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Chitarrone, Theorbo and ArchluteAuthor(s): Robert SpencerSource: Early Music, Vol. 4, No. 4, (Oct., 1976), pp. 407-423Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3126155Accessed: 25/05/2008 11:56

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Defining the differences between the chitarrone, theorbo and archlute has always been difficult. Mersenne (1637) was confused, and few readers of his book on instruments seem to have noticed that he renamed his theorbe, arciliuto. Many modern writers have given definitions as though they applied in any country at any date. It is easy to forget that poor and slow communications allowed regional character to

develop. This attempt to distinguish instruments of the lute family with more than one peg box is based on a

study of surviving instruments, music written for them, and contemporary comment, not forgetting much-

appreciated discussion with Michael Lowe, James Tyler, Ian Harwood, Nigel North, Tim Crawford, and

Anthony Bailes.

Chitarrone The chitarrone was most probably evolved c. 1580 by a member of the Camerata of Florence, as a necessary adjunct of the new style of song writing, musica recitativa. It supplied simple harmonic support for the voice, often being played by the singer himself. Malvezzi (1591) tells us that Peri sang to his own chitar- rone accompaniment in the 1589feste.1 Piccinini (1623)

says that chitarroni were developed from bass lutes, whose strings were raised in pitch (I suggest from D to G) when used for song accompaniment. Owing to the

long string-length of the bass lutes the top two courses had to be lowered an octave. He adds that Caccini used such an instrument to accompany himself before 1594.2 Note that he says nothing about long un-

stopped bass strings, which Piccinini says he invented for the arciliuto in 1594. I suggest that before 1594 the chitarrone may have been exactly what Piccinini says: bass lutes restrung at higher pitch with the top two courses lowered an octave, but without very long contrabassi. Such an instrument is shown in Fig. 1.

In 1600 the preface to Cavalieri's Rappresentatione di anima e di Corpo listed 'a chitarrone or theorbo, as it is called' ('un Chitarone, 6 Tiorba che si dica'). That is, by 1600 the words chitarrone and tiorba were con- sidered synonymous, a fact later confirmed by Agazzari (1606),3 Piccinini (1623)4 and Kapsberger (1640).5 We must therefore consider why there were two names for the same instrument.

Three possibilities suggest themselves. First, similar instruments with different names may have been in-

10 Overleaf: Lady with a Theorbo (c. 1670?) byJohn Michael Wright (1617- ?1700) Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Ohio, U.S.A.

408

1

Detailfrom The Duet (c. 1630) by Jan Molenaer (1609/10-68), Seattle Art Museum. The lowest 4 courses of this 10-course instrument are housed in a second peg-box. The same instrument is depicted in Molenaer's A Young Man and Woman Making Music (c. 1630) in The National Gallery, London, and a similar second peg-box housing the two lowest courses of an 8-course instrument is shown in St Cecilia and the Angel (c. 1610) in the Galleria Nazionale, Rome (illustrated in M. Pincherle, An Illustrated History of Music, London, 1962, p 84).

vented simultaneously in different parts of Italy, a sup- position backed by the nomenclature of Praetorius (1620): Paduanische Theorba and Lang Romanische Theorba: Chitarron.6 Second, if my suggestion is correct that the earliest chitarrone was only a restrung bass lute, a new name (the tiorba) would have been required for an instrument, which although tuned in a similar manner, had additional long contrabassi strings. By 1600 (S. Rossi, II primo libro de madrigali) this modi- fication was adopted by the chitarrone. And thirdly, one instrument could have been strung with gut, the other with metal. Both Praetorius and Piccinini mentioned the optional use of metal strings, but neither said that

they were exclusive to the chitarrone. Praetorius illus- trated both instruments as being single-strung. His chitarron had fourteen courses of which 6 were on the

fingerboard, his Paduanische Theorba sixteen courses with eight fingered. His chitarron had a smaller body but longer overall length than his theorba (Fig. 2). Apart from these distinctions, which anyway are not con- firmed by some large-bodied and double-strung

instruments by Buechenberg of Rome, the present state of research does not enable us to state with cer-

tainty any difference between chitarrone and tiorba after c. 1600.

Caccini (1602) said that 'the chitarrone is better suited to accompany the voice, especially the tenor, than any other instrument'.7 More than 60 books of songs printed 1600-41 name it for accompaniment.8 In these the player had to improvise a simple chordal accom-

paniment from a bass line, frequently unfigured, though a few books (Rossi 1600; Kapsberger 1610, 1612, 1619; Corradi 1616) have a tablature accom-

paniment which gives a precise indication of style. It

accompanied the voice without a bowed bass. Banchieri* gave this tuning for a chittarrone:

Q 'come place' i. e. whichever octave you prefer for string 1

=- 0

@

do b o o o s g

He did not say whether it was double- or single- strung, nor how many courses were fingered. Note that course 1 could be, and course 2 was at lute pitch, which implies either that the stopped string-length was

short, or that Banchieri was unsure of his facts. Praetorius (1619) also gave a G tuning for his

Theorba with 6 stopped strings, which corresponds with his illustration of a chitarron:

(O- Stopped strings -0() Unstopped strings -

0 _

Notice that courses 1 and 2 are lowered the octave and that it is single-strung. However, the tablature song accompaniments of Rossi, Kapsberger and Corradi indicate a tuning a tone higher, in A. This higher tuning was adopted possibly because a continuo part could be played with greater facility in the much used key of A, as well as those of C, D, E, F and G. Also the instrument would sound better at a higher pitch.

Despite the octave displacement of the first two courses, solo music in tablature was printed for the

* op. cit., p53.

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Lang Romanische Theorba: Chitarron (detailfrom plate V) and Paduanische Theorba (detailfirom plate XVI) with their scales marked in

Brunswickfeet:from M. Praetorius Theatrum Instrumentorum (Wolfenbiittel, 1620). One Brunswickfoot equals 11.235 inches or 28.536cm (N. Bessarabof, Ancient European Musical Instruments (Boston, 1941, p 353). Tuningsfrom M. Praetorius, Syntagma Musicum, Tomus 2: De Organographia (Wolfenbuttel, 1619), p 27.

chitarrone by Kapsberger in 1604, 1616, 1626, 1640, and

by Piccinini in 1623. Kapsberger wrote for a 19-course chitarrone in his 1640 book, but courses 15-19 only supply the accidentals missing between courses 6 and 13. Both composers wrote instructions for playing technique, and Piccinini recommended playing with

right-hand nails. The Archivo di Stato of Modena has a chitarrone tablature dating from c. 1614-19: (MS Musica 4). The word chitarrone, bearing in mind that the instrument was invented by the humanist

409

V- I

3 Chitarrone (? or tiorba) by Magno dieffopruchar (Venice, 1608), overall

length 195cm: 6'4j". London, Royal College of Music, no. 26.

Camerata, probably means large kithara, the instru- ment played by the classical Greek poets. The word was last used in printed music in Fontana and Laurenzi 1641 and Cazzati 1653, being gradually replaced during the 1630s by the tiorba.

A measured drawing by Ian Harwood of the chitar- rone (or tiorba) illustrated (Fig. 3) can be obtained from the Instrument Museum of the Royal College of Music, London. This chitarrone has six double courses on the fingerboard with a stopped string-length of 93.3 cm, and eight single unstopped basses measuring 170.7 cm.

Tiorba The word tiorba first appears in print, to my know-

ledge, in 1598, when John Florio included it in his

Italian-English dictionary, A Worlde of Wordes. Some modern books quote its inclusion in the 1544 inven-

tory of the Accademia Filarmonica, Verona, though I

suspect Una tiorba was added at the end of the century. 410

(Short of going to Verona and examining the manu-

script I can see no way of resolving my doubts.) Cer-

tainly there seems to be no musical need for a tiorba until at least the mid-1570s, when the Camerata were

experimenting with their nuove musiche. Mersenne (1637) says that it was invented in Florence 'thirty or

forty years ago' by le Bardella,9 i.e. Antonio Naldi, whom Caccini also praised for his continuo realizations.10 From c.1600 the tiorba was considered

synonymous with the chitarrone. It is named in printed music from 1600 until the 18th century. Solo music in tablature was printed by Meli in 1614, 1620; and by Castaldi in 1622. This latter book contains a portrait of Castaldi (Fig. 4) playing his tiorba, which is seen to be

single-strung and to have a single rose in the sound-

board, a possible distinction from the chitarrone also

depicted by Praetorius (1620). An instrument of this

type in original condition is to be found in the Vienna collection (Fig. 5). It has six double courses on the

fingerboard with a stopped string length of 75.7 cm and eight single unstopped basses measuring 121.2 cm. However, Fig. 6 shows a large-bodied instrument with a triple rose, six stopped courses doubled in unison except for the first which is single, and nine

single contrabassi. The page of Italian tablature on the left is inscribed corente per la Tiorba, thus confirming that this instrument is also a tiorba. Fig. 7 depicts, presumably, yet another variation of tiorba, on which the contrabassi appear to be taken over their nut to be housed in a second peg-box open at the back of the extension-neck. A similar arrangement is shown in two other paintings-The Education of Marie de Medicis (c. 1622) by P. P. Rubens in The Louvre, Paris, and Amor Vincit Omnia (c. 1640?) by Jan van den Hoeke in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (no. 3554), Vienna. Pittoni added a figured bass for organ or clavicem- balo in his sonatas for 14-course tiorba, 1669. But the tiorba was used mainly to accompany songs, taking over from the chitarrone as the most named instrument in the 1630s. Mersenne gave the tuning of the 'Tuorbe

pratiqu&e Rome"' as:

0 ?

He added the correction that his engraving of a tuorbe

(Fig. 16) should be called arciliuto, and that the tiorbe was larger and single-strung. Castaldi wrote duets for the tiorba to play with the tiorbino, tuned an octave

higher; and in 1645 was printed the anonymous

!): 0

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" 4

4 'b 410 .

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I i

II

I

-V I"?

-0

5 6

Left: Bellerofonte Castaldi with his tiorbafrom his Capricci a Due Stromenti (Modena, 1622) p 28 v

Centre: Tiorba (? or chitarrone) by Wendelio Venere (Padua, 1611) overall length 140cm: 4'7jt. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, no. SAM 43. Right: Geronimo Valeriani, lutenist to the Duke of Modena by Lodovico Lana (1597-1646). Photo courtesy ofSotheby, Parke Bernet h& Co.

Conserto Vaga for 11-course tiorba, liuto and chitarrino. Both these works were written out in tablature.

Starting with the trio sonatas of Cazzati in 1656, the tiorba was used for the following thirty years as an alternative to the violone, reading from bass clef. The tiorba would play the bass and add harmony to that of the organo part. From the 1680s the arciliuto gradually replaced the tiorba, probably because the upper two courses, being at lute pitch, gave the arciliuto greater range for the bass, and allowed room for harmony above that bass. The tiorba was used on its own to

accompany a solo voice in opera (Legrenzi, Eleocle, 1675)12 and church music. From 1614 St Mark's, Venice employed singers who doubled as theorbists,"3 the last theorbist there dying in 1748.14 Schutz marked a section of 'Veni dilecte mi' in Symphoniae Sacrae (Venice, 1629) voce con la Tiorba, and Cavalli's Ave Maris Stella has a separate part for tiorba written out in Cavalli's autograph. As late as 1717 motets were printed with a part for violone ' Tiorba."5

Theorbo The theorbo (or theorbo-lute: Mace used the terms interchangeably for the same instrument)16 is first referred to in John Florio's Italian-English diction-

ary, A Worlde of Wordes (1598), when he translated Tiorba as 'a kind of musicall instrument used among countrie people'. Both that definition and that of the 1611 edition, 'a musical instrument that blind men

play upon called a Theorba', show that the instru- ment was unknown in England at that time. Dr Plume noted that Inigo Jones first brought the theorbo into England circa 1605.17 Angelo Notari came to England c. 1610 and published a book of songs con la tiorba in 7

Detailfrom A Musical Company by Gysbert van der Kuyl (d. 1673). Photo courtesy of Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co.

411

4

On 9 October 1661 he wrote, 'put my theorbo out to be mended'. On 25 October, 'saw my lute, which is now almost done, it being to have a new neck to it and to be made to double strings'. On 28 October, 'my Theorbo done ..., and costs me 26s. to the altering. But he now tells me it is as good a lute as any is in

England, and is worth well ?10.' On the subject of value, theorbos cost about ?15 right through the 17th

century.22 Pepys wrote on 15 November 1667, 'we did

play, he [Pelham Humfrey, lately returned from France] on the theorbo, Mr Caesar on his French lute, and I on the viol, but made but mean musique, nor do I see that this 'Frenchman' do so much wonders on the theorbo'.

Thomas Mace (1676) gave instructions for playing solo and continuo on a theorbo tuned thus:

Q u ,?

8

Detailfrom Mary Sidney, Lady Wroth, holding a theorbo (c. 1620) attributed toJohn de Critz (1555-1641). Penshurst Place, Kent.

London in 1613. He may well have introduced the theorbo. Michael Drayton (1613) implied that the theorbo was wire-strung.'8 In The Maske of Flowers (1614) a song was 'sung to Lutes and Theorboes'.'9 In the well-known portrait (c. 1620) of Mary Sidney (Fig. 8) she is holding a 13-course single-strung theorbo

closely resembling that illustrated by Praetorius. Walter Porter's Madrigales (1632) call for 'Theorbos', followed by Child's (1639) and Wilson's (1657) Psalms. A number of manuscript collections of songs with tablature for theorbo have also survived.20 In 1652

John Playford printed the first of his collections of Ayres 'to sing to the Theorbo'. Almost every song book until the end of the century called for the 'theorbo' or 'theorbo-lute'.21 Samuel Pepys the diarist played the theorbo, calling it interchangeably 'theorbo' or 'lute'. 412

At least 7 courses were on the fingerboard. He added that some players lower the second course an octave if the theorbo is very large, and that smaller theorbos should be tuned a tone higher, in A.23 His engraving (Fig. 9) of The Lute Dyphone shows the distinctive peg- box peculiar to some English theorbos, which allowed basses to increase in length as they lowered in pitch. I know of no surviving instrument of this type, but see Lady with a theorbo (Fig. 10) painted by J. M. Wright c. 1680. This theorbo seems to have 11 courses, of which 4 are unstopped. All are double, except the first. James Talbot (c. 1700) gave this tuning for an 'English Double Theorboe':

Stopped strings 5 nuts giving strings lengths of Stopped string length 88.5 cm 105.5, 110.7, 118.4, 127.0, 135.9 cm

O ( ? @ 9): ( ~ O :t J

p:u ? ^O x o ti

and this tuning for an 'English Single Theorboe':

C Stoppedl "Trehles" 0 Unstopped "Basses" 0

t X " o . . _

9:?~~~~~ o T 8~

b- --

9 The theorbo halfofThe Lute Dyphone. T. Mace, Musick's Monument

(London, 1676) p32.

He said both could have either 9 or 10 frets on the neck, and gave many variants of octave or unison double-stringing.24

Returning to music for the theorbo, about 1650 John Wilson wrote out solos in every key for a 12- course instrument with only the first course tuned to the lower octave. Of the tablature song accompani- ments in the same manuscript, 36 indicate a theorbo tuned in G, and only 5 in A.25 Perhaps Henry Lawes was referring to the outlandish keys of the solos when he wrote:

That thou hast gone, in Musick, unknown wayes, Hast cut a path where there was none before, Like Magellan traced an unknown shore.26

Thomas Mace printed a long Fancy-Praelude, or

Voluntary; Sufficient Alone to make a Good Hand, Fitfor All manner of Play, or Use. About the mid 1680s the theorbo was gradually replaced for song accompaniment by the

harpsichord, probably because it could not cope as well with the new melodic importance given to the bass

by composers like Purcell. The advertisement which

appeared in the Flying Post of 8 February 1701-J. Hare offers for sale 'a large Consort Theorbo Lute'27-was perhaps indicative of the disuse into which the theorbo had fallen. However, in 1707 Walsh

printed A Complete Methodfor ... Thorough Bass upon ...

Theorbo-Lute, by ... Godfrey Keller, though in a later edition 'Theorbo-Lute' was replaced by 'Arch Lute'. In the same year Francesco Conti played 'upon his Great Theorbo' in London.28 Handel wrote parts for teorba or theorba in his London productions of Giulio Cesare (1724), Partenope (1730), Esther (1732), and Saul (1739).

One silent musical use of the theorbo was recorded in the Burwell Lute Tutor (c. 1660-72): 'in a Consort one beates it [time] with the motion of the necke of the Theorbo, and every one must have the eye upon it and follow in playing his motion and keepe the same time with the other players'.29

Theorbe The theorbe (tuorbe) was probably introduced into France c.1650 by Nicholas Hautman (Fig. 11), who died in 1663.30 There is mention of its use in Mauduit's concerts of c. 1610,31 but then nothing until Mersenne (1637). Presumably the theorbe was rare in France at that time because Mersenne's well-known picture (Fig. 16) is in fact of an arciliuto, as he took pains to point out later in the book. In the text he described the Tuorbe pratique d Rome as having 14 courses singly strung in A, with the first two courses tuned down an octave. In 1647 Constantijn Huygens sent the manu-

script of his Pathodia Sacra et Profana to Ballard the

printer in Paris. The songs then had a tablature

accompaniment for theorbo, but Ballard persuaded Huygens to replace this with a figured bass that could be used by keyboard players.32 Presumably there were few theorbists in France then. Part of his own theorbo can be seen in a portrait of Huygens dated 1627 (Fig. 12).

From 1660 a number of continuo tutors were

printed.33 In 1668 B. de Bacilly had printed his Trois Livres d'airs with a figured bass 'pour le Theorbe'. Six

important tablature manuscripts of solo music sur-

11

Nicolas Hautman (d. 1663), engraving by Samuel Bernard (1615-87).

7-1 -T;72.42r

MonjslIeur llEaz man excellent- joueur Je 'Volle, etl-Je L,t . S.Benar,I fct-41

413

vive for theorbe.34 This solo music may have been played on a smaller instrument than that used for continuo. Talbot gave details of two sizes of 'French Theorboe'.35 First was the normal accompanying instrument, tuned as Mersenne's, to which were attached the names Crevecoeur and Dupre, who supplied Talbot with his information and instruments to measure. Unfortun-

ately he gave no measurements for this theorbo, but we do know that in 1703 a 'Mr Dupre, Lute Master has set up a School ... [in London] where he teaches to

play ... the Theorbo in Consort', and there was a benefit concert for him the following year.36 A 12- course instrument of this type is shown in Puget's painting of 1687 (see cover). Of the fingered courses the first is single, and six are double in unison. The five

diapasons are doubled at the octave. The second of Talbot's instruments is called 'lesser French Theorbo for Lessons' and he gave a tuning a 4th higher than that for playing thorough-bass:

Q 76 cm (

o O o 0*4)

129.2 cm

o I) l? o ,, -

He added that a 'French Theorboe may have 10 Frets' and that Crevecoeur told him that the 'Fr. single [strung] Theorboe ... [is] fitter for Thorough Bass than Arch Lute, its Trebles being neither below the voice nor Instrs in Consort, as Arch Lute'. I confess I can make little sense of this, since the archlute was tuned only one tone lower than the thorough-bass theorbo, and its first two courses were not lowered the octave. Perhaps Crevecoeur was recommending the lesser French theorbo (tuned in D) for continuo work, and Talbot failed to grasp the distinction. Or, more

likely, he has muddled the reason for preferring the theorbo. In 1701 Sauveur gave the standard A tuning for a 14-course Theorbe, the first two courses down the octave, adding that pour les Pieces (solos) the theorbe should have 10 frets, but only 9 pourjouer la Basse con- tiniie.3 On further reflection I think the instrument in Watteau's Charmes de la Vie, c.1719 (Early Music, April 1976, p. 166) is probably a theorbe pour les pieces. In 1716 De Visee printed many of his theorbe pieces en partition, dessus et Basse for harpsichord or violin and bass-viol, because he said so few could read tablature.38 In the same year Campion the theorbist called tablature pernicieuse in his Traite d'Accompagnement.39 414

It is likely that the theorbe was taken to Germany and Prague from France, along with the French lute, so the use of the theorbe in those countries will be considered here. Silvius Leopold Weiss, more famous for his playing of the solo French lute, also played an equiva- lent of the theorbo. He said in a letter from Dresden dated 1723 that he had accommodated one of his instruments for accompaniment in the orchestra and in church. This had the size, length, power and

sonority of a theorbo but was tuned differently.40 Baron (1727) said that Weiss played thorough-bass exceptionally well on lute or tiorba, and that the Theorba of his day often employed die neue Lauten-Stimmung (D minor tuning) with double-strung fingered courses but single basses.41 Weiss, in the same letter, confirmed Mace's statement that the theorbo was played with right-hand nails. The tiorba was used in Vienna, Prague and Berlin during the 18th century.42 When giving his seating plan of an orchestra (1752), Quantz wrote that the theorbist should sit behind the second harpsi- chord, between two cellists.43. Baron was the theorbist Quantz worked with in Berlin from 1741 to 1760.

As late as 1780 La Borde distinguished between the Theorbe de pieces and the Theorbe d'accompagnement. He wrote that the first was monte' la quarte (i.e. in D?), and that the second was au ton naturel (in A?) and had a larger body; his theorbe had 14 strings, 6 fingered and 8 basses, and 10 frets.44

Liuto attiorbato The liuto attiorbato was a lute of 7 or 8 double courses of

stopped strings, with 6 or 7 single or double courses of

unstopped diapasons. This instrument was used

principally for solo music, but was also called for (as liuto) to provide continuo. Courses 1 and 2 were at correct lute pitch, not lowered an octave as on the tiorba or chitarrone. This implies an instrument with a smallish body and a stopped string-length no longer than that of a normal lute. Many instruments made by Matteo Sellas in the 1630s seem to have the right pro- portions for a liuto attiorbato. (Fig. 13).

Piccinini (1623) says he invented this type of instru- ment in Padua in 1594. He calls it arciliuto because the name liuto attiorbato suggests that it was derived from the tiorba which he knows to be untrue because he in- vented it.45 His book also gives very full instructions on the technique of playing the liuto attiorbato, including recommending the use of right-hand nails.46 Graces are explained in Meli (1614) and Piccinini (1623). The liuto attiorbato is named in printed music between 1614 and 1623 only: but after about 1611 (Kapsberger's Intavolatura di lauto, which is for 10-course lute) liuto

I);

) ?

means with few exceptions liuto attiorbato in Italy. The old G tuning was carried right through the 17th into the 18th century while other European countries

experimented with new tunings, culminating in the D minor and 'Flat French' tunings.

Solo music in tablature was printed by Saracini in 1614 (14 courses); Meli in 1614, 1616, and 1620 (13 courses); Piccinini in 1623, 1639 (13 courses); and Gianoncelli in 1650 (14 courses). L. Theorbato is called for in a manuscript of Italian tablature in the Biblio-

theque Nationale, Paris (Res 1108). Eleven courses are used on f. 14V-15, and 12 on f.42. Other manuscripts of Italian tablature for 11 or 12-course Liuto are: Nuremberg, Staatsbibl., Mus. MS. 271/3; Florence, Bibl. Naz. Cen., Mus. Codex. XIX.105 (dated 1635); Venice, Bibl. Naz. Marciana, Codex 1.IV. 1793 (dated 1657-8). The anonymous Conserto Vaga (Rome, 1645) for tiorba, liuto and chitarrino implies that the liuto is tuned in A, but only 8 courses are used.

Praetorius (1620) illustrated a Laute mit Abziigem [extension] oder Testudo Theorbata (Fig. 14). This shows an instrument smaller than his Paduanische Theorba, with strings taken over or through the bridge to the capping strip, which would only be necessary if they

Detail of Constantijn Huygens (1627) by Thomas de Keyser (1596/7- 1667). London, National Gallery, no. 212.

were made of metal. An instrument of this type sur- vives in the Paris Conservatoire Musee (Fig. 15), on which the soundboard is 'bent' to withstand the tension of metal strings. Praetorius (1619) is speaking of the testudo theorbata when he says that the lute of his day has seven or eight double courses on the finger- board and six single diapasons alongside.4. His theorba differs from it in having single strings throughout and courses 1 and 2 lowered an octave. He gave this tuning for Lautte mit eim langen Kragen [long neck] :48

Left: ? Liuto Attiorbato by Matteo Sellas (Venice, 1638). 7 double stopped courses 58.8cm, 7 double cofitrabassi 84.3cm, overall length 112cm: 3'8j". Paris Conservatoire, Musee Instrumental, no. E 1028 C 1052. Centre: Testudo Theorbata (detail from plate XVI) with its scale in Brunswickfeet,from M. Praetorius Theatrum Instrumentorum (Wolfenbiittel, 1620). Its tuningfrom M. Praetorius Syntagma Musicum, Tomus 2: De Organographia (Wolfenbittel, 1619) p 27.

Right: ? Liuto Attiorbato (anon, undated). There are 8 holes in the capping-stripfor hitch-pins. 7 stopped courses (13 strings) 54.7cm, 5 contrabassi courses (8 strings) 84.0cm, but the neck has probably been shortened. Paris Conservatoire, Musee Instrumental, no. E 528 C 229.

14

13 15

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uttJ mitblfiffiStm obf TefiudoTheorbara

kauttemit t"ian, rjin ~.~a$?un.

415

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Arciliuto As mentioned above, Piccinini preferred the word arciliuto to liuto attiorbato because the latter implied a relation to the tiorba which he, the inventor, denied.

Mersenne ( 163 7) was confused between tiorba and ar- ciliuto, which perhaps indicates only that neither was common in Paris at that time. In the text he called this instrument (Fig. 16) Tuorbe, but in his errata he wrote that the Italians called it Arciliuto though he would have preferred Luth a double manche. He gave this tuning for the 11 courses, though in the text he implied that others tuned the arciliuto a tone lower :49

O -- Stopped strings 0 ()- Diapasons --

: { l " I '-I 11 . ... ? " 11

However, the word arciliuto did not gain universal ac-

ceptance until the 1680s, by which time two impor- tant new factors called for a continuo instrument to

replace the tiorba. First, covered strings had been in- vented in the middle of the century (first mentioned in

print in 1664)50 which enabled a fuller sound to be

produced on a string length shorter than that of the

tiorba. Secondly, Corelli and his contemporaries were writing wide-ranging bass lines that stretched the theorbist: both his fingers, and the upper register of his instrument, so that he had no higher strings for the

harmony above the bass. Or if he did try to play har-

mony on the upper two strings, it sounded below the bass because of their octave transposition. The arciliuto solved both these problems. It carried on the tuning of the liuto attiorbato with the upper strings at lute pitch, thus enabling the bass to rise higher and still have at least one string left for a harmony note above it. And the shorter stopped string-length (say, 67 instead of 90cm) made it feasible to play with greater facility. Corelli named the arcileuto as a possible alternative to the violone in his trio sonatas from 1681. It would have

played the bass line and added harmony to that of the

organo. Many other composeres, e.g. Sammartini, Vitali and Veracini, named the arciliuto in this way.5'

I suggest that the instrument by M. Harz of Rome dated 1665 (Fig. 17) is an arciliuto. It has 6x2 stopped strings measuring 67cm and 8x1 diapasons of 143.7cm. This stopped string-length does not seem long enough for a theorbo, that is, there is no need to lower the top courses an octave, and the chitarrone is last named in printed music in 1641 and 1653.

In planche [3] of his Principes d'Acoustique Joseph Sauveur confirmed the distinctions between theorbe and archiluth, and that the latter had 14 courses tuned in G with the top courses at lute pitch. In 1703 Brossard said that when a theorbe is double-strung, with dia-

pasons in octaves, the stopped strings unison and the first course single, it is then called Archileuto or Archiliuto by the Italians, and Archiluth by the French.52

G. Bononcini wrote a part for arciliuto in his opera II

16

Arciliuto and its tuning, detailftom the engraving in M. Mersenne Seconde Partie de L'Harmonie Universelle: Livre Premier des Instrumens

(Paris, 1637) p 46.

