Jew's Dance
Christopher Berg
Does anyone have any experience with Hans Newsidler's "Judentantz" from his
1544 publication? Musicologist Willi Appel mis-transcribed it in HAM and
presented it as an early example of bi-tonality and musical satire!
Newsidler gives extensive instructions for re-tuning the lute which were
either garbled on publication or mis-understood by Appel (and others).
Evidently the lute strings were refered to by the names: Gross Brummer,
Mittel Brummer, Klein Brummer, Gross Saite, Mittel Saite, Quint Saite (from
sixth to first course).
The melody is played almost exclusively on the top course and the lower
courses are strummed open. I've never played the piece - the scordatura
required is unusual - but I have a graduate student who wants to do a paper
on the piece and the uncritical acceptance of the idea that because it was
called "Jew's Dance," a mis-transcription could be accepted as biting
satire.
I know there is an article from 1961 or 1962 in the English Lute Society
Journal called "Air on the F# String" but I've not been able to find it.
Does anyone know the story behind the piece, the tuning instructions and
Appel's transcription? The only other Judentantz I know of is in a book by
Wolf Heckel a little later but I've not seen that piece. Does anyone know
the Heckel piece?
I think all of the above details are correct - I'm recalling them from
memory. I'd love any corrections, help or insights!
Christopher Berg
Arthur Ness
Willi Apel, who fled the Nazism in his homeland, made an innocent mistake in his
transcription of the Judentanz by Hans Newsidler (father, not brother of
Melchior), and his description of it as musical satire.
The article you are seeking is Michael Morrow, "Ayre on the F# String," _Lute
Society Journal_ 2 (1960): 9-12.
Newsidler's instructions give [G] d d a (f#). The printer probably mistook
Newsidler's letter "t" = Top course: "e" in French tablature for a "+" (2nd
course fifth fret.
Arthur Ness (Boston)
David Rastall
>Christopher Berg writes:
>
>< Does anyone have any experience with Hans Newsidler's "Judentantz" from his
>1544 publication? >
>
>Society article you're thinking of is Michael Morrow's "Ayre on the F#
>String," which appeared in the 1960 issue of LSJ. Morrow's solution seems
>correct to me and can be summed up by quoting one paragraph of his article:
>
>...the Judentantz remains as a simple quasi-oriental drone dance; interesting
>not as an early example of 'bi-tonality,' but as a late example of the
>mediaeval use of the lute as a rhythmic drone instrument. The tuning [G] d d
>a d' g' (significantly for only five courses) is perfect for drone music and,
>as Newsidler says: one may play many other dances to this tuning.
>
>There is a footnote after the semicolon citing other drone pieces of the
>period, including one in Munich Ms.1512.
>
>Peter Danner
Is this the same "Judentantz" that Konrad Ragossnig recorded 10 or 15 years
ago, as part of his series of recordings of lute music from the various
countries?
David Rastall
Matanya Ophee
At 11:18 AM 9/30/96 -0500, CB...@mozart.music.sc.edu (Christopher Berg)=
wrote:
>Does anyone have any experience with Hans Newsidler's "Judentantz" from his
>1544 publication?
I think the subject is treated in detail in Peter Paeffgen's Ph.d.
dissertation. You can reach him at:
Matanya Ophee
Editions Orph=E9e, Inc.,
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Phone: 614-846-9517
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Christopher Berg writes:
< Does anyone have any experience with Hans Newsidler's "Judentantz" from his
1544 publication? >
Yes, Apel *did* get this wrong on a number of counts. The English Lute
dlenson
Christopher Berg wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any experience with Hans Newsidler's "Judentantz" from his
> presented it as an early example of bi-tonality and musical satire!
> Newsidler gives extensive instructions for re-tuning the lute which were
> either garbled on publication or mis-understood by Appel (and others).
> Evidently the lute strings were refered to by the names: Gross Brummer,
> Mittel Brummer, Klein Brummer, Gross Saite, Mittel Saite, Quint Saite (from
> sixth to first course).
>
I think that everyone who has tried to play this piece agress that
Apel's transcription is in error. My preferred interpretation is to
tune to octave of the fourth course to the f#. This removes the problem
of a very soggy string in the middle of the chord and produces a rather
pleasant drone against the tonality for the melody. I tried to make a
careful translation of Neusidler's instructions a number of years ago
and God knows where that has gotten to! I just took a quick look at the
original again and am currently inconclusive. I suggest you try both
the open (as suggested by Michael Morrow) and major tuning that you get
with the fourth octave cranked up a semitone and judge by ear.
David Lenson