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The Guitar in the SCA PeriodLady Ysabel da Costa
Barony of Carolingia, Kingdom of the [email protected]
This class is about SCA-period historic music: both music
written specifically for the Renaissance guitar, and also other
SCA-period music that can be played on Renaissance guitar (or
ukulele). It isn't about modern SCA filk-style ukulele or guitar
music -- although that is fun too!
1. Were there guitars in the SCA period? a. Before 1500:
Lute -- introduced to Western Europe from Islamic world via
SpainTuned in 4ths with an interior thirdTied gut frets; chromatic
fretting patternOriginally had four courses, then five (until about
1450), then six or more
Gittern -- a small treble luteUsually carved from the solid with
a curved pegboxGenerally had 4 courses of strings (some had
five)
Citole -- a native European instrument thought to be related to
the fiddleTuning uncertain, likely 4ths and 5thsCitole tuning may
have included an interval of a second, like its descendant
the Renaissance citternOften depicted with fixed wooden frets
and/or diatonic frettingNot directly related to the guitar
b. 16th century: Spanish vihuela -- a figure-eight-shaped
instrument tuned exactly like a lute4-course Renaissance guitar --
a small vihuela or figure-eight shaped gitternThe vihuela and
guitar are effectively the Spanish versions of the lute and
gitternSpanish Christians objected to the Moorish look of the lute,
so they changed to the
figure-eight shape (northern countries kept the original lute
shape)The guitar has always been associated with Spain
c. After 1600: the many descendents of the Renaissance
guitarGuitars appear everyplace that the Spanish and Portuguese
established colonies5-course Baroque guitar (1580 - 1780), Madieran
machete, Brazilian cavaquinho,
Hawiian ukulele, Venezuelan cuatro, Mexican Mariachi guitar,
many other folk guitars, and of course modern guitars
d. Where to find a reproduction Renaissance guitar? Reproduction
Renaissance guitars are made by many lute makersA ukulele is quite
a reasonable substitute!
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2. About the 4-course Renaissance guitar. a. Stringing, tuning,
pitch, and temperament
Strung with gut (now we use Nylgut or nylon), not metal. Most
commonly tuned Gg-cc-ee-aVariant tunings were sometimes used; eg,
“Temple viejo” is Ff-cc-ee-aMoveable tied-on gut frets, usually 10
of them
Frets above the 5th one are rarely used
b. Playing method and technique (punteado and
rasgueado)Punteado: plucked notes, as with lute or classical guitar
playing
Played with the flesh of the fingertips ("nibble end") -- not
fingernailsLittle finger rests on the table between the rose and
the bridgeInstrument is held nearly horizontal, neck is not angled
up steeplyThumb passes under the 1st finger -- doesn't stick out as
for modern
Classical guitar technique. Fingers are oblique to the strings,
not at right angles.
Is it “period” to strum chords? Yes!Rasgueado is idiomatic to
the guitar and characteristic of it.
Strumming is already described as "old-fashioned" by Juan
Bermudo, Declaracion de instrumentos musicales, pre-1555
Chords appear in tablatures (MS and print); common chords had
descriptive names in Spanish: "puente", "dedillo", "cruzado"
Music with special notation for chords first appears in Amat,
1586"Alfabeto" chord notation: first printed in early 17c Italian
books, but is
thought to date to the mid-16c.
Technique for rasgueado (strumming)Guitar was always strummed
with the fingers, not a plectrum
All fingers and the thumb were used16th century strumming
technique was not like modern folk guitar!Flamenco is its own
highly evolved style, somewhat closer to what we wantSee
descriptions of strumming technique in period (17c) guitar
booksJames Tyler suggests studying Venezuelan cuatro strumming
techniqueExtant 16c music can show us period strumming patterns
c. Who played guitar, and when? (country, social class, gender,
attitudes)Guitar arises in Spain before 1500; it's often called the
“Spanish” or “Neapolitan”
guitar in other countries (Naples was ruled by Spain in the
16c)Guitar was very popular in mid 16c France; French King Henri II
played it. Many
books of guitar tablature were published in the 1550's in Paris,
9 of these are extantThere is also guitar music from mid-16c
England: a published book (not extant)
plus tablatures in manuscripts and commonplace books.
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Popular with nobility as well as common folkAlso played in
Italy, Netherlands, and of course Spain, but little written music
from
those places survivesVihuelas and guitars were brought on the
first Spanish ships to the New World;
imports of instruments and strings are documented from 1512
d. What was played on the 4-course guitar in the 16th
century?Dance music (pavanes, galliards, bransles, almans,
etc.)Song accompanimentsLute-style intabluations of polyphonic
music, both secular and sacredGround basses (eg. passemezzo,
buffens, folia) were very popular in 16c
Some were used for recitation of romances, such as Conte
ClarosChords had common names and were probably played without
written music -- just
as many people play guitar today!
