17th – 18th Century Guitar History Study Guide
Diapason: added strings on lute that aren’t fretted (long strings)
-stopeed after 13 courses (7 diapasons: 7 diatonic notes=octave)
End of the lute: 1750, the year Bach and Weiss died
Baroque guitar: 4-5 courses.
-In England Spanish guitar is what we call the baroque guitar
-English Guitar: steel string c major
-variations in tuning based on composer although usually EBGDA
-re-entrant: basses up an octave
-bordon: in octave pair
-Sanz: DA re-entrant
-Corbetta: DA re-entrant, D bordon
-Foscarini: DA in upper bordons
-5th courses gained acceptance late 16th century
Renaissance Lute: 6-10 courses
-g, d, a, f, c, g. 7-10 in diapasons
Mandora
-bass lute, could play chromatic bass lines, used in solo and ensemble playing
- modern guitar tuning system, could have up to 8 strings, strings 7-8 would be D, C
Baroque Lute
-d minor
-11-13 courses
-f,d,a,f,d,a,g,f,d,c,(b),(a)
-used more in solo repertoire
-solo playing
Theorbo/Archlute
-preserved the renaissance tuning
-ensemble/continue playing
-theorbo: 15 strings, no double. a, e , b, g, d, a, g, f, d, e, d, c, b, a, g
-archlute: 14 course: g, d, a, f, c, g, f, d, etc
Baroque Guitar Composers/players (all Spanish/Italian)
Juan Carlos Amata: Guitarra Espanola (1596): first 5 string guitar book
Foscarini: wrote three books, first in 1629
Corbetta: La Guitarre Royale (1671), big composer for 17th century guitar
Gaspar Sanz: Instruccion de Music (1674)
Geurau: Poema Harminico (1694)
De Murcia: Resumen de acompanar la parte con guitarra (1714). Wrote cumbes
Robert de Visse
-most important French guitarist of the Baroque
-composed for guitar, lute, and theobo
- livre de Guittare Didlie Avroy 1682
Francois Campion
-after de Visse, considered most important French Baroque guitarist. Wrote for guitar, lute,
and theorbo
-Novvelle Decounentes sur la guitarre (1705)
Baroque Lute Composers/players
-Denis Gaultiee: Pieces de luth (1669): French
- Silvius Leopold Weiss: wrote most work in Lute history (more than 1000)
J.S Bach
-only wrote 5 works for the lute/lute-harpsichord
BWV 995: 3rd lute suite, originally in g minor, also written for cello (fifth suite in c minor),
played on guitar in a minor, prelude/allemande/courante/sarbande/gavottes/gigue
BWV 996: 1st lute suite, originally in e minor on the lute-harpsichord,
prelude/allemande/courante/sarabande/bourre/gigue
BWV 997: 2nd Lute suite originally in c minor on the lute, played on guitar in a minor
Prelude/fugue/sarabande/gigue and double
BWV 998 originally in Eb for lute-harpsichord
BWV 999 prelude on lute-harpsichord c minor, modern guitar d minor
BWV 1000 lute arangment of the fugue from g minor sonata
BWV 1006a 4th lute suite, E Major originally for violin (3rd violin partita), transcribed to
lute, prelude arranged for orchestra/organ BWV 29 (in D Major, prelude of a Cantata),
Prelude/loure/Gavott en Rondeau, Minuet pair, bourre, gigue
Vivaldi Concerti (all with strings and continuo)
RV 93 originally for lute
RV 425 C Major, mandolin
Duo Concerti
-RV 532 2 mandolins
-RV 540 d minor viola d’amore and lute
-RV 85 g minor violin and lute
RV 82 C major violin and lute
