theorbo vs chitarrone
Godelieve Deblonde & Ivan Lheureux
chitarrone. In many recordings, both are mentioned to designate the same
instrument. In other places, theorbo is mentioned while a picture shows
the 6 feet tall instrument that Munrow called the chitarrone. Finally,
the term archlute is sometimes used to designate any of these or the
theorbo-lute. I am quite confused with this terminology. Can someone
help?
On the same subject, it seems that many recordings of the 70's used
metal strings on their chittarrone, whereas more modern recordings use
gut strings. Why is that so?
Ivan L'Heureux
Dept. of physics
University of Ottawa
Majjick
December 1985 issue of Guitar International, in which he talks about
exactly this, in some detail; unfortunately, my back-issues before '87 are
in England, and so I don't have it to hand. It has Barry's picture on the
cover, if you have access to them, or if someone else feels it's worth
looking.
Paul Magnussen
GORDON CALLON
For a thorough discussion, see:
Mason, Kevin. The Chitarrone and Its Repertoire in Early
Seventeenth-Century Italy. Aberystwyth: Boethius Press, 1989.
GJC
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Gordon J. Callon
School of Music
Acadia University
GCa...@AcadiaU.CA
http://ace.acadiau.ca/arts/music/home.html
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Howard Posner
>I would like to know if there is a real distinction between theorbo or
>chitarrone.
The current conventional wisdom is that there isn't, as such. Every
chitarrone (except for some early developmental false starts that you'll
never see) is a theorbo, though not every theorbo can be called a chitarrone.
I will try to elucidate.
>In many recordings, both are mentioned to designate the same
>instrument. In other places, theorbo is mentioned while a picture shows
>the 6 feet tall instrument that Munrow called the chitarrone. Finally,
>the term archlute is sometimes used to designate any of these or the
>theorbo-lute. I am quite confused with this terminology.
Actually, you're doing pretty well; everyone else is confused, or was.
"Chitarrone" was first used in Italy in the late 16th century for some kind
of large lute that we can't be sure about now, and by the first decade of the
17th, clearly referred to a 14-course extended-neck lute with the "top" two
courses tuned an octave below where they would be on a lute. This instrument
gradually became known as a "tiorba" in the next few decades in Italy (I
don't think the "chitarrone" was used after 1650), and thus when it spread to
the rest of Europe (in the deadly Theorbo Epidemic that you may remember from
your history studies) it did so as "theorbo," not "chitarrone." So the
conventional wisdom now is that the two terms were synonymous, at least for
Monteverdi and friends. Having said that:
--An Italian archlute (strung like a lute, but with bass strings) is built
pretty much like a theorbo, except smaller, and nothing prevents stringing an
archlute like a theorbo, so the distinction gets a bit fuzzy.
--Outside of Italy, it gets complicated, partly because of terms like
"theorbo-lute," partially because of the different stringings and tunings,
and partly because there are instruments (like the English theorbo, which
you've probably never seen) which strike modern eyes, accustomed to Italian
theorbos, as hybrids. Nobody would call an English theorbo a "chitarrone;"
for that matter, no player would admit to playing French "theorbe" music on a
"chitarrone," even if his French "theorbe" is the same instrument he uses for
playing Piccinini's "chitarrone" music. Still with me?
--Twenty years ago, it was common to call any lute with a second pegbox a
"theorbo," and old habits die hard. Does Konrad Junghanel still call his
all-purpose continuo instrument a theorbo? It's inaccurate, but easier to
fit on a CD liner than "Swan-necked 13-course late-baroque German-style lute,
sometimes called 'theorboed lute' or 'theorbo-lute' but tuned in fourths like
an Italian archlute instead of an open d minor chord like French and German
lutes of the time, an instrument for which there's no historical
documentation but which someone, somewhere, must have used."
>On the same subject, it seems that many recordings of the 70's used
>metal strings on their chittarrone, whereas more modern recordings use
>gut strings. Why is that so?
Because in the 70's some players believed that the difference between
"chitarrone" and "theorbo" was that the former had wire strings, and that
therefore solo music for "chitarrone" had to be played on wire strings. This
resulted from reading too much into remarks like that of Praetorius, who, in
writing about instruments in Italy, where he never set foot, said something
like "some chitarroni have wire strings." You still see the distinction made
occasionally on recordings.
The practical upshot to all this is that you can't tell from reading liner
notes on your recordings exactly what instrument is being used. The best way
to tell is to learn to play all the large lutes so you can recognize the
sound; you'll then guess right about 75% of the time.
Howard Posner
Kaare Albert Lie
>Already in early 17th century some Italian music book prefaces
>say something like 'you may use chitarrone, or tiorba as some
>call it ...' (or the opposite)
>So then the names were synonymous. Later the word 'tiorba',
>and the foreign foms 'theorbe', 'theorboe', .... were
>the only ones used. The classical connotations were not so
>important any more.
The ethymology of "chitarrone" seems to be straightforward and
easy to understand.
Is anything known of the ethymology of "tiorba" ("theorbe" ...) ?
Yours,
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kaare Albert Lie
Box 121, N-3140 Borgheim, Norway
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Arto Wikla
>I would like to know if there is a real distinction between thorbo or
>chitarrone.
The original name for the instrument having extended bass strings
and re-entrant tuning was, in Italy where it was invented,
'chitarrone', which means a big 'chitara'. Chitara was a reference
to the classics; the ancient Greeks were assumed to accompany
their singing with this instrument. And chitrrone was a modern,
big and great substitute to the chitara.
Already in early 17th century some Italian music book prefaces
say something like 'you may use chitarrone, or tiorba as some
call it ...' (or the opposite)
So then the names were synonymous. Later the word 'tiorba',
and the foreign foms 'theorbe', 'theorboe', .... were
the only ones used. The classical connotations were not so
important any more.
There were also some structural variants later (French solo
theorbo, English theorbo, ...), and referring to these with
name 'chitarrone' perhaps woud not be proper.
>In many recordings, both are mentioned to designate the same
>instrument. In other places, theorbo is mentioned while a picture shows
>the 6 feet tall instrument that Munrow called the chitarrone.
The liner notes are often very inaccurete. For example Junghanel's
archlute seems to be constantly called 'theorbo'.
>Finally,
>the term archlute is sometimes used to designate any of these or the
>theorbo-lute.
Archlute is a lute with bass extension, but without re-entrant tuning;
normally the top strings are as they are in the renaissance lute.
And to confuse matters still, there is the so called 'd-minor baroque
lute', which has very different tuning and possibly extended
bass strings. It is sometimes called 'German theorbo'.
Arto Wikla
Andreas Kopp
>
>The liner notes are often very inaccurete. For example Junghanel's
>archlute seems to be constantly called 'theorbo'.
>
Recently I saw him live, his "lute" is definitely a theorbo, furthermore,
in the liner notes of his recent Biber/Schmelzer recording the pictures
show a chitarrone and list a theorbo...,
Andreas Kopp.
--
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Andreas Kopp Phone: +49 234 700 3457
Theoretische Physik IV Fax: +49 234 7094 177
Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum email: a...@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
D-44780 Bochum www : http://www.tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/~ak
GERMANY
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