416

....

\ J!^illitlllulil ;11 "'"'u

Iiril li lllP'

Xerse, written in 1694 in Rome, and A. Scarlatti scored for leuto in his opera II Prigioniero Fortunato (Naples, 1698).53 In 1708 Handel scored for arciliuto solo in his Resurrezione, and gave a fully written out part for arciliuto in the aria 'Come la Rondinella' from his cantata Clori, Tirsi e Fileno. A cantata (1738) by G. Bonno includes the aria 'Qual sara l'anima' for bass with a written out part in staff notation for arciliuto solo.54 I have in my own library an anonymous Italian

manuscript, written c.1720, containing two Concertini Per Cammera Con Arciliuto obligato, Violini e Basso and a Sinfonia a solo di Arciliuto. The arciliuto part is written in staff notation on one stave transposed up an octave (as guitar today), alternating between solo sections and figured bass (Fig. 18). These compositions illustrate the advantage of arciliuto over tiorba for continuo, in that solo sections are possible if the top strings are at lute

pitch. There is a painting by Johann Georg Platzer (1702-60) in The Hermitage, Leningrad, in which an arciliuto is being played with violin, cello, transverse flute and cembalo to accompany a singer.

Archlute The archlute largely replaced the theorbo in England at the beginning of the 18th century. About 1700 James Talbot measured an 'Arch Lute' with this tuning:55

trebles, measuring 68.5 cm ) ) basses, measuring 152.7 cm )

=: m

p 11

Notice how close the stringing and measurements are to the Harz instrument illustrated above. A manu-

script of c 1680 contains on fl 1V-20v Italian songs with tablature accompaniment for either archlute or theorbo. The two solo 'Menuetts' on f16V seem to call for the upper strings to be at the upper octave. If so, this would be a very early use of the archlute in England.56 Between 1703 and 1708 Thomas Dean advertised London concerts in which he played the archlute to accompany in turn the violin, the German flute and the voice.57 John Blow scored for 'lute' (pro- bably intending archlute) in an anthem to celebrate the Battle of Blenheim ( 1704).8 John Walsh the publisher listed the archlute for continuo in nine of his music books 1705-17.59 In 1715 a 'lutanist' was appointed to the Chapel Royal.60 This was John Shore the trumpeter, whose archlute Talbot had measured some years earlier, and who, according to Hawkins, in- vented the tuning fork 'to tune his lute by'.6 In the fol-

. 4 4 O

17 ? Arciliuto by Martinus Harz (Rome, 1665) with its original case. Overall length 167cm: 5'5i". Edinburgh University, Collection of Musical Instruments.

lowing year John Weldon specified the 'arch-lute' to

provide continuo for his anthems in Divine Harmony, and the lutenist can be seen in the frontispiece view of the Chapel. Handel wrote a figured bass part for 'archilute' in 'Gentle Airs' from Athalia (Oxford, 1733),62 but its range and style is indistinguishable from his teorbe parts (London, 1724-39). It is possible that his choice of instrument was governed by the

availability of particular players and the instruments

they played. After Shore's death in 1752 the archlute is mentioned only in histories (Hawkins, 1776) and dictionaries (Hoyle, 1791), but these merely repeat earlier writers.

Postscript: lutes with two heads 1. The Two-headed lute The type of lute shown in the illustration (Fig. 19) is sometimes called a theorboed-lute or theorbo-lute. I

417

18

Musicfor arciliuto,figured bass changing to solo,from Concertino Per Cammera Con Arciliuto obligato, Violini e Basso (c. 1720) owned by R. Spencer.

think this is mistaken. Mace (1676) made it clear that his theorbo-lute was synonymous with his theorbo62a

(Fig. 7), not a different instrument. The other half of his Lute Dyphone he called 'French lute' (Fig. 20) and on p 50 referred to its 'two heads'. Mace's 'Flat- French' tuning can be deduced by reading p 50, 83, 115, and 190:

iQ Stopped strings ? ? - basses- ?

G Q- bseII

?

The Burwell Lute Tutor reads 'English Gaultier ...

hath caused twoe heads to be made to the Lute. All

England hath accepted that Augmentation, and Fraunce at first; but soon after that alteracon hath beene condemned by all the french Masters who are returned to theire own fashion.'62b The engraving (Fig.

A

20 The French Lute (with two heads) half ofThe Lute Dyphone. T. Mace's

Musick's Monument (London, 1676) p 32.

21) of Jacques 'English' Gaultier, made by Jan Lievens c. 1630-33, shows him holding a two-headed lute.

James Talbot (c. 1700) called this type of lute 'English Two Headed Lute' and noted many details about it.63 'It has four small Nutts bearing off obliquely (as Theorboe) which carry each two single strings viz 1 bass and its octave string. ... The 8 Basses have their

upper head lying straight as the Theorboe: the 15 Trebles have the (lower) head bearing back as the French Lute of which this seems to be an improve- ment.' He gave this tuning: 418

63.5 to 81.6 cm

( trebles, 59.7 cm ? 0 in toursteps ?

S

?? ' <x>

? 11 ? |[

" o . Note te short o d o ak i

Notice the short stopped string-length, making it quite obvious that the instrument is intended for solo music.

The large number of paintings which depict the two- headed lute indicate its wide popularity, but very few instruments have survived, and none of these looks

wholly convincing:64 some could have been renecked less than a century ago to sell to collectors.

2. The German baroque lute (? or theorbo)

It is difficult to decide whether the type of lute shown in the illustration (Fig. 21) should be called a lute or a theorbo. Whatever its name, I'm sure it was strung in the normal D minor tuning used for solo music:

O Stopped strings ( basses ?

G Qase

So the lutenist could play solo music on this instru- ment. But, did he?

The French lute at the end of the 17th century had 11 courses, tuned as above down to the 11th course, with the pegs housed in a single peg-box. Such an instrument can be seen in the portrait (c 1690) of Charles Mouton.65 When the centre of lute activity shifted from France to Germany towards the end of the century, the new composers wrote for a 13-course instrument. Many existing 11-course lutes were

adapted by the addition of a bass rider to house the four extra pegs, or new instruments were made incor-

porating this second peg-box.66 About the same time a new design was evolved (as in Fig. 22), which gave greater length to the five lowest courses. The earliest instrument of this form that I have noted is dated 1692.67 I have called it the German baroque lute in

order to distinguish it from the 11-course French lute and because it appears to have been developed in

Leipzig to play German music. There is no historical

justification for this, but it seems desirable to have a

distinguishing name for ease of reference. An argu- ment in favour of considering these instruments

v- ??0 11

? "o o , 1

Detailfrom The Lute-Player (1661) by Hendrik Martensz Sorgh (1611-70). Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, no. 2213.

theorbos is that the basses would ring on too long for solo music, whereas this added resonance would be lost in an ensemble. Secondly, Baron (1727) said that:

'Today the theorbo (Paduanischen Theorben) com-

monly has the new lute tuning, which our own lute still has, because it was too much trouble for the lutenist to have to suddenly rethink everything when he picked up the old theorbo. Today the theorboes also have double courses except for the basses which are stretched freely to the second peg-box. From this Herr Mattheson can see first that the theorbo and lute have never differed

except with respect to their size and range, and second-

ly that the lute, because of its delicacy, serves well in trios or other chamber music with few participants. The theorbo, because of its power, serves best in

groups of thirty to forty musicians, as in churches and

operas.'68 Already we see arguments here for con-

sidering the instrument under discussion a lute. The basses are double, and Schelle himself did make theorbos of traditional 17th-century design with single basses,69 though the string-length of 88.0 cm would have precluded the D minor tuning suggested by Baron. And the long basses would not have been over-

bearing if they were on the 'lute' Baron mentions for the new style of 'trios or other chamber music'. In fact the length would have been necessary to supply the volume required by the new.extrovert 'galant' style employed in solo music.

Detail ofJacques Gaultier, engraving (c. 1630-33) by Jan Lievens. We have reversed the print left to right because the original engraving shows the lute with the bass strings on the treble side.

Another piece of evidence should be considered

(Fig. 23). I think it more likely that Falkenhagen would have wished to be depicted as a soloist rather than as an accompanist. His music paper is ruled with six lines for solo tablature, not five lines for continuo bass. A

portrait of Christian Gottlieb Scheidler dated 1811-1370 shows him playing a similar instrument.

Perhaps it will be possible to categorize these instru- ments definitely lutes or theorbos after further dis-

cussion, but I take comfort from Praetorius who said

when considering the theorbo: 'Since constant changes take place in these various matters, nothing very definite may be stated about them here.'7

FOOTNOTES

C. Malvezzi, Intermedii (Venice, 1591) libro nono, p 12. 'questo Ecco fu cantato da Jacopo Peri ... con maravigliosa arte sopra del chitarone'. Elsewhere spelt chitarrone: no mention of tiorba, but 'Due Leuti grossi, due piccoli'. 2 A. Piccinini, Intavolatura di liuto, et di chitarrone; libro primo (Bologna, 1623: facsimile ed. 1962), p 5. Cap. XXVIII: 'Dell'Origine del chitarrone ... che la prima corda, non potendo arriuare cosi alta vi posero in vece di quella vn' altra corda grossa accordandola vn' ottaua piu bassa ... questi Liuti grandi, per esser cosi dolci, fossero molto a proposito d'vno, che canta, per accompagnamento; ma trouandoli molto piu bassi del bisogno loro, furno necessitati for- nirli di corde piu sottili tirandoli in tuono commodo alla voce. E

perche le seconde non poteuano arriuare con l'essempio dell'altra corda le accordomo vn'ottaua piu bassa; & cosi hebbero il loro intento e questo fu il principio della Tiorba, 6 vero Chitarrone; e di

poco tempo inanzi ch'io facessi fare la tratta a i contrabassi, era venuto a Ferrara, il Signor giulio Caccini ... il quale haueua vn

419

Chitarrone d'Auorio accomodate in quella maniera medisima ch'io ho detto di sopra, della qualle si seruiua, per accompagnamento della voce; fuori poi dell' occasione del catare nissuno suo suonaua di Chitarrone....' 3 quoted in A. Banchieri, Conclusioni nel suono dell' organo (Bologna, 1609: facsimile ed. Milan, 1934), p 69: 'II Chittarrone, 6 Tiorba, che dire la vogliamo'. 4 Piccinini, op. cit.

Libro quarto d'involatura di chitarrone (Rome, 1640), p 2: 'Accordo del Chitarone ouer Tiorba 19 Ordini.' 6 Theatrum Instrumentorum (Wolfenbuttel, 1620), plates XVI and V. 7 G. Caccini, Le Nuove Musiche (Florence, 1602), sig. C2V 'Ai Lettori ... del Chitarrone ... essendo questo strumento piu atto ad accom- pagnare la voce, e particolarmente quella del Tenore, che qualunque altro.' 8 see E. Pohlmann, Laute, Theorbe, Chitarrone (2nd ed. Bremen, 1972), pp 187-8. 9 M. Mersenne, Seconde Partie de l'Harmonie Universelle: Livre septiesme des instrumens (Paris, 1637), p 77: 'Page 45 & 46 &c j'ay nomme la seconde figure a main droit Tuorbe, que les Italiens appellent Ar- ciliuto, & qui doit plustost estre appelle Luth a double manche, parce qu'outre que le Tiorbe est beacoup plus grand, il n'a qu'une chorde a chaque rang, & n'y a que trente ou quarante ans que le Bardella l'inuenta a Florence.' 10 G. Caccini, op. cit. sig. C2V. n Mersenne, op. cit., Livre premier des instrumens, p 88. 12 D. Arnold and N. Fortune, The Monteverdi Companion (London, 1968), p 292. 13 E. Selfridge-Field, 'Bassano and the orchestra of St Mark's', Early Music, April 1976, p 157. 14 E. Selfridge-Field, 'Annotated membership lists of the Venetian Instrumentalists' Guild 1672-1727', R.M.A. Research Chronicle, no. 9 (1971), p 15. 15 P. C. Albergati, Motetti, op. 12 (Bologna, 1717). 16 T. Mace, Musick's Monument (London, 1676), p 207. 17 Maldon, Essex. Plume's Library, pocket book no. 25, f.92V: 'Inigo Jones first br. ye Theorbo in. Engl. circa an 605. at Dover it w. thought sm Engn br. fro Pop. cuntris to destr. ye K & He & it sent up to Cn. Tabl'. 18 M. Drayton, Poly-olbion (London, 1613), p 63: 'Some that delight to touch the sterner wyerie Chord, The Cythron, the Pandore, and the Theorbo Strike.' 19 The Maske of Flowers (London, 1614), sig. C2. 20 a. London, B.L. E.g. 2013 (?c 1650). Songs with 1-course

theorbo tuned in both A and G: 7th course fingered. b. London, B.L. Add MS. 38,539, f.l (?c 1630). Thorough-bass exercises for theorbo (?) tuned in G: only 10 courses used. c. London, Lambeth Palace, MS. 1041. Ann Blount's song book (?c 1640). English, French and Italian songs with 13-course theorbo tuned in both A and G. At end a table of cadences for theorbo tuned in A: only 10 courses used. d. Oxford, Bodleian. mus. sch. F.575 (? c 1660) songs with 10- course theorbo tuned in both A and G. e. Oxford, Bodleian. MS. Don. c.57 (?c 1640). Songs with 11- course theorbo tuned in G. f.91V: 'Steps upon the Theorbo': 10 courses used. f. Glasgow University Library, MS. Euing 25 (formerly R.d.43), f.50, 135-154v. Thorough-bass exercises for theorbo(?) tuned in G: only 10 courses used (c 1699). g. Tokyo, Nanki MS. n-4/42 (c 1680). Songs with 13-course theorbo (or archlute?) tuned in G. h. New Haven, U.S.A. Yale University. Filmer MS. A. 14 Miss Wallis's song book (?c 1640). Italian, French and English songs with 10-course theorbo tuned in A.

