Lute, Vihuela, and Early Guitar

Producción CientíficaLutes, guitars, and vihuelas were the principal plucked instruments in use in Europe until around 1800. Ancient forms of the lute existed in many parts of the ancient world, from Egypt and Persia through to China. It appears to have become known in Europe, where its earliest associations were with immigrants such as the legendary Persian lutenist Ziryab (b. c. 790–d. 852), who was established in Moorish Spain by 822. The origins of the various flat-backed instruments that eventually became guitars are more difficult to trace. The vihuela is one such instrument that evolved in the mid-15th century and was prolific in Spain and its dominions throughout the 16th century and beyond. Very few plucked instruments, and only a handful of fragmentary musical compositions, survive from before 1500. The absence of artifacts and musical sources prior to 1500 has been a point of demarcation in the study of early plucked instruments, although current research is seeking to explore the continuity of instrumental practice across this somewhat artificial divide. In contrast, perhaps as many as thirty thousand works—perhaps even more—for lute, guitar, and vihuela survive from the period 1500–1800. The music and musical practices associated with them are not well integrated into general histories of music. This is due in part to the use of tablature as the principal notation format until about 1800, and also because writers of general histories of music have for the most part ignored solo instrumental music in their coverage. (For example, the Oxford Anthology of Western Music, Vol. 1 (2018), designed to accompany chapters 1–11 of Richard Taruskin’s Oxford History of Western Music, does not contain a single piece of instrumental music prior to Frescobaldi [1637]). Contrary to this marginalized image, lutes, vihuelas, and guitars were a revered part of courtly musical culture until well into the 18th century, and constantly present in urban contexts. After the development of basso continuo practice after 1600, plucked instruments also became frequent in Christian church music, although the lute was widely played by clerics of all levels, particularly during the Renaissance. It was also one of the principal tools used by composers of liturgical polyphony, in part because tablature was the most common way of writing music in score. From the beginning of music printing, printed tablatures played a fundamental role in the urban dissemination of music originally for church and court, and plucked instruments were used widely by all levels of society for both leisure and pleasure. After 1800, the lute fell from use, the guitar was transformed into its modern form with single strings, and tablature ceased to be the preferred notation for plucked instruments.Este trabajo forma parte del proyecto de investigación “La obra musical renacentista: fundamentos, repertorios y prácticas” HAR 2015-70181-P (MINECO/FEDER, UE

Michael Zell, percussion, December 17, 2018

This is the concert program of the Michael Zell, percussion performance on Monday, December 17, 2018 at 6:00 p.m., at the Concert Hall, 855 Commonwealth Avenue. Works performed were Rebonds a by Iannis Xenakis, Nemesis by Andy Scott, Tango Suite by Astor Piazolla, Arpeggiata from Intavolatura di Chitarrone I by Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger, Khan Variations by Alejandro Viñao, and Psappha by I. Xenakis. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund

The Trio Sonata in Pre-Corellian Prints: When Does 3 = 4?

Printed sources of pre-Corellian trios include several distinct scorings, one of which requires four performers (SSBbc). Particular scorings correlate with musical style and function. Melodic bass and chordal continuo were employed in the church sonata; one or the other in the dance repertoire. Moreover, the stronger the contrapuntal role of the bass part, the more likely it was to be played on a melodic instrument. After 1660, sacred and secular scoring practices became less distinct. Increasingly active dance bass lines were more often figured, while chordal and melodic bass parts of church sonatas became nearly identical

Performance Practice Bibliography 1990

A bibliography concerning works published in the field of historical performance practice in 1990

Performance Practice Bibliography 1990

A bibliography concerning works published in the field of historical performance practice in 1990