the goal of playing Note
at that level, so that they included a few technically challenging 1
“The Musicologist and the Performer,” Musicology in the 1980’s, edited
works in their notebook), who did not understand principles of by Holman and Palisca [New York: Da Capo, 1982]. Holman also read the
counterpoint and rhythmic notation beyond the most basic signs, paper at the meeting of the American Musicological Society in Boston in
1981, and it was also published in the Journal of Musicology 1/3 [1982],
but who understood that lutenists were expected to make their own
338-49),
ricercare and arrangements of dances and vocal pieces. How far
the Pesaro lutenist ultimately developed their study of the lute, we
shall never know.
Arnulf, then, provides a contemporary answer to the
question: How important is it for lute players to have a basic or
advanced overview of musicology to become a good player? Even
the lowest level of lute player in Arnulf’s system shared in and had
access to a cultural pool of concepts, beliefs, vocabularies, and
aesthetics, as well as the concrete artifacts of their landscape. Most
of us would probably agree that the term “good player” is reserved
for one who has not only good technique, but good technique in
the service of the expression of a poetically profound musical in-
terpretation. When that interpretation strives to follow historical
aesthetic—although many interpreters see no reason why they
should be concerned with something just so elusive as “historical
taste”—a knowledge of primary sources is requisite. Sources for
what? Not just notes written on the page, or text syllables correctly
placed under the notes as the composer wished, but the entire cul- Clarification
tural pool mentioned above.
To read between the lines of the opening question: To “Les Accords Nouveaux—A Four-Part CD Series,” LSA Quarterly
what extent is the separation of “player” and “musicologist” still Vol. 54 No. 1, p. 8.
valid? Musicology continues to be an academic discipline and
performance continues to be a profession. The practice of either In his print of 1638, Pierre Gaultier made use of six dif-
profession has traditionally been seen as being so demanding as to ferent tunings, not fewer than that. These so-called transitional
exclude the possibility of doing the other one as well. In my ex- tunings comprise the flat tuning (and one variation of the flat tun-
perience this is not necessarily true; rather, the nature of academia ing), the sharp tuning, flat save the third sharp, the harp way tun-
requires that musicologists exclude from their club any who do not ing, and, last but not least, the D minor tuning. The common trait
follow their path of us-or-them, defined by institutional affiliation. of these tunings seems to be the desire for enhanced resonance and
The future of both professions will increasingly require competen- harmony. Playing in more different keys, on the other hand, ap-
cy on both sides, as we have witnessed as a gradual development parently wasn’t a goal, as the range of different keys in Gaultier’s
since the 1980s. One hopes that the great divide between the mu- collection is quite limited. Therefore, transitional IMO is a misno-
sicologist and the performer, so vehemently defended by Richard mer. Players did not actually have in mind the D minor tuning so
Taruskin1 will continue to become lessened. They are two sides of as to be able to play in many different keys. They just made use of
the same coin. these and quite a few other similar tunings so as to enjoy enhanced
Lute players do not need a time machine to witness the harmony and resonance of their instruments.
past in real time, so to speak. With every passing day we gain a Mathias RÖsel

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 47

 Reviews

The opinions expressed here do not represent any “official” opinion of the Lute Society of America. They are the opinons of the reviewers.
Mail music, CDs, and other publications for review to: Lute Society of America, P.O. Box 6499, Concord, CA 94524 USA.

CDs ment. According to the liner notes, this recording comes in two
different formats, one being a standard-pressed CD and the other
a more refined one-to-one CD-R burned directly from the digital
En despit des faulx mesdisans . . . master; the copy that I heard was the more refined version. Today’s
A Due Liuti, Jean-Marie Poirier & Thierry Meunier recording techniques seem to utilize an array of possibilities for
MHP 2090, Peyrole Records 2009 editing, splicing, and mastering, but this recording was done us-
ing complete, unadulterated takes. This is a testament to the high
En despit des faulx mesdisans . . . is a recording of renais- level of proficiency and precision of these two performers, who
sance lute duets that includes compositions by Thomas Robinson, are clearly up to the task of performing without recourse to all of
John Johnson, John Dowland, Vincenzo Galilei, Guillaume Mor- the editing commonplace in today’s recordings. The sound quality
laye, and Francesco da Milano, as well as some lesser-known piec- is beautiful and pure; furthermore, Poirier and Meunier play ex-
es and adaptations by Jean Mouton, Pierre Moulu, Robert Meigret, tremely well together, displaying a sense of ensemble and sensitiv-
John Marchant, and Enriquez de Valderrábano. Jean-Marie Poirier ity to the music. Their virtuosity is evident throughout, their sound
and Thierry Meunier recorded this program using various instru- lush and pleasing; whether it is a slow piece or a fast-tempo dance,
ments, which are listed in the liner notes and include six-, seven-, the two performers play with a remarkable balance and crispness.
and eight-course lutes, as well as a four-course guitar. A final point of note is that the pitch standard used for the record-
The CD takes its title from the second piece on the album, ing was a=430, which seems to suit the repertoire admirably.
the original chanson text of which starts with the words, “In spite This recording is a masterful example of the polyphonic
of all those who wrongly slandered me, I found myself a beautiful duet at its finest, and is recommended with enthusiasm for all lov-
girlfriend.” This whimsical six-part chanson has been beautiful- ers of lute duets.
ly intabulated for two lutes by Poirier, and the result is quite love- Edward Martin
ly. Another somewhat playful composition is track 5, “Hornpipe
d’Angleterre” by Guillaume Morlaye. Track 7 is “Et in Spiritum Albert de Rippe: Un Perfaict Sonneur de Lute
Sanctum,” originally from a piece for two vihuelas by Cristóbal de Paul O’Dette
Morales, published by Enriquez de Valderrábano in his book Silva HMM902275
de Sirenas (1547). This same work was later intabulated by Pierre
Phalèse in Hortus Musarum (1552); Phalèse seems to have “bor- Paul O’Dette is universally known for his technical bril-
rowed” it from Valderrábano’s book. This is a wonderful example liance, thoughtful interpretations, scholarly research, and gifts as
of the polyphony practiced at the time, a beautiful albeit melan- a teacher—pretty much the gold standard for all things lute. But
choly piece. My favorites on this recording are the three pieces the name of Guillaume Morlaye, and the reason that the music of
from Vincenzo Galilei’s Duo tutti de fantasia, as well as the two Albert de Rippe (c. 1500–1551) survives today, is not nearly as fa-
works by “B. M.,” “Contrapunto primo” and “Contrapunto sec- miliar. As brilliant as de Rippe’s music was, he was reticent about
ondo del medesimo.” sharing or publishing it during his lifetime. We have his student
The notes explain that although the lute was primarily Guillaume Morlaye to thank for publishing de Rippe’s works after
a solo instrument, there was a long-established tradition of mu- his death.
sic for two lutes. It is observed that there are two major kinds of Though de Rippe might not be as well known, he was a
duets, where the first group contains intabulations of a work—be contemporary of Francesco da Milano and was one of the most
it polyphony, chanson, frottole, madrigal, or instrumental dances, important player/composers of that time. He raised the bar with
fantasies, or ballads. These kinds of pieces were written for one or contrapuntal advances by writing works, by not defaulting to the
two lutes. Sometimes a second lute part was added to a preexisting normal three-note chords, but adding rich harmonies that used
solo piece, in effect creating a contrapartie. Another kind of duet five- and six-note chords that produced a lush, choir-like sound.
features pieces in which one lute plays elaborated melodic lines As a testament to his skill, at a young age he was employed by the
and divisions, while the other adds a more vertical accompani- king of France, who paid him generously and granted him lands
ment. A final group can also be added, one that comprises English for his service.
duets containing elements of both practices. This CD focuses on three types of works popular at the
What sets this recording apart from most others is that time: fantasias, dances, and intabulations of vocal works like the
it was recorded with a simple stereo array of two microphones, chanson. The nine fantasies include many of the hallmarks of de
without any edits, overdubs, mixes, splices, or artificial enhance- Rippe’s style: complex counterpoint, full and broken chords (fore-