3. Extant 16c music for the guitar: tablaturea. Three kinds of
16c tablature notation - French, Italian, Neapolitan. b. Printed
music (France, Spain, and Italy)
A guitar tutor existed, but unfortunately only a few fragments
of it survivec. Manuscript music (England)d. Tablature gives actual
pitches -- no "musica ficta" -- so it's more precise in that way
than
staff notation and can sometimes resolve questions for use.
Tablature provides evidence about otherwise unwritten musical
practice — vocal
accompaniment technique, embellishment of repeats, graces,
strumming
Snarky remarks about the guitar from back in the day:
“We used to play the lute more than the guitar, but for 12 or 15
years now, everyone has been guitaring, and the lute is nearly
forgotten in favor of heaven knows what kind of music on the
guitar, which is much easier than that for the lute.” -- Anon.
French writer in 1556
“Up to our time, this instrument [the vihuela] has been highly
esteemed, and it has had most excellent musicians. However, since
guitars were invented, very few have devoted themselves to studying
the vihuela. [This] has been a great loss, for on it all types of
plucked [i.e., polyphonic] music was played. But now the guitar is
no more than a cowbell, so easy to play, especially when strummed,
that there is nary a stable boy who is not a guitar player.” --
Sebastian de Covarrubias Oroszco, Tesoro de la lengua castellana, o
espanola, Madrid, 1611
4. Let’s play some guitar music!
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References:
Harvey Turnbull. The Guitar from the Renaissance to the Present
Day. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1974.James Tyler and Paul Sparks, The
Guitar and Its Music: From the Renaissance to the Classical Era.
Oxford University Press, 2007.Christopher Page. The Guitar in Tudor
England: A Social and Musical History. Cambridge University Press,
2015.Paul O'Dette, "Plucked Instruments", in A Performer's Guide to
Renaissance Music, ed. Jeffery Kite-Powell. Indiana University
Press, 2007.
Links:
For some facsimiles of 16th century printed books for
Renaissance guitar, see http://earlymusiconline.org. Click the link
to browse via Royal Holloway's digital repository, then search on
"guitar".
Additional facsimiles are available at
http://www.guitareclassiquedelcamp.com/partitions/facsimile.html.
A podcast from East Carolina University featuring Prof. Jocelyn
Nelson performing on Renaissance guitar is available online at:
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/mktg/treasured_tunes_jocelyn_nelson_transcript.cfm
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Common Chordsgiven as fret diagrams and French tablature with
fingering suggestions,
with 17c Alfabeto symbols and 16c Spanish common names
C majorAlfabeto symbol: AName: “dedillo”
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb B
F majorAlfabeto symbol: BName: “puente”
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb BC F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
G majorAlfabeto symbol: CName: “cruzado”
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb B
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb B
D minorAlfabeto symbol: DName: “bemol del patilla”
G minorAlfabeto symbol: EName: “medio cruzado”
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb BC F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
C F G Dm Gm A B E D Am
Ren. Guitar = A = E
= C = G
1/1
3000
0102
2320
0122
1320
C F G Dm Gm1 2 3 4 5
0012
1123
1333
0222
0002
A B E D Am6 7 8 9 10
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb B
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb BCommon Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb B
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb B
Common Chords for the 4-course Guitar
with left-hand fingering suggestions
C Cm C5 D Dm Eb E Em
F G Gm G5 A Am Bb B
A majorAlfabeto symbol: FName: “cruzadillo”
Bb majorAlfabeto symbol: GName: “vacas”
Eb majorAlfabeto symbol: HName: “patilla atra”
D majorAlfabeto symbol: IName: “patilla”
A minorAlfabeto symbol: +Name: “bemolillo”
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1 œ œ œ œI I I I
2 œ œ œ œI
II
I
3 œ œ œ œ œI I
II I
4 œ œ œ œ œ œI I
II I
I
5 ˙ œI
I
6 œ œ œI I
I
7 .œ jœ œI
II
8 œ œ œ œI I
II
9 œ œ œ œ œI I
II
I
Strumming Patterns and Technique
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
Duple time
Triple time
A tick mark below the bar indicates a downward strum (from the G
string to the A string).A tick mark above the bar indicates an
upward strum. Upward strums are unstressed compared to downward
strums.