21 A full list will be found in C. Day and E. Murrie, English Song Books 1651-1702 (London, 1940). 22 H. C. de Lafontaine, The King's Musick (London, 1902), p 80 (1632) ?15; p 83 (1633) ?15; p 253 (1673) ?15; p 257 (1673) ?6 (on which to teach children of the Chapel Royal); p 343 (1679) ?14.

420

z5 Adam Falkenhagen (1697-c. 1765), engraving (c. 1755)from the life by J. W. Stor of Nuremberg. 23 Mace, op. cit., pp 207-30. 24 M. Prynne, 'James Talbot's Manuscript: IV Plucked Strings The Lute Family', Galpin SocietyJournal XIV (1961) pp 59-60. 25 Oxford, Bodleian, MS. mus.b.l. 26 J. Wilson, Psalterium Carolinum (London, 1657), sig.aV. 27 M. Tilmouth, 'A Calendar of references to music in newspapers published in London and the provinces, 1660-1719,' R.M.A. Research Chronicle no. 1 (1961), p 36. 28 Tilmouth, op. cit., p 68 (1 April). 29 The Burwell Lute Tutor, f.41 (facsimile ed. Boethius Press, Leeds, 1974). 30 S. de Brossard, Dictionaire de Musique (Paris, 1703). 'Theorbo: ... depuis environ 50 ou 60 ans a succede au Luth pour jouer les Basses- Continues.... On pretend que c'est le Sieur Hotteman ... qui en a ete L'Inventeur en France.' 31 A. Cohen, 'A study of Instrumental ensemble practice in 17th- century France', Galpin SocietyJournal XV (1962), pp 4, 6. 32 C. Huygens, Pathodia (Paris, 1647); modern edition by F. Noske (Amsterdam, 1957): preface, p viii. 33 a. N. Fleury, Methode pour apprendre ... le Theorbe (Paris, 1660);

facsimile ed. Minkoff (Geneva, 1972). 14-course theorbe in A. b. H. Grenerin, Livre de Theorbe (Paris, 1668). 11-course theorbe in A. c. A. M. Bartolomi, Table pour apprendre ... le Theorbe (Paris, 1669). 14-course theorbe tuned in A. d. D. Delair, Traite d'Accompagnement pour le Theorbe (Paris, 1690); facsimile ed. Minkoff (Geneva, 1972). 14-course theorbe tuned in A.

34 a. New York. Pierpont Morgan MS. 17,524. Tablature for 14- course theorbe, by Hurel. b. Paris, Bibl. Nat. Res 1106. Tablature for 14-course theiorbe by De Visee, Du But, Couperin, Lully. c. Paris Bibl. Nat. Vm 7-6265. Tablature for 14-course theorbe by De Visee, Lully, Marais, Le Moine. This seems to be a rough draft from which b. was copied. d. Besancon. Bibl. de la Ville MS.279152. Manuscript written by de Saizenay in 1699 of theorbe tablature by De Visee, Le Moyne, etc. e. Vienna. Oster. Nat-Bibl. Mus. MS. 17,706. Includes tablature for 14-course thiorbe. f. Paris. Bibl. de Mme de Chambure ms for theorbe by De Vis&e.

35 Prynne, op. cit., pp 58-9. 36 Tilmouth, op. cit., p 50 (10June). 37 J. Sauveur, Principes d'acoustique (Paris, 1701), planche [3]. 38 R. De Visee, Piices de Theorbe et de Luth, mises en partition, dessus et Basse (Paris, 1716). 'Avertissement ... le nombre de ceux qui enten- dent la tablature est si petit ... le but de cette impression est le davesin, la viole et le violon ...' 39 F. Campion, Traite d'Accompagnement, op.2 (Paris, 1716), p 24. 'Je dirae ici que l'usage de la Tablature d'abc, est pernicieuse pour ceux qui veulent fair quelque progres sur le Theorbe. ...' He also noted on p 7, 'I1 y a une maniere toute particuliere de faire ces octaves sur le Theorbe ... qui est de l'invention de seu M.de Maltot mon Pre- decesseur en l'Academie Royale de Musique'. 40 J. Mattheson, Der neue gottingsche ... Ephorus. Lauten-Memorial (Hamburg, 1727), p 117f. English translation by D. A. Smith. Baron and Weiss contra Mattheson, inJournal of the Lute Society ofAmerica VI (1973), pp 60-62, where however arciliuto is mistranslated chitarrone. 41 E. G. Baron, Untersuchung des Instruments der Lauten (Nuremberg, 1727), pp 78, 131; transl. D. A. Smith (Redondo Beach, 1976), pp 71, 110.

42 J. J. Fux, Orfeo ed Euridice (Vienna, 1715), Costanza (Prague, 1723); C. H. Graun. Montezuma (Berlin, 1755). 43 J.J. Quantz, Versuch einer Anweisung die Flote (Berlin, 1752); transl. E. R. Reilly (London, 1966), p. 212. 44 J. B. de La Borde, Essai sur la musique I (Paris, 1780), pp 304-5. 45 Piccinini, op. cit., p 8 Cap XXXIIII 'Dell'Arciliuto, e dell' Inuen- tore d'esso: Doue h6 nominato il Liuto, h6 voluto intendere ancor dell' Arciliuto per non dire, come molti dicono, Liuto Attiorbato, come se l'inuentione fosse cauata dalla Tiorba, 6 Chitarrone, per dir meglio, il che e falso, e lo so io, come quello, che sono stato l'Inuen- tore di questi Arciliuti ... io l'Anno MDLXXXXIIII ... andai a Padoua alla Bottega di Christofano Heberle ... 8& li feci fare per proua un liuto ... tal che ne feci far'un' altro con la Tratta al manico'. 46 English translation by S. Buetens, 'The Instructions of Alessandro Piccinini,' in the Journal of the Lute Society of America II (1969), pp 6-17. 47 M. Praetorius, Syntagma Musicum II: De Organographia (Wolfen- buttel, 1619; facsimile Kassel, 1968), p 50. English translation by H. Blumenfeld (Barenreiter, New York, 1962), p 50. 48 Praetorius, op. cit., p 27. 49 Mersenne, op. cit., p 48. 'Ou il faut remarquer que ie n'ay pas mis le G re sol sur la 6 chorde, comme sont plusieurs.' 50 J. Playford, A brief Introduction to the Skill of Musick 4th edition (London, 1664), 2nd pagination, p 45v: 'There is a late invention of strings for the Basses of ... Lutes, which sound much better and lowder then the common Gut String, either under the Bow or Finger. It is small Wire twisted or gimp'd upon a gut string or upon Silk. I [i.e. John Playford, 1623-86] have made tryal of both, but those upon Silk do hold best and give as good a sound....' 51 Pohlmann, op. cit., p 190. 52 Brossard, op. cit. 'Toutes ces Chordes sont ordinairment simples, mais il y a en a qui doublent les Basses d'une petite Octave, & les Chordes du petit Jeu d'un unisson, a la reserve de la Chanterelle; & pour lors, comme il a beaucoup plus de rapport an Luth que le Theorbe a l'ordinaire; les Italiens le nomment Archileuto ou Archiliuto, & les Francois Archiluth'. 53 London, British Library, Add. MS. 22, 102; Add. MS. 16, 126. 54 Vienna, Oster. Nat-Bibl, Mus. MS. 18,290. 'Festa di Camera per Musica: la Pieta di Numa'. "5 Prynne, op. cit., pp 60-61. 56 Tokyo, Japan. Ohki collection of Nanki Music Library. N4/42. The manuscript could have been written out possibly by Cesare Morelli who spent some time in Rome before coming to England in 1675. He was employed by Samuel Pepys the diarist, so comparison with his music manuscripts in the Pepys Library at Magdalene College Cambridge should resolve this possibility. 57 Tilmouth, loc. cit. 58 Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, Music MS. 240 [3 1.H.I) f. 9-19v

I 22 German baroque lute (? or theorbo) by Sebastian Schelle (Nuremberg, 1721). Overall length 118cm: 3'10 ". Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, no. MIR 902.

