La Guitare Baroque Part II

Angelo Michele Bartolotti, sa vie, ses oeuvres et l'adaptation de ses oeuvres choisies en ré majeur pour la guitare moderne

Université de Montréal

Par Amir Houshangi
Présenté à l'examen général de doctorat
Novembre 2021

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1.6. The Spanish School:

Although we know that Corbetta visited Spain and dedicated a guitar collection to Phillip IV during the 1640s, there is no sign of his influence on guitar music in Spain. Still, it seems that this influence was later realized with the trip of a Spaniard named Gaspar Sanz to Italy. ³⁴
Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma (1640– 1710), better known as Gaspar Sanz, was a Spanish composer, organist, guitarist, and priest. He studied music, theology and philosophy at the University of Salamanca, where he was later appointed professor of music.
At the same year of the publication of Corbetta's second book La Guitarre Royalle, in 1674 in France and the emergence of the French school, Spanish school began to come to life with the publication of Sanz's Instrucción de música Sobre la Guitarra Española (fig.10) by Gaspar Sanz. 
Prior to the Publication of Gaspar Sanz's Instrucción in 1674, the only published work was the same Amato's book described earlier, which had been reprinted in Italy.³⁵
After graduating from the University of Salamanca, Sanz travelled to Italy, where he studied under musicians such as Cristoforo Caresana and Lelio Colista; he was also appointed as an organist in the Royal Chapel of Naples.³⁶
In the preface to the first volume of the Instruccion, Sanz mentions Foscarini, Granata and Corbetta as guitarists whom he had met and whose music he had studied while in Italy.³⁷
On the Sanz style of music, the scholar Stanley Yates has an opinion that can be generalized to the whole Spanish school music style; in his Ph.D. dissertation, Yates states: "Despite his clear debt to the Italians, Sanz's music remains distinct from that of his teachers. Setting out with the intention of teaching the instrument through Spanish music rather than foreign pieces.³⁸
About the importance and the contents of this work Robert Strizich in the Grove Dictionary of Music explains:
“Sanz’s Instrucción de música is the most comprehensive guitar treatise of its time. Comprising three books, it contains 90 pieces written for a five-course instrument. Most of its pieces are based on dance forms, such as the folía, Canario, and Españoleta, typical of the late 17th-century Spanish 34 . Yates, Stanley “THE BAROQUE GUITAR: LATE SPANISH STYLE AS REPRESENTED BY SANTIAGO DE MURCIA IN THE SALDIVAR MANUSCRIPT (1732)”, Doctoral dissertation, University of north Texas, 1993, (p-13)
 

_{35 . Ibid.
36 . Rodrigo Zayas, "Gaspar Sanz and His Music," Guitar Review No.40 ,1976, (p-3)
37 . Sanz, Gaspar, Instruccion Libro I, 1674, Préfacé
38 . Yates, Stanley “THE BAROQUE GUITAR: LATE SPANISH STYLE AS REPRESENTED BY SANTIAGO DE MURCIA IN THE SALDIVAR MANUSCRIPT (1732)”, Doctoral dissertation, University of north Texas, 1993, (p-14)}

baroque style. The first book includes a detailed introductory tutor with instructions for stringing, fretting, and tuning and an explanation of the rasgueado (strummed) and punteado (plucked) styles; it also contains an extended essay on figured bass accompaniment for the guitar. While many of its pieces are intended for beginners, those in the second and third books are longer, broader in scope, and more technically demanding."³⁹
 

_{Fig.10. Sanz’s Instrucción de música Sobre la Guitarra Española. 1674}

Another prominent figure in the Spanish school is Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz (1626-after1677), a Spanish guitarist, harpist, composer, and priest who served at the collegiate church of Villafranca del Bierzo as a prebendary. In 1677 he published a treatise in Madrid about which Robert Strizich writes in the Grove dictionary:

_{39 . Strizich, Robert, and Richard Pinnell. "Sanz, Gaspar." Grove Music Online. . Oxford University Press. Date of access 26 Oct. 2021,}

"Ruiz de Ribayaz is known only through his treatise: (Luz y Norte musical para caminar por las
cifras de la Guitarra española y Arpa, tañer, y cantar a compás por canto de órgano; y breve
explicación del Arte), which contains detailed introductory tutors for the Baroque guitar and twocourse
harp, theoretical chapters on general musicianship and an appendix, 'Ecos del Libro,
containing compositions in tablature for both instruments. In the 'Ecos del libro'Ribayaz quoted
extensively of Sanz's Instrucción; however, this collection includes guitar pieces by Sanz and harp
pieces by Andrés Lorente and Juan del Vado, several unidentifiable pieces presumably composed
by Ruiz de Ribayaz himself. The pieces are in dance forms characteristic of the late 17th-century
Spanish Baroque style and predominantly of Iberian origin (folia, jácaras, Canario, Passacalles,
etc.)."⁴⁰_(Fig.11)

_{Fig.11, Ruiz de Ribayaz's Luz y Norte,,,( Madrid,1677)}

The last two guitarist-composers we discuss in this section are Francisco Guerau (1649-1722) and Santiago de Murcia (1673- 1739)
Francisco Guerau was a Spanish guitarist, singer, composer, and priest. In 1659, he was admitted to the Royal Chapel of Madrid as a choirboy and became an adult chorister in 1669. From 1693 to 1701, he was chamber musician and maestro de capilla of the Colegio de Niños Cantores
 

_{40 . Strizich, Robert, and Craig H. Russell. "Ruiz de Ribayaz, Lucas." Grove Music Online. . Oxford University Press. Date of access 26 Oct. 2021,}

Guerau's Poema harmónico compuesto de varias cifras por el temple de le Guitarra Española/Harmonic poem composed of several figures by the temper of the Spanish guitar (Madrid, 1694.
fig.12) which is the last Spanish publication of the seventeenth century includes 27 compositions and an introduction to the principles of notation and ornamentation of tablatures.
Stanley Yates explains the style of this work as: "Although writing in the same forms as Sanz and Ribayez, Guerau's compositional style is significantly different from that of his published predecessors. Strummed chords are almost absent from his tablature, campanela technique is not employed, ornamentation is profuse, counterpoint is the basic texture. However, the most striking feature of Guerau's music is the vastly expanded length of the pieces.⁴¹ 

In the Grove dictionary, the Spanish musicologist Joan Parