List of illustrations Preface Acknowledgements PART ONE; THE THEORBO, CHITARRONE AND ARCHLUTE 1 An Historical Background: Musical Qualities of each Instrument The Italian tiorba or chitarrone The Italian liuto of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries The theorbo and archlute in England The theorbo and archlute in Germnay The theorbo and archlute in France Tunings 2 Practical Advice Choosing an instrument Size and type of instrument Strings--number and disposition Strings--metal or gut, single or double Bass strings Single or double strings on the theorbo Choice of wood Technique Holding a theorbe or archlute Right-hand technique Hand position Nails Thumb Fingers Preparing scores Scores Figures Tablature 3 List of Appropriate Repertory Seventeenth--century Italy Solo songa and madrigals Cantatas Instrumental music Opera Church music Eighteenth-century Italy Trio sonatas Opera Instrumental music Cantatas Seventeenth-century England Solo songs (and dialogues, duets, etc.) Instrumental music Theatre and opera Church and chapel Eighteenth-century England France Solo songs Cantatas Instrumental music Opera Chuch music Germany Instrumental music Songs and cantatas Church music Opera PART TWO: HARMONY AND FIGURES 4 An harmonic precis Common chords Accidentals and figures Dissonant chords The dominant 5 etc. in relation to the dominant 7th The diminished 7th Discords caused by suspensions 5 Cadences, Sequences and Unfigured Basses The rule of the octave Cadences 4-3 cadence Major 3rd in the final chord 65 4-3 45 3-4-4-3 45 Second type of cadence on the tonic Imperfect cadences; half closes on the dominant Basic harmonic sequences Ascending sequences Descending sequences Quick basses and passing notes Rests 6 Finer Points concerning Style, Technique and Performance Chords Number of voices Doubling of voices Phrasing Hemiolas Formation of chords Chord spacing Echoes and dynamics Relationship of the accompaniment to the soloist Voices to omit Ensemble playing The bass line Playing with another continuo instrument Organ Melodic bass Playing as the only continuo instrument Music not requiring a melodic bass Alteration of the written bass line Sustaining the sound Ties 16ft pitch Eighteenth-century music for the German theorbo-lute Accidentals in the bass Tasto solo AllOunisono Slurs Arpeggiation Spread chords Free arpeggiation OBreaking your partsO Strumming (rasgueado) Recitative Accompanying recitative Early seventeenth-century monody Italian recitative Chord positions Full chords Cadences Two examples of eighteenth-century recitative Ornamentation Style General guideline When is ornamentation appropriate? In ensemble Basso continuo solos Left hand graces Cadences Passing notes Which ornaments to use Left-hand graces: Italy before c1650 Left-hand graces: France, seventeenth-and eighteenth-century; Italy and Germany, post c1650; England, post c1630 Left-hand graces in chords Separee (breaking the chord) Eighteenth-century melodic ornamentation: Gasparini, Heinichen PART THREE: FIRST PRACTICAL STEPS 7 Lute and Archlute 5 3 chords Ground The bergamasca (also known as OLes BouffonsO) La folia The passamezzo moderno and antico The romanesca The passacaglia 6 3 chords (1st inversions) Cadences and sequences Other chord shapes 8 Exercises and Musical Extracts from Seventeenth-and Eighteenth-century Sources A sense of key (Gasparini, Matteis, Heinichen) Mostly 6 and 7-6 (matteis) All manner of dissonances (matteis, Gasparini, Charpentier, Vivaldi, Corelli, Heinichen,m Cima, Keller) Quick basses (Campion, Telemann, Corelli, Matteis) PART FOUR: THE THEORBO 9 An Introduction to the Theorbo Solo repertory Songs with tablature Original tutors for the theorbo Fleury, Bartolomi and Grenerin Delair and Campion 10 The Theorbo, First Practical Steps Reading in A Solo pieces (Kapsberger, anon., Hurel, Castaldi, Wilson) General advice on chord shapes and theorbo accompaniment Chord shapes 5 3 chords The bergamasca Other theorbo chords 11 Original Exercises for Theorbo and Lute, with Tablature Cadenze finali (modena MS) Two exercises by Matteis for the English theorbo Examples of OBreaking your partsO (Mace) La Regle des octaves (Campion) Two examples for 11-course baroque lute in D minor tuning (vienna MS) Examples for 11-course baroque lute in D minor tuning (Prague MS) PART FIVE: MUSIC EXAMPLES 12 Music with Original Realized Accompaniments for the Theorbo B. Castaldi, Quella crudel (1622) F. Corradi, Baci cari e graditi (1616) G.G. Kapsberger, Interrotte speranze (1612) Anon., Sing aloud harmonious spheres (1687) J. Wilson, Were thy heart soft (c1650) 13 Music with Editorial Realizations for Theorbo, English Theorbo in G, Archlute, 10-course Renaissance Lute and 13-course Baroque Lute S. Le Camus, Amour, cruel amour (1678)--theorbo in A M.P. de Monteclair, Air and Recitative from cantata La badine (c1709)--theorbo in A C. Coleman, Wake, my Adonis (1652)--Engish theorbo in G H. Purcell, Oh lead me (1698)--archlute in G G.B. Riccio, Canzona (1620/I0--10-course Renaissance lute A. Corellia, Vivace and adagio (1683)--theorbe in A G.F. Handel, Recitative and aria (c1720)--archlute in G G.P. Telemann, Toback (1733-5)--baroque lute 14 Music Examples without Realizations Three English songs of the seventeenth century H. Lawes, Amarillis, tear thy har (1678) J. Blow, Clarona, lay aside your lute (1700) H. Purcell, Music for a while (1702) Three Italian instrumental pieces from the seventeenth century S. Rossi, Sinfonia and Gagliarda (1608) C. Monteverdi, Dances from Il ballo delle ingrate (1638) N. Matteis, Sarabanda amorosa (c1685) Two Italian songs of the seventeenth century B. Marini, Invito a lOAllegrezza: Ite ho mai (1622) G. Frescobaldi, Sonetto spirituale (1630) French Music M. Lambert, Par mes chants (c1680) F. Couperin, Prelude (1724) Two arias from Italian cantatas of the eighteenth century Anon., Aria from Cantata per leuto obbligato (c1720) G.F. Handel, Aria from canta La bianca rosa (C1715) Appendix: Song Translations Notes Music List Select Bibliography