Lex Eisenhardt http://www.lexeisenhardt.com
‘In stringing there is variety,’ as Gaspar Sanz remarked in his Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra Española in 1674, and like 350 years ago this is still true today. The differences, apart from whether or not using historical string material such as gut and appropriate (relatively light) string tensions, concentrate on the bass courses. Depending on the repertoire that is performed, a stringing with one, two, or no bourdons at all, would be what the composer in question had in mind. Clearly, this has an impact on how voice-leading (of counterpoint) is presented. In the considerable ― and still growing ― body of secondary literature that has appeared since the second half of last century, the subject of stringing is adressed. Yet, widely different conclusions have been reached, while often based on the same set of historical sources. In this article I will reassess some of the relevant sources that may allow alternative interpretations…)
The Guitar in the Sixteen-Seventies