Down strokes are played with the backs of the fingernails of the
index, middle, ring, and sometimes little fingers of the right hand
(think of the way Flamenco guitarists do it). All four courses
(strings) are played on a down stroke. Up strokes use at least the
index finger, and may include only the top course or two, or all
courses. The thumb isn't usually used for down strokes, but may be
used for up strokes.
While plucked notes are usually played over the rose (or
soundhole) of the instrument, extended strummed passages are played
further up, near the place where the fretboard meets the body.
Chords can be strummed loudly or softly, quickly or slowly, for
different effects. The sound can be cut off abruptly by muting the
strings with the heel of the right hand or the backs of the
right-hand fingers. Check the references for descriptions of
additional special techniques, such as the trillo, dedillo, or
repicco. You can also tap or knock on the table (front of the body)
of your instrument for percussive effects.
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1 ˙ ˙I I
2 œ œ œ ŒI
II
Œ3 ˙ ˙
I I
4 œ œ œ ŒI
II
Œ
5 ˙ œI
I
6 œ œ œI I
I
7 .œ jœ œI
II
8 œ œ œ œI I
II
9 œ œ œ œ œI I
II
I
Strumming Patterns and Technique
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
Duple time
Triple time
A tick mark below the bar indicates a downward strum (from the G
string to the A string).A tick mark above the bar indicates an
upward strum. Upward strums are unstressed compared to downward
strums.
Down strokes are played with the backs of the fingernails of the
index, middle, ring, and sometimes little fingers of the right hand
(think of the way Flamenco guitarists do it). All four courses
(strings) are played on a down stroke. Up strokes use at least the
index finger, and may include only the top course or two, or all
courses. The thumb isn't usually used for down strokes, but may be
used for up strokes.
While plucked notes are usually played over the rose (or
soundhole) of the instrument, extended strummed passages are played
further up, near the place where the fretboard meets the body.
Chords can be strummed loudly or softly, quickly or slowly, for
different effects. The sound can be cut off abruptly by muting the
strings with the heel of the right hand or the backs of the
right-hand fingers. Check the references for descriptions of
additional special techniques, such as the trillo, dedillo, or
repicco. You can also tap or knock on the table (front of the body)
of your instrument for percussive effects.
& C .. ..œ œ œ œ œA m2
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œA m2
˙ œ
& .. ..œ œ œ œ œ œG1 23
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
A m2
˙ œ
SCA Maltese Bransle
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
Schiarazula Marazula
SCA Maltese Bransle Schiarazula Marazula
Strumming pattern
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II
I
C
II
II
F12
G1 23
II
I
C
II
I
F12
G1 23
II
I
C
II
II
F12
G1 23
II
I
C
II
I
F12
G1 23
Conde Claros
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
Traditional Spanish romance
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Notes on French Tablature for the Renaissance Guitar
!d
" "a
"b
# "a
"! "c
! "a
"b
$ ""c
!e
"d
" # "d
"e
! "f
b
"%&
a' &c
"c
"d
$ "e
!"b
Music engraving by LilyPond 2.18.2—www.lilypond.org
Each horizontal line represents one course (or string), with the
course on the left (closest to the player) on the bottom, and the
string on the right (furthest from the player) on the top, as in
the picture.
Frets are represented by letters. Letter a means play the open
string (no fret). Letter b means to fret the string at the first
fret, c is the second fret, d is the third fret, etc.
The durations of notes in both French and Italian tablature are
given by stems and flags above the letters. Just as with staff
notation, each added flag on a stem shortens the note duration by a
factor of two.
A flag applies to the note below it, and also to all subsequent
notes that don’t have flags of their own, until a new flag
appears.
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Conte Clare Guillaume Morlaye
Premier Livre de Guiterne 1552
-
& 43 œ# œ œMes pas se
A12
.˙#mez
A12
œ œ œet loin al
Dm12 3
.l̇ez
C2
- -
&4 œ œ œPar di uers
F12
.ṡo
C2
œ œ œli tair es
Dm12 3
.˙#lieux:
A12
- - - -
&8 œ# œ œEt tant plus
A12
.˙#j'ai
A12
œ œ œma voix hau
Dm12 3
.ċée
C2
-
&12 œ œ œEt si ne
F12
.˙sçay
C2
œ œ œquand j'au rai
Dm12 3
.˙#mieux.
A12
-
&16 œ# œ œSont de pen
A12
Dm12 3
C2
˙ œsers en
F12
C2
œ œ œtre mel
Dm12 3
˙# Œlez,
A12
- - - -
Mes Pas SemezAdrian Le Roy, Seconde Livre de Guiterre, 1555
arr. Ysabel da Costawords by Mellin de Saint-Gelais
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
-
&20 œ# œ œQui rend ent
A12
Dm12 3
C2
˙ œhu mi
F12
C2
œ œ œdes mes
Dm12 3
˙# Œyeux,
A12
- - -
& .. ..24 œ# œ œTant mois je
A12
Dm12 3
C2
˙ œme sens
F12
C2
œ œ œ#e xau
Dm12 3
A12
.ċée.
D1 2 3
--
Narcissus, responds s'il te plaist,Ois tu mon cry, ie croy que
non:Rien ne sera mon piteux plaid,Fors par tout espandre ton
nom.Donc ie te pry ne me nieTa bien aimée compagnie,Et tu sera en
bon renom.
Ton bon sçauoir ny parler promptNe m'acquierent aucun
plaisir:Car l'absence de l'amy, romptTout ce qu'en espere mon
desir:Mais puis que c'est ma destinée,Que ie soye amante
obstinée,Ie quitte propos & plaisir.
Respondant à plusieurs parleurs,Ie n'en ay sceu trouuer
aucun,Qui s'aprochast de tes valeurs:Pour cela i'entretiens
chacun,C'est enattendant ta presence:Car ie suis en ferme
constance,Parler à tous, & n'aimer qu'un.
Mes pas semez & loing allezPar diuers solitaires lieux:Et
tant plus i'ay ma voix haucée Et si ne sçay quand i'aurai
mieux.Sont de pensers entremellez,Qui rendent humides mes yeux,
Tant mois ie me sens exaucée.
Ie n'ai tenu mes pas si chers,Ny mon esprit tant endormy, Que
par montaignes & rochersIe n'aye cherché mon amy:L'oeil au
guet, l'aureille ententiue, La parole prompte & naifue, Mais de
luy n'ay mot ne demy.
Quand quelqu'un parle il m'est auisQue Narcissus ha quelque
ennuy,Ie me presente vis à visPour tenir propos à celuyQui telle
parole prononce,En luy faisant mesme response,Mesme propos &
mesmes dicts.
-
II
Dm12 3
I II
I II
A12
Dm12 3
I II
I II
C F12
I II
I II
C Dm12 3
I II
I II
A12
Dm12 3
I II
I II
A12
Dm12 3
I II
I II
C F12
I II
I II
A12
Gm12 3
I II
I
D1 2 3
Folia sopra "D"
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
Carlo Calvi, Intavolatura di chitarra e chitarriglia, 1646
-
& # 46 ˙ œ ˙ œ
G1 23
˙ œ œ œ œG1 23
˙ œ ˙ œ
A m2
˙ œ œ œ œA m2
& # ..5 ˙ œ ˙ œ
G1 23
˙ œ œ œ œG1 23
˙ œ ˙ œ
A m2
˙ œ œ œ œA m2
& # 46 ..9 ˙ œ ˙ œG1 23
.œ Jœ œ ˙ œC D
1 2 3
.œ Jœ œ ˙ œG1 23
C
.œ Jœ œ ˙ œ
D1 2 3
C
& # ..13 ˙ œ ˙ œG1 23
.œ Jœ œ ˙ œC D
1 2 3
.œ Jœ œ ˙ œG1 23
C
.œ Jœ œ .˙
D1 2 3
G1 23
& # .. ..17 œ œ œ œ œ œ
G1 23
œ œ œ œ œ œ
G1 23
œ œ œ œ œ œ
G1 23
œ œ œ .˙
G1 23
Dargason, or Sedany
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
John Playford, The English Dancing Master, 1651
GrimstockJohn Playford, The English Dancing Master, 1651
-
& 46 œ ˙ œ ˙ œF12
.˙ ˙ œ
C
˙ œ ˙ œ
A m2
.˙ ˙ œ
G1 23
& ..5 ˙ œ ˙ œ
F12
˙ œ ˙ œD m
123
˙ œ ˙ œG1 23
.˙ ˙C
& .. œ ˙ œ ˙ œG1 23
.˙ ˙ œ
G1 23
˙ œ ˙ œC
.˙ ˙ œC
& ..13 ˙ œ ˙ œF12
˙ œ ˙ ŒG1 23
˙ œ ˙ œG1 23
.˙ ˙C
If all the World were Paper
© Lisa K. Koch - Permission granted for use with attribution (CC
BY 4.0)
John Playford, The English Dancing Master, 1651
If all the world were paperand all the sea were ink,If all the
trees were bread and cheese,what would we do for drink?
If every bottle leaked,and none had but a crack,If Spanish apes
ate all the grapes,what would we do for sack?