The edgy transition from medieval to renaissance fiddle

In the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) world there are high standards for recovering and reconstructing the truth in history. Recorded history determines how we re-create the Middle Ages, and it is with much determination that we search for as many facts as possible for each of our varied interests. This article seeks to clarify the historical authenticity of one of the most popular musical instruments, the guitar. In preparation for this search, guidelines had to be set as to what the Society deems "authentic." Is it more aesthetically pleasing to see an instrument as identical as it would have been in the Middle Ages, even if the materials used to create it may not allow for the best tone, or would it be permissible to use finer or modem materials to keep a longer-tuned, better tonality instrument when performing? It is the opinion of this author that modem materials do not ruin or change the sound or purpose of an instrument, and that a guitar should be treated as an equal representation of a medieval instrument if used in a performing arts competition, say, up against a plastic recorder, a modem-day lute or a ceramic drum. It is commonly believed that the lute is far older than the guitar. Although the focus of this article is on the latter instrument, occasional comparisons to the lute are included to assist the reader in a better under-standing of the evolution of medieval stringed instruments. Despite the lute's stronger claim to precedence, however, there is evidence to suggest that the guitar, or the ancestor of the guitar, is far older than is commonly realized.

Musica Iagellonica, 2004

ROUND TABLE Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference 2015 organized by David Burn & Marie-Alexis Colin Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels Music, Dance and Literary Memory: Repertoire and Innovation in the Decoration of the Painted Ceilings in the Middle Age organized by Angela Bellia and Licia Buttà Musical iconography is a very privileged field of study which helps provide an understanding of the function of music in the cultural context of its production. Musical scenes are evidence of aspects of performances, and they provide a view into what and how music and the making of music are in a precise context. Although the musical performances in the scenes must not always be considered reproductions of realistic musical events, they allow for an understanding of the form and use of the musical instruments, the role of the musicians in the representation, and the “message” of the musical scenes in a precise historical context. Therefore the multidisciplinary study of musical images will be achieved through a continued dialogue between the written and figurative sources and the cultural and social context of music. This paper argues that this approach is indispensable in understanding the musical iconography in the Painted Ceiling of the Sala Magna of the Palazzo Chiaromonte at Palermo, known as Steri (XIV c.). The musical representations are depicted in scenes, belonging to both the sacred and the profane worlds, linked to written and figurative sources from the Medieval Age.

2007

I wish to express thanks to the many persons who have given me advice and help in this project. Professor Michael Ewans for his untold help and advice and all his suggestions. Professor Robert Constable for pointing me in the right direction. I am deeply thankful to Elizabeth Holowell for her advice and support. She gave me much inspiration in completing this project, and I thank her for the way she taught me over the last nine years both in my under-and postgraduate studies. To Anthea Scott-Mitchell, thanks for the help and dedication and your many words of encouragement. I would say thanks to the University of Newcastle librarians and loan office staff. Finally, I wish to thank my mother, who supported me with wise words and raised me to this moment; my husband, who has faith in me with his love and support; and, my son for his untold love and understanding.

2007

I wish to express thanks to the many persons who have given me advice and help in this project. Professor Michael Ewans for his untold help and advice and all his suggestions. Professor Robert Constable for pointing me in the right direction. I am deeply thankful to Elizabeth Holowell for her advice and support. She gave me much inspiration in completing this project, and I thank her for the way she taught me over the last nine years both in my under-and postgraduate studies. To Anthea Scott-Mitchell, thanks for the help and dedication and your many words of encouragement. I would say thanks to the University of Newcastle librarians and loan office staff. Finally, I wish to thank my mother, who supported me with wise words and raised me to this moment; my husband, who has faith in me with his love and support; and, my son for his untold love and understanding.

2007

Rasch reviews two books on musical instruments. Campbell, Murray, Clive Greated, and Arnold Myers. "Musical Instruments: History, Technology, and Performance of Instruments of Western Music." Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-19-816504-8. Wainwright, Jonathan, Peter Holman, eds. "From Renaissance to Baroque: Change in Instruments and Instrumental Music in the Seventeenth Century. Proceedings of the National Early Music Association Conference held,

Based on four decades of studies and experiments, Fabio Galgani provides constructive principles and a practical guide to the construction of fifteenth-century medieval vielle.

2014

This dissertation investigates the introduction and development of a musical instrument, the viola da gamba (viol), in sixteenth-century France by articulating the wider cultural consequences of introducing new musical instruments from one culture to another. The research examines cultural exchange with foreign courts, the effects of patronage, social perceptions and changing attitudes during the introduction of the viol into France. Using the viol as a focal point to explore Renaissance material culture, this thesis is an interdisciplinary study into music, art, language and terminology, foreign connections and cultural interaction. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the viol's introduction, development and establishment into sixteenth-century France. Rare archival sources, visual media and printed books never before connected to the viol have been identified and analysed to construct a detailed framework of the social, artistic and musical culture within which the viol was used. The five chapters explore professional viol use in the royal court and regional areas, artistic representations of the viol, triumphal entries and festivals, the changing role of viol players from professional to amateur and the viol in sixteenthcentury instrument making. The appendices include a catalogue of images depicting the viol in French visual media, identifying allegorical and religious associations, making foreign connections, exploring methods of artistic creation and analysing physical depictions. Dating, monetary units, transcriptions and translations viii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Methodology-organology and the study of material culture 2 Methodology-iconography 4 Cultural influence vs. cultural exchange 6 Palaeography 9 Bibliographic review 9 Primary Sources Dissertation overview Chapter Two: Professional Musicians and the Viol Before the viol, instrumental music in the royal court Issues in nomenclature: the term 'joueur d'instruments' revisited Evidence of regional viol usage-residential and visiting players across France The Court of Lorraine The French royal court Other regional use of the viol in court, city and private music-making The lyre in Renaissance France: a viol by another name or another instrument entirely? Conclusion v Chapter Three: The Viol in Sixteenth-Century French Visual Media Artistic media Towards a French model? The physical organology of viols depicted in sixteenth-century French visual media From the Sublime to 'Grotesques': Three case studies In the Hands of Angels: viol iconography in the stained glass of French Burgundy, Champagne and Normandy Methods of working

The Sixteenth Century Journal, 2003

Contents: Preface Introduction: Some thoughts on musical inscriptions 'Some possible likenesses of Francesco Canova da Milano (1497-1543)' The prodigal son at the whores' music, art, and drama A motet for Machiavelli's mistress and a chanson for a courtesan Mary Magdalene, musician and dancer Mary Magdalene, mondaine musicale Paintings of lady concerts and the transmission of 'Jouissance vous donneray' Musical inscriptions in paintings by Caravaggio and his followers Music in and out of Egypt: a little-studied iconographical tradition Music in majolica Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo's Portrait of a man with a recorder Tintoretto's Music-making women at Dresden Arcadelt's Amor, tu sai in an anonymous allegory The lutenist's hand An iconographical echo of the unwritten tradition in a Verdelot madrigal Two paintings of 'concert scenes' from the Veneto and the Morgan Library's Unique Music Print of 1520 Lassio's La cortesia Voi, Donne, Predicate: a Villanesca printed, penned, plucked and depicted Valid and invalid options for performing frottole as implied in visual sources Addenda et corrigenda Index.