48 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

shadowing style brisé), musica ficta, deceptive cadences, and driv- monice Musices Odhecaton (1501), and then promptly issued four
ing harmonic progressions that set him apart from other players of volumes of lute music by Francesco Spinacino (fl. 1505) and Joan
the day. From the simple opening of “Fantasie XIX,” the relaxed, Ambrosio Dalza (fl. 1505). Among Petrucci’s sixty-one known
introspective treatment of “Fantasie III,” the energetic opening of publications, six of them are lute tablature. By the time his career
“Fantasie XIII,” etc., there is a recognizable style. Two fantasies as a publisher came to an end in 1520, printed editions of music,
of note are “Fantasie I de Guyterne” and “Fantasie II de Guyterne” lute tablature included, had found a foothold in many other parts
(almost dance-like) written for renaissance guitar—masterpieces of Europe.
in their own right. In the 1520s and 1530s in Germany, lutenist/compos-
The nine dances come from Morlaye’s three published ers Hans Judenkünig (c. 1450–1526) and Hans Neusidler (c.
volumes of music by him and other “good composers” and bear 1508-1563) issued several volumes of tablature that featured origi-
the influence of his teacher, so perhaps they may have been writ- nal compositions and arrangements of works by some of the era’s
ten by de Rippe. The pavanes and galliardes allow some space major composers, including Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521),
between the dense and complex fantasies while running the gamut Heinrich Isaac (c. 1450–1517), and Loyset Compère (c. 1445–
of simple harmonies, modal and lively, relaxed, and in the case of 1518). This was also the era of the great Italian lutenists Francesco
the pavane “La Romanesque” and galliarde “La Milanoise,” they da Milano (1497–1543) and his students, who raised the bar sig-
are based on the prevailing harmonic progressions at that time. “La nificantly for technical and compositional skill. While Francesco’s
Seraphine,” listed as anonymous, uses the same scordatura tuning music is familiar to lutenists and has been recorded by many per-
as de Rippe’s second guitar fantasie, and with its brilliant writing formers, his German contemporaries remain distinctly underrep-
points to the possibility of being composed by de Rippe himself. resented. This is an oversight that English lutenist/luthier Martin
The vocal intabulations reflect the popularity of the chan- Shepherd has endeavored to address with this CD.
son. “Douce mémoire” (Sweet memory) after Pierre Sandro, “On Fantasia contains a couple of praeludiums and a healthy
en dira ce qu’on voudra” (O say what we will) after Claudin de selection of song arrangements by Hans Neusidler along with a
Sermisy, “O passi sparsi” (Scattered steps) after Costanzo Festa, single entry by Hans Judenkünig. These pieces comprise the first
“L’eccho: Dieu qui conduis” (God who guides) after Gentian, “Or half of the CD, the second half being devoted to fantasias by Fran-
vien ça vien mamie Perrette” (Here comes my grandmother Per- cesco da Milano and his short-lived student, Pierino Fiorentino
rette) after Clément Janequin, and “Martin menoit” reflect some- (1523–1552). I suppose one of the reasons modern lutenists tend
thing of the topics of the day. (Pardon my loose translations.) to cold-shoulder Judenkünig and Neusidler is the off-putting task
These intabulations are highly ornamented and at times evoke the of deciphering German tablature. While the more familiar French
sound of a full choir—quite an achievement for a lute! Liberal use and Italian systems use a staff and numbers or letters to essentially
of full chords, musica ficta, and counterpoint reflect the ingenuity paint a picture of where your fingers go, German tablature em-
and style of de Rippe’s writing. There are some gems (“L’eccho,” ploys a different symbol for every intersection of string and fret.
which uses hand placement and volume to create the “echo”), but The performer is obliged to commit these to memory, as there is
honestly, each piece presented is a masterpiece. no staff involved, just a string or pile of symbols. However, as
The CD, recorded in Québec, faithfully captures every this disc demonstrates, once the tablature is decoded there are ob-
nuance and sonority of O’Dette’s performance, and the included vious rewards. Many of the songs upon which the arrangements
booklet provides a wealth of information, a list of sources, and are based were very popular and oft-collected, Josquin’s “Mille
context to enrich the listener’s overall appreciation of de Rippe. regrets” and “Adieu mes amours” among them. What Neusidler
O’Dette’s catalog of accomplishments is too numerous to list and Judenkünig have done is to recast them in an idiom suited to
here-—that would take many more pages! But suffice it to say, he the lute. This involves a noticeable amount of embellishment, and
is the perfect catalyst for bringing de Rippe’s music to the fore- often a thinning of the texture as, for example, in Neusidler’s ver-
front. The music may be technically difficult, but it is easy to un- sion of Compère’s “Mes pensées,” a three-voice composition that
derstand O’Dette’s passion and labor of love by listening to his he reduced to two, but with an ornamented treble line.
expressive interpretation and skill at breathing life into these un- Tempos are sedate and careful in Mr. Shepherd’s hands.
derheard works. Thank you, Paul O’Dette and Guillaume Morlaye, He displays admirable musical sensitivity and a clear affinity for
for this extraordinary listening experience. the style. Embellishments flow naturally and the counterpoint is
Frank DeGroodt especially well-communicated. I did, however, find myself craving
a bit more energy in places, especially in the Francesco da Milano
pieces. Because everything seemed to be about the same tempo,
Fantasia: Lute Music from the Early 16th Century my attention span (which is admittedly a bit short even at the best
Martin Shepherd, lute of times) wouldn’t stretch to listening to this CD in one sitting.
FS Records FSR181 Taken individually, each of the pieces on the disc is well worth
hearing, but as a whole it lacks the variety necessary to hold the
The lute must have been ubiquitous at the turn of the six- listener’s interest for its full length. Nevertheless, Mr. Shepherd
teenth century. It certainly hit the ground running with the inven- has presented us with an important contribution to the pantheon of
tion of movable type and music publishing. Ottaviano Petrucci of lute recordings, as this early German literature hasn’t found much
Venice (1466–1539), who is widely (mis)credited as the first music traction in modern times. It is certainly a welcome insight into
publisher, began his endeavor with a volume of vocal works, Har- what these early sixteenth-century lutenist/composers were up to.

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 49

 Mr. Shepherd plays a particularly nice sounding lute of track, a short “Praeludium” by Laurencini, the tempo seems at first
his own making on this CD. It was recorded in 2018 in a church overcareful, but a sudden flurry of notes at the end justifies this
in the tiny commune of Vaudebarrier, France, and while there’s a choice. In more complex, demanding pieces, like the “Fantasia” by
measure of churchy ambiance on the recording, the lute’s attractive Laurencini (track four—the same “Fantasia” included in Varietie
intimacy is fully retained. The disc is something of a family affair, of Lute Lessons), the tempos are deliberate, but the music is clearly
as all the technical work—engineering, producing, editing—was portrayed. Dowland’s “Lachrimae Pavan” (track nine), which is
done by Mr. Shepherd’s son, Francis Shepherd. FS Records is his here entitled “Fantasia,” takes us on a similarly slow journey, as
newly established recording company, and as of this writing Fan- does “Captain Digorie Pipers Galliarda,” but once we adjust to
tasia is its only available release. The CD is offered on Amazon the tempos, they seem perfectly natural. However, when the music
and CD Baby among other sources, so it’s readily available to us calls for it, Mr. Akers delivers plenty of flat-out speed, as in the
here in the United States. sixth section of Besard’s nearly nine-minute long “Passamezzo,” a
Howard Kadis seven-section set of variations on the initial dance.
The recording was made in a cathedral on the British
Thesaurus Harmonicus county of Cumbria, where recording engineer Douglas Waites has
James Akers, lute done an admirable job of capturing the natural sound of Mr. Ak-
Natural Studio Records NSR 018 ers’s eight- and ten-course lutes. We hear these instruments close
up with just enough of the room’s acoustic to add a pleasant, un-
Jean-Baptiste Besard (c. 1567–c. 1625) was a renaissance muddied bloom. Mr. Akers’s choice of an F-tuned lute contributes
man in the classic sense. He earned a doctor of laws degree in to the somewhat dark but resonant ambiance. His playing exudes a
1587 in his native France, then studied medicine in Rome up to charming sense of immediacy, though he doesn’t possess the slick
about 1595. As if this isn’t enough, he also studied lute there and and seamless technique that we have come to expect from some
subsequently traveled to Hesse, where he practiced medicine and of the more renowned practitioners of the art. Still, this is a worth-
law in addition to teaching lute, and eventually to Cologne, where while CD that will appeal to aficionados of music of this period.
his seminal collection of lute music, Thesaurus Harmonicus, was You can find this disc in most of the usual places: Ama-
published in 1603. This comprehensive anthology contains over zon.com, Allmusic.com, Magnatune.com, and others. It appears
400 pieces for lute by a panoply of composers, including Besard to have been independently produced and has been around for a
himself. It is an invaluable resource for any lutenist wishing to while, carrying a 2010 recording date and a release date of 2012.
become familiar with late sixteenth-century lute music. Howard Kadis
The anthology is divided into ten books arranged by genre
(pavans, galliards, branles, voltas, etc.) and also contains some lute Peregrina
songs and ensemble works, but its main intent seems to have been Luthomania Sextet
to disseminate a definitive assemblage of solo lute literature that Résonance 6340413139668
was in vogue at the end of the 1500s. It also includes an enchiridi-
on on lute technique, which was translated into English by Robert An oud player, a lutenist, and a pipa player walk into a
Dowland and included in his famous publication, Varietie of Lute . . . recording studio. Improbable, yes, but as unlikely as that is,
Lessons (1610). they are joined by three other instrumentalists playing baroque
For this recording Scottish lutenist James Akers has cho- harp, guzheng (similar to the koto), and the qanoun (a Middle
sen a representative cross-section of works from Thesaurus Har- Eastern, zitherlike instrument). The accompanying music quotes
monicus, comprising some sixteen pieces selected largely on the on the CD cover by Miles Davis, Confucius, and Khalil Gibran
basis of personal preference. In the face of such a profusion of lit- about the universality and power of the medium foreshadow what
erature, it’s as good a criterion as any, and Mr. Akers’s choices are to expect. This Belgian group is an example of multicultural and
intelligent ones. Of particular note is the inclusion of four pieces world music that bridges one to another. Each of these musicians
by Laurencini of Rome (active c. 1600), a composer who was ap- navigates between cultures with ease, conjuring up impressionis-
parently quite famous in his time, but is relatively unknown to- tic, meditative atmospheres while displaying a high degree of mu-
day. [Editor—see Mariagrazia Carlone, “The Knight of the Lute,” sicianship.
Journal of the LSA, Vol XXXVII.] We also find some warhorses by “Snow Swirls” opens with a surprising rock-styled riff on
John Dowland here, in versions slightly different from the ones we theorbo with the various instruments improvising around it. There
are most familiar with. Apart from a “Passamezzo” with Besard’s are sections that are tightly composed and others of free-flowing
own byline and a “Galliarda” by the rather obscure Pomponio da improvisation. The various ideas are built around the bass line and
Bologna (?–?), the remaining works on the disc are anonymous. go through a series of modulations. The overall impression is a
Many of these pieces are quite short, in a few cases prompting Mr. composition attuned to the principles of jazz.
Akers to stitch three of them together to form a mini-suite, as is the “Italian Ground” mimics that tried-and-true harmonic
case for the “3 Branles” of track two and the “3 Voltes” of track progression with a contemporary feel. Again, the various instru-
fourteen. ments improvise, starting with harp, followed by guzheng and
Mr. Akers takes a deliberate approach to interpreting this pipa, etc., around the melody, while “Yao” follows a traditional
music. Tempos tend toward sedate, which actually helps com- Chinese style with the pipa featured. The interaction between in-
municate his clear and straightforward phrasing. On the very first struments results in a pleasing mix of color and style.