'Awake, utter a Song'. Blow also used the lute in the anthem 'Let the Righteous be glad' ibid, f.21-29. I am grateful to Dr Watkins Shaw for these references. 59 Listed in W. C. Smith, A Bibliography of the musical works published by John Walsh during theyears 1695-1720 (London, 1948). 60 E. F. Rimbault, The Old Cheque-Book ... of the Chapel Royal (London, 1872), p 28: 'Aug. 8 1715 ... there were added in King George's establishment... a second composer... MrJohn Welldon ... A Lutanist, which place Mr John Shore was sworn and admitted to.' 61 J. Hawkins, A General History of Music (London, 1776); new edi- tion. (London 1875), p 752. 62 London, British Library: RM. 20. h. 1. f21. autograph score. 62a Mace, op. cit., p 207. 62b op. cit. f68. 63 Prynne, op. cit., pp 55-7. 64 a. Luzern-Treibschen. Wagner Museum. no. 2. lute by M.

Tieffenbrucker, 1610. see Pohlmann. op. cit., p 377 and photo after p 297. b The Hague, Gemeentemuseum. no. Ec. 556-1933 lute by P. Massaini, 1570. Photo in A. Baines. European and American Musical Instruments (London, 1966) no. 172. Neither a. nor b. have the basses stepped as shown in 17th-century paintings. c. Leipzig. Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Karl Marx Univ. no. 494. ivory lute renecked with two heads.

65 by F. de Troy, engraved by G. Edelinck, illustrated in Early Music, October 1975, p 354. 66 Leipzig, Musikinstrumentenmuseum der Karl Marx Univ. no. 497 'Thomas Edlinger' Augsburg, before 8 Oct. 1690, when he died. lute

421

)t0:x- : _ :

SD : g:j: : i:

;:: ;:: : :0::I

: :-:: :-:

1 r

B. Castaldi, Capricci a due stromenti (Modena, 1622), p 72 (detail)

with 2x 1, 9x2 stopped strings measuring 77.8cm. 2x2 basses housed in bass rider, 82.2cm. 67 Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, no. Ml 245 'Martin Hoffmann ... Leipzig 1692', 2x 1, 6x2 stopped strings measuring 69.5cm. 5x2 basses measuring 97.5cm. 68 Baron, op. cit., pp 71, 110. 69 Nuremberg, collection F. Hellwig. Theorba by Sebastian Schelle of Nuremberg, 1728, with 7 double stopped courses measuring 88.0cm and 8 single basses of 163.0cm. The soundboard measures 67.8x40.5cm and has a single rose. 70

byJohann Xeller. In Frankfurt a. M. Historischen Museum. illus- trated in W. Tappert. Sang und klang aus alter zeit (Berlin, 1906). 7' Praetorius (1619), op. cit.

Acknowledgements I am grateful to Dr Patrick Corran for supplying me with a trans- lation by Miss Karen Viton of Caps XXVIII and XXXIIII (f.n. 2); to David Nutter for drawing my attention to Conclusioni nel suono dell' organo (f.n. 3); to Daniel Fournier for drawing my attention to Prin- cipes d'acoustique (f.n. 37).

Abbreviations

Agazzari, A. 1606 Letter printed in A. Banchieri, Conclusioni nel Suono dell' Organo, op. 20 (Bologna, 1609), p 68-70

Castaldi, B. 1622 Capricci a Due Stromenti (Modena) Cazzati, M. 1653 Messa e Salmi, op. 14 (Venice)

1656 Sonate a Due Violini col .. l'Organo et ... Tiorba, op. 18 (Venice)

Child, W. 1639 The First Set of Psalms ... with ... Theorbo (London)

Conserto 1645 Anon Conserto Vago ... con Liuto Tiorba et Chitarrino (Rome)

Corradi, F. 1616 Le Stravaganza d'Amore ... con ... Chitarrone (Venice)

Fontana, G. B. 1641 Sonate ... per ... Violino et ... Chitarrone (Venice)

Gianoncelli, B. 1650 I1 Liuto (Venice) Kapsberger, 1604 Libro Primo .. . di Chitarone (Venice)

G.G. 1610 Libro Primo di Villanelle ... con ... Chitarone (Rome)

1612 Libro Primo di Arie Passeggiate ... con ... Chitarone (Rome)

1616 Libro Secondo . . . di Chitarone (Rome) 1619 Libro Terzo di Villanelle ... con ... Chitarone

(Rome) 1626 Libro Terzo . .. di Chitarone (Rome) 1640 Libro Quarto ... di Chitarone (Rome)

Laurenzi, F. 1641 Concerti ... con ... Chitarrone (Venice) Mace, T. 1676 Musick's Monument (London) Meli, P. P. 1614 Intavolatura di Liuto Attiorbato, Libro 20 (Venice)

1616 Intavolatura di Liuto Attiorbato, Libro 3? (Venice) 1616 Intavolatura di Liuto Attiorbato, Libro 40 (Venice) 1620 Intavolatura di Liuto Attiorbato e di Tiorba, Libro 5?

(Venice) Mersenne, M. 1637 Seconde Partie de L'Harmonie Universelle (Paris) Notari, A. 1613 Prime Musiche Nuove ... con la Tiorba (London) Piccinini, A. 1623 Intavolatura di Liuto et di Chitarrone, Libro 1?

(Bologna) 1639 Intavolatura di Liuto [Libro 20] (Bologna)

Pittoni, G. 1669 Intavolatura di Tiorba, op. 1a, Sonate da Chiesa (Bologna)

Intavolatura di Tiorba, op. 2a, Sonate da Camera (Bologna)

Praetorius, M. 1619 Syntagma Musicum, Tomus 2: De Organographia (Wolfenbiittel)

1620 Theatrum Instrumentorum (Wolfenbiittel) Rossi, S. 1600 II Primo Libro de Madrigali a 5 con ... Chitarrone

(Venice) Saracini, C. 1614 Le Musiche [Libro 1?] (Venice) Wilson,J. 1657 Psalterium Carolinum ... set to ... Theorbo

(London)

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Arciliuto player (c. 1720) North Italian School. Photo courtesy of Thos. Avnew & Sons Ltd