50 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

 “Espagnolade” has a Moorish/flamenco flavor open- typical violin (examples on YouTube if you are not familiar with
ing with baroque guitar providing the framework for the oud and one). It is paired with theorbo and viola da gamba for Tied & Nyck-
pipa improvisation. The oud really brings out the Moorish flavor. led: Baroque Update to explore these historical instruments in a
Again, there are very tightly constructed sections and other impro- contemporary context. These accomplished musicians are masters
vised areas—really a stream of musical thoughts. of their instruments and bring artistry and imagination to the music
“My Lagan Love,” on the other hand, is based on a tra- presented.
ditional melody with a dreamlike state of consciousness and all Outside of works by de Visée, Mompou, and Marais, the
instruments taking a turn. Gibran’s quote, “melodies are the sweet selections are composed by Malfeyt and François. According to
breezes that vibrate the strings of the heart,” seems to describe the the group, the three instruments on the album are essential to open-
feeling of these selections. ing a world of contrasts—tension and relaxation, light and dark-
“Parfumerie d’Aise” (Scents of Asia) features an extend- ness—important keys in the language of baroque music, imagery,
ed, improvised opening with harp and pipa that abruptly shifts, af- and aesthetics. To express and modulate emotions in an updated
ter a harp glissando, to a rhythmic “click track” like a ticking clock musical setting seems to be their goal.
with the various instruments playing patterns in unison, imitative “Trix” features a moving opening played with elan and
dialogue, and finally fading out in unison. “Cherkiyat” opens with all the instruments adding color and musical ideas in a modern-day
a repetitive motif and a Middle Eastern flavor with the various style. “La source en Passacaille” has a serene opening melody that
instruments playing in unison, while the oud improvises until the later morphs into a more energetic section before a reprise of the
other players improvise over a repeated motif. The tune travels original melody and a fade-out. “Goji” has a jaunty but laid-back
from unison to an uptempo finish. feel, with theorbo providing accompaniment for the beautiful nick-
“Les Pas dans la Brise” (Footsteps in the Breeze) opens laharpa melody. The three tunes exemplify the feel of the CD.
with an eerie, driving bass pattern that the other instruments com- “Suite in A Minor” by Robert de Visée recreates the origi-
bine to reinforce the mood. The music moves into a lighter, medi- nal, but with the addition of the viola da gamba handling the me-
tative place before ending with a return to the incessant rhythmic lodic duties. It is a refreshing new take with interplay between
phrase. Not your typical walk! instruments. This baroque update in action is beautifully rendered.
“Accalme” features the oud in a free-flowing opening, “Gold Generation” begins as a dreamy setting with theor-
later joined by the theorbo, leading to a measured harmonic pro- bo and nicklaharpa, and later transforms into a short Brazilian-
gression that could be a nod to the style of ughniyah (Arabic popu- styled rhythmic accompaniment to support the melody. An impro-
lar music). “Step by Step” is a traditional Chinese melody and fea- vised section follows before returning to the rhythmic style and
tures the pipa. “Bouba and Pippa” reminds me of a pop “Pachelbel ending with the opening mood. The musicians have a gift for in-
Cannon” with repeating harmonic progressions and Beatlesque triguing melodies.
melodies. Later there is a section that sounds like snippets from “Cançó” follows the original piano score by Mompou,
“Here, There and Everywhere.” with the theorbo playing accompaniment to the wistful melody
If you want to explore this idea of mixing cultures and played by the nicklaharpa. When the theorbo takes a turn at the
music, start with Wu Man (pipa) and Martin Simpson’s Music melody, there is a subtle, but effective, muffled strum by the strings
for the Motherless Child and Wu Man and Friends, or Philippe to provide rhythmic pulse before a reprise of the opening. This is a
Malfeyt’s Tied & Nyckled with theorbo, nyckelharpa, and viola da lush and captivating rendition. “Présence en rondeau” by François,
gamba. And for authentic oud performance, check out recordings arranged by Malfeyt, is an uptempo, whimsical look at the rondeau
by the late musician Farid al-Atrash for more context. form.
The overall feel of this CD is that of an easy exchange of Passacaille in D minor (by de Visée), arranged by Mal-
ideas between these somewhat disparate, but excellent, musicians feyt, is a nicely fleshed out version of the original, with addition of
coming together to explore common musical ground. The music, the viola da gamba and the nicklaharpa adding ornamented lines to
like the breeze, is ever changing and moves easily from place to the melody. It is a very tasteful and successful pairing of the instru-
place. Much musical ground is covered, with something for ev- ments.
eryone. An insert with background information on the players and “Piacere” is, again, another testament to the group’s skill
instruments would have been a welcome addition. Even so, this at producing beautiful melodies and rich sound. The lingering
musical breeze is refreshing. opening moves to a driving harmonic section à la Phillip Glass,
Frank DeGroodt with the nicklaharpa providing the melody. “Su” is a Celtic-fla-
vored shimmering tune with a modern twist featuring nicklaharpa,
theorbo, and, later, viola da gamba. The intertwining parts add to
Tied & Nyckled: Baroque Update the eloquence of the piece before a reprise of the opening.
Didier François, Philippe Malfeyt, and Romina Lischka “Pieces of viol,” played in Marin Marais’s regal and up-
homerecords.be 4446140 lifting style, is treated with the utmost care and reverence it de-
serves. The group deftly reimagines the work in an updated and
I first heard the nicklaharpa (viola d’amore a chiavi) at a engaging manner. “Kim” rounds out the CD with a meditative and
music festival where the Swedish group Väsen performed. This is thoughtful melody indicative of the group’s knack for creating en-
a “keyed” violin with a pure, vibratoless sound played with a bow, chanting lines. There is an “Easter Egg” at the end. Following the
but no left-hand fingers stopping strings. It is not played like your ending and about ten seconds of silence, you can hear a female

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 51

voice faintly singing the melody. At first I thought it was my imag- succeeds admirably. Characteristic of his approach, tempos are un-
ination, but maybe that was the intent! This satisfying baroque up- hurried, but when the music demands it, Mr. Beier is as fast and
date shines a light on these historic instruments in the present-day facile as could be wished for. However, virtuosity isn’t the central
musical world. More? Yes, please. focus of this CD. Instead, we are given a clear-eyed, personal in-
Frank DeGroodt terpretation of Dowland’s music.
Whether it is a matter of his own taste, the dictates of
What if a Day: Works by John Dowland his record label, or the influence of his producer(s), Mr. Beier’s
Paul Beier, lute recordings have a characteristic sound. There’s a healthy measure
Stradivarius STR37128
of room ambiance, generally a bit more than I like to hear, but
this can have its advantages in highly contrapuntal music like, say,
This addition to Paul Beier’s extensive discography is a Dowland’s fantasies. The performer may occasionally be obliged
broad-spectrum perusal of John Dowland’s (1563–1626) solo lute to truncate a bass note or inner voice for technical reasons (put
works. Dowland’s music is perhaps the most recorded of the lute’s another way, he just runs out of fingers), but the room can help
repertoire, but the genius of the music’s crafting and its univer- sustain it. It’s an effective device, definitely in evidence on this
sal appeal keep us engaged and occasionally enraptured. With this disc.
collection Mr. Beier has crafted a program that includes some of The Stradivarius record label is a long-established Italian
Dowland’s most technically demanding pieces and some of his company that has issued a vast catalog of classical recordings. A
simplest. Along the way we’re treated to everything the composer quick glance at their website (www.stradivarius.it) shows that Mr.
has to offer: fancies, dances, arrangements of his own lute songs, Beier accounts for twenty-two of their titles. Many, including this
and arrangements of popular songs. one, can be found at Amazon.com and can be streamed via Apple
Because there is such a profusion of discs featuring this Music. Those were the only online sources my quick search turned
repertoire, it’s difficult to hear a recording of Dowland’s music up, but there are sure to be more. This is a highly worthy addition
without making comparisons (perhaps subconsciously) to previ- to the catalog of Dowland recordings, so it’s well worth your time
ous performances—either the ones we grew up with or more re- to seek it out.
cent ones we have come to appreciate. This, I suspect, is especially Howard Kadis
common among those of us who have reached, shall we say, a cer-
tain age. However, Mr. Beier’s recording stands out among these Silvestro Ganassi: La Fontegara
because he has imbued his interpretations with a distinct musical Le Concert Brisé with Bor Zuljan, lute
vision that is not quite like anybody else’s. This is not to say that Ricercar RIC 395
there is anything revolutionary or especially eccentric in his play-
ing, more that its style is a clear reflection of the performer’s per- I bought my copy of Ganassi’s Opera intitulata Fonteg-
sonality. It’s a refreshing perspective. ara in the late 1960s as a young adjunct at Syracuse University
The title of the CD is taken from its opening track, “What teaching recorder lessons. I was looking for a historical confirma-
if a day, or a month, or a year,” Dowland’s arrangement of the tion of what I was teaching students about forming diminutions.
well-known song. Across the eighteen pieces on the recording, My understanding of the subject was mostly influenced by listen-
Mr. Beier has opted for maximum variety of both mood and style. ing to the playing of Dr. Don Smithers, who was teaching at Syra-
From the deeply despairing “Forlorne Hope Fancye” to the re- cuse at the time, and from recordings of early music from David
lentlessly happy Fantasie culled from Robert Dowland’s Varietie Munrow and others.
of Lute Lessons (1610), we hear a true cross-section of the com- What I found in “La Fontegara” was a rich treasure trove
poser’s surviving work for solo lute. Some of these pieces, like of diminutions and cadential formulas as well as one of the earli-
the two mentioned above, are immensely popular and frequently est tutors for the recorder, including fingering and trill charts that
recorded. Some, like “Dowland’s Adew for Master Oliver Crom- woodwind students would have no problem recognizing today. My
well” (track 11) and two undedicated Pavans (tracks 3 and 15), copy was a beautifully rendered English translation of the origi-
enjoy far less exposure, so their inclusion here is especially wel- nal Italian with reproductions of many of the woodcuts from the
come. One of Dowland’s most popular works, “The Earl of Essex original. The English translation, alas, seems to be out of print,
Galliard” (track 8), is presented in an alternate version that is very but a German translation is available. IMSLP (International Music
different indeed from the one we are used to. Of the song arrange- Score Library Project/Petrucci Music Library, www.imslp.org) has
ments, “Loth to Depart” is my favorite. It is a set of variations on several complete facsimiles of the original available for viewing
a short popular tune to which Dowland applies the full measure of and download.
his brilliance, at once technically demanding and musically satis- Many of the diminutions are taken to such extreme per-
fying. mutations that many believe the examples must be theoretical and
These performances are quite straightforward, paying not practical for most players. Our recording, Silvestro Ganassi—
scrupulous attention to rhythm and voicing. Rubato, when used La Fontegara, sets out to prove them wrong.
at all, is employed judiciously. Mr. Beier effortlessly traverses the The members of Le Concert Brisé—Timea Nagy, record-
sometimes daunting technical demands that Dowland inflicts on er; Tiago Simas Freire, recorder, cornet, and mute cornet; François
the performer. Transcending these technical challenges to bring Lazarevitch, recorder and flute; Sarah Walder, viola da gamba; Bor
out the purely musical is no small accomplishment, but Mr. Beier Zuljan, lute and percussion; Hadrien Jourdan, harpsichord; Stefan

52 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

Legée, trombone; Romain Bockler, baritone; and William Don- The recording closes with a seventeenth-century setting
gois, cornet, mute cornet, and recorder—are accomplished players of the famous violin passacaglia by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von
(and singer). Biber, arranged for solo lute. Starting from a four-note descending
The repertoire includes works that may have been familiar bass line, the piece develops and unfolds into an ever-evolving
to the audience targeted by Ganassi in 1535: “Mille regrets” (Jos- and impressive set of variations. While not as intricate as the vio-
quin des Prez), “Fortuna desperata” (Antoine Busnois), “Zephyro lin version, the beauty and character of the original piece shine
spira” (Bartolomeo Tromboncino), “El bisson” (Anonymous), and through.
others. Mr. Hofstötter’s technique is impressive. He is able to
I admire the performances—they are virtuosic, with inter- clearly convey his ideas to the listener with a relaxed confidence
esting and varied combinations of instruments and voice, in tune, that I found to be very enjoyable. The recording captures the sound
and at one with Ganassi’s diminutions. For a student of renais- of his thirteen-course baroque lute by Martin Hurttig with the per-
sance music interested in ornamentation, this recording is worth fect balance of intimacy and spatial ambiance.
considering. We are lucky to live in a time when many recordings have
If you felt a “but” coming, here it is: I hate to sound like a tendency to concentrate on one composer or style, which by it-
an old f@#t, but the performances, for all their brilliance, don’t self is a good thing. However, equally valid is the approach that
convince me of the practicality of the more complex Ganassi for- a CD can cover an enormous amount of stylistic ground with the
mulations. Rather than hearing the melancholy “Mille regrets” (A lens focused on the baroque lute in Vienna between about 1670 to
thousand regrets at deserting you), I hear the virtuosity of the play- 1780, presenting everything from Gauthier to Gluck and Kohaut.
ers, and the spirit of the chanson is lost. Then there is the “fatigue” A bonus here is that several of the pieces are world premier record-
element. After sitting through several tracks without pausing, hear- ings.
ing these complex diminutions over and over again was tiring. The recording is available online via Amazon and iTunes.
The recording itself is excellent. The placement of the Highly recommended.
instruments and voice is well-defined. One can almost reach out Bill Good
and touch the players, and, as I mentioned earlier, their ease with
the complexities of the diminutions is outstanding. The included
booklet is a model of its kind with an essay about the genesis of the
Julian Bream Live, Aldeburgh Festival, 1958 & 1959
recording, translations, and reproductions from “La Fontegara.” I
Julian Bream, lute and guitar; Peter Pears, tenor; George Malcolm,
look forward to hearing more from Le Concert Brisé.
harpsichord; Aurèle Nicolet, flute
David Ross
Doremi Legendary Treasures, DHR8030

Julian Bream (b. 1933) was a prolific performer on BBC

The Baroque Lute in Vienna radio, especially in the early years of his career, and this recording
Bernhard Hofstötter represents a very early stage indeed. It’s a little startling to realize
Brilliant Classics B00VSHH89A that he was just short of his twenty-fifth birthday when the 1958
Aldeburgh festival took place, yet the live performances we hear
Modern-day lute players and listeners alike are familiar on this disc have all the earmarks of the mature Julian Bream who
with Viennese baroque lute and chamber music repertoire. In the garnered such worldwide popularity in his later career. Not all of
recording The Baroque Lute in Vienna, Bernhard Hofstötter pres- this CD falls within our purview (there are works by Benjamin
ents a wonderful and varied program of pieces by lute composers Britten and Joaquin Turnia, for example, all played on guitar), so
as well as period transcriptions of instrumental chamber works. this review is confined just to the pieces played on lute.
Even the picture on the CD cover—Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in Whatever we may think of Mr. Bream’s lute technique,
His Gallery in Brussels, which shows us a royal entourage visiting it’s important to remember that in the late 1950s he was pretty
a gallery with countless paintings—reflects the variety of music much the only game in town, and he was a vital contributor to the
that lies within. popularization of the instrument. As this CD illustrates, his play-
The recording begins with an anonymous transcription of ing was energetic, facile, and colorful. There is no denying the
the beautiful Muffat passacaglia arranged for solo lute. The adaption appeal of this approach. The first eleven tracks are devoted exclu-
from strings and continuo retains the character of the original, in- sively to pieces by John Dowland, both solos and lute songs with
cluding sets of divisions in the spirit of the string parts in the original. tenor Peter Pears (1910–1986). Of course this is mostly a “greatest
What follows are several individual pieces from differ- hits” collection, containing songs like “Flow my Tears,” “Now,
ent composers, including a tombeau by Jacques Bittner, a Denis Oh Now I Needs Must Part,” “Can She Excuse,” and, well, you
Gauthier courante, an anonymous folies d’Espagne, and a gigue get the picture. It’s the same for the lute solos, which include the
by a certain “Angelis de Rome,” thought to be the Italian guitarist famous Fantasia from Varietie of Lute Lessons (1610), “The Earl
and theorbist Angelo Michele Bartolotti. of Essex Galliard,” and “Captain Piper’s Galliard,” to name a few.
The pieces by Wolff Jacob Lauffensteiner and Antonio Mr. Bream’s musical personality comes through very clearly in
Bertali, and an anonymous “Suite in F” are in a similarly delight- these solos. The Thomas Goff lute he’s playing is heavily built and
ful style that lead us chronologically to the latest composers in the inauthentic, but that doesn’t stop him from communicating the es-
program, Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck and Karl Kohaut. sence of this music in a way that commands attention.

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 53

 The lute songs show us a unique partnership between two aly contains a fifteenth-century accounting of church properties in
musicians with very distinct personalities who somehow make the and around Florence. Originally, this volume had contained music
combination work. Mr. Pears was an operatic tenor who featured that was subsequently erased and is now known as the San Loren-
prominently in most, if not all, of the operas of Benjamin Britten zo Palimpsest.
(they were life partners, after all). His voice is easily identifiable, Palimpsests are not all that uncommon. The cost of the
so much so that in the early 1960s it inspired a hilarious parody vellum used as manuscripts in this era was very high, and econom-
at the hands of comedian Dudley Moore in the revue Beyond the ics might have dictated that some pages be reused. The unanswer-
Fringe. Here, however, we hear a more restrained version of his able question is: Why did they choose this particular manuscript to
voice, moderated to complement rather than overpower the lute. overwrite?
Of course, none of what we hear correlates very closely to what In 2011 scholars from the Centre for the Study of Manu-
our modern ears expect from a performance of Dowland’s songs, script Cultures (at the University of Hamburg in Germany) decided
but taken on their own terms, the performances communicate the to incorporate multispectral photography and special software to
music directly, which in itself is appealing. recover the erased music in the San Lorenzo Palimpsest. Included
Tracks 21 to 24 are devoted to a spirited account of a on the recording is music by well known composers of the trecento
trio sonata by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) arranged by like Jacopo da Bologna and Paolo da Firenze, and there is quite a
Mr. Bream for harpsichord, lute, and flute. Here the flute and lute bit of music by composers who might otherwise never been dis-
take the solo lines and Mr. Malcolm does the heavy lifting as the covered. Interestingly, there is a heading in the Squarcialupi Codex
continuo player. The fast movements (tracks 22 and 24) are taken for Piero Mazzuoli, but the subsequent pages are blank, and the
at breakneck speeds, and though nothing in these renditions is ex- poor man had his music scrubbed from this palimpsest.
actly “historically informed,” they still leave us a bit breathless. In addition to Piero Mazzuoli, there is music by Giovanni
Restoring these performances from the original BBC Mazzuoli (Piero’s father) Antonio Zacara de Teramo, Huburtis de
transcription discs was certainly a daunting task. The originals are Salinis, Giovanni de Cascia, and several anonymous works.
twelve-inch LPs that the BBC sold and licensed for broadcast to The performances are first rate throughout. There is no
various overseas radio stations, with instructions to destroy them doubt about La Morra’s ease with this often complicated music.
once the license had lapsed. Only 100 copies of each were pressed, We are used to virtuosic performances by instrumentalists in early
so we’re very lucky to have these at all. Restoration was obviously music, but La Morra s singers are outstanding. The recording is
constrained by the poor quality of the originals, but Doremi’s en- warm and clear.
gineers have cleaned them up about as well as can be expected. The accompanying booklet tells the story of the road to
There are varying degrees of background hiss on all of the tracks, La Morra’s performances of this music in detail, and there are be-
sometimes obtrusively so, and the microphones didn’t pick up fore and after photographs of the music. Texts and translations are
much of the room ambiance, so the overall sound is very flat. But included.
the interpretations shine through all this, making the CD a valuable David Ross
historical document that captures a very young Julian Bream in
live performance, showcasing a considerable technical command Ars Longa: Old and New Music for the Theorbo
of his instrument and a remarkable musical intelligence. Elizabeth Kenny
“Legendary Treasures” is Doremi’s heading for a vast Linn Records 2019
catalog of live and studio recordings mostly from the first half of
the 20th century. Their U.S. distributor is Naxos of America, so Elizabeth Kenny is a renowned lutenist, a superb per-
this CD should be widely available. It is not for everyone but is a former and teacher. The danger inherent in a CD of only one per-
rare glimpse of our musical history, and despite its flaws, reward- former playing only one instrument is the threat of monotony: that
ing to hear. every track will be little more than a variation of all the others.
Howard Kadis Given the tonal range of the theorbo and the range of Kenny’s
push-the-envelope exploration of what one can do with a lute, that
is not an issue with this CD.
Splendor da Ciel The theorbo/chitarrone (same instrument, different name)
La Morra rose in response to a new musical form in the sixteenth century:
Ramée RAM 1803
opera. Opera demanded an instrument louder than a lute that could
accompany a singer or singers who were projecting in song and
The word of the day is palimpsest (noun: a manuscript recitative while also acting.
from which some or all writing has been erased or eradicated to A quick explanation for lute newbies: What gives the the-
make room for newer text or, in this case, music). All the music in orbo its incredible range—from growling thunder at the bottom to
Splendor da Ciel comes from the San Lorenzo Palimpsest, and the the upper midrange of a lute—are its long, unfretted open strings
story of how La Morra moved from erased manuscript to music on in the bass, which add another octave. They have their own pegbox
a recording is fascinating. at the end of a second neck that stretches up beyond the first. Un-
One volume of the over 11,000 manuscripts in the Library like a lute strung in double courses, the theorbos we see now are
of San Lorenzo (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) in Florence, It- often strung with single strings. Paradoxically, this lets one exert
more focused pressure on the one string, allowing a stronger tone.

54 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019

The other difference is its re-entrant tuning: the highest tone is on new arrangements of Bach’s flute sonatas and keyboard preludes,
the third course, the first two courses being an octave lower. This orchestrated for baroque flute and the forces of Ruckus, which in-
makes certain runs and arpeggios easier to play. The archlute, in clude theorboes, baroque guitars, baroque bassoon, cello, viola da
contrast, has the same tuning and double courses as a lute, with the gamba, harpsichord, organ, bass, and even banjo.
addition of a second neck to support the unfretted open strings in This CD puts a fresh spin on some of Bach’s preeminent
the bass. While its highest tones are higher than that of a theorbo, works using unique arrangements that blend tradition, contempo-
the tradeoff is that it does not have the theorbo’s overall body size rary styles, playfulness, and sheer joy. Contrasting the three flute
and therefore power. sonatas are arrangements of a few Bach keyboard works. The
Ars Longa: Old and New Music for the Theorbo goes group divides the sonatas into three types—The Master: Sonata
back and forth between pieces by three baroque composers: Ales- in E Minor BWV 1034, The Eccentric: Sonata in E Major BWV
sandro Piccinini, Giovanni Kapsberger, and Robert de Visée, and 1035, and The Teacher: Sonata in C Major BWV 1033.
three modern composers, all born in the latter half of the twentieth The opening Prelude in G Major is an energetic romp and
century: Sir James MacMillan, Benjamin Oliver, and Nico Muhly. hints at what is to come. The YouTube video of this prelude is a
Piccinini and Kapsberger were early adopters, writing great example of the group in action. The Sonata in E Minor begins
pieces for theorbo in the first half of the seventeenth century. De with a flowing, elegant flute supported by subdued but ever-evolv-
Visée, born after Piccinini and Kapsberger had died, probably ing continuo support. The Allegro, by contrast, features Ferguson’s
composed about a hundred years later. It is interesting to see how flawless technique, almost like a butterfly on a nonstop journey.
meditative and slow de Visée’s work is, even the pieces based on The liquid flute lines of the Andante are a thing of beauty floating
dance forms. Kapsberger’s “Canario-Capona” has the most me- above the laid-back, but just enough, support from Ruckus. The
lodic and intricate lines with multiple courses sounded together. Allegro provides a vibrant continuo with strumming, percussive
Benjamin Oliver’s Extending from the Inside, which he guitars, and a string counterpoint to the gracefully articulated rapid
wrote for Kenny, was influenced by and responding to Arvo Pärt’s flute lines.
“Ludus” in Tabula Rasa. It has a jazzy meditative sound, if that is The Prelude in E Major (after BVW 855) is a blend of
not a contradiction in terms. old and new, starting very traditionally and evolving into a breathy
The piece by Nico Muhly, Berceuse with Seven Varia- flute and a Latin-tinged rhythm section. The Sonata in E Major
tions, was commissioned by Kenny and is exclusive to her until Adagio begins with charming interplay between flute and bass,
April, 2020. It is constructed of a cycle of twenty-four chords with while the Allegro allows the flawless flute to be supported by the
exploratory variations but keeping the idea of a lullaby (though punchy continuo players. The Siciliano has the feel of a sensual
some of the parts are not soothing). Spanish dance with jazzy, rhythmic strumming guitars and lively
Life is short. Art is long. Which of these composers will interplay between flute and bassoon. The Allegro returns to the
be part of the standard lute repertoire in the year 2400, only time more traditional mode, but with the continuo providing a wide
will tell. range of tone color and texture.
The accompanying booklet is aesthetically appealing and If you like a little banjo with your Bach, then the Prelude
offers much information on the composers and player. in G Minor (after BWV 847a) is for you. This and the Prelude in C
Susanna Stiefel Minor (after BWV 999), played in d minor by many budding clas-
sical guitar students, features Ruckus. The meditative Prelude in C
Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas and Preludes Major slowly morphs into a bounty of colors before transitioning
Emi Ferguson and Ruckus into the Sonata in C Major (BWV 1033). The Andante-presto with
ARZ002
flute obbligato over a sustained bass sets up the next movement
beautifully. The pristine liquid tones of the flute, during the Al-
One of the perks of writing CD reviews for the Lute So- legro, are supported by the constant variety of continuo provided
ciety of America is the chance to cross paths with gifted musicians by Ruckus. The Adagio is more somber with a weighty bass line.
who might have otherwise been missed. Emi Ferguson and Ruckus Minuets I and II are straightforward, with a surprising organ ac-
and their Fly the Coop is a prime example. Hailed by the New companiment on the reprise.
York Times as “blindly impressive . . . a fizzing, daring display of And now for something completely different. The Pre-
personality and imagination,” you knew you were in for something lude in E Major (after BWV 815a) opens with a kitschy organ solo
out of the ordinary. Ferguson, a Juilliard faculty member, has per- wrapped in ironic drama that leads to a bouncy, swingy interpreta-
formed in concerts alongside Yo-Yo Ma, James Taylor, and Paul tion complete with a lively continuo rhythm section. The bassoon
Simon as well as in concerts around the world, appeared at TEDX, has a saxlike interplay with the varied flute lines—good times.
had a debut album (Amour Cruel) that spent four weeks on the This dialogue ties up nicely with a little banjo tag at the end.
Billboard chart, and even, at a young age, sang at a Britney Spears Fly the Coop was recorded, edited, and mixed at Guilford
concert. Meanwhile Ruckus was described by the Boston Musical Sound, situated on hundreds of acres in southern Vermont. Mak-
Intelligencer as having “Wit, panache, and jubilant virtuosic verve ing music in a beautiful setting with top end gear, engineers, and
of a bebop-Baroque jam session electrified and illuminated.” musicians with a vision was the secret sauce that put this CD over
Emi and Ruckus met while studying at Juilliard’s His- the top. It might be time to stretch your boundaries and put a little
torical Music Program and quickly realized their shared passion Ruckus in your life.
for tradition as well as breaking boundaries. Fly the Coop features Frank DeGroodt

LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019 55

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The Quarterly is published four times a year by the Lute Society of America, Inc., in Concord, CA. Copyright 2020 by the Lute Society of America, Inc. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1547-982X.

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56 LSA Quarterly—Summer & Fall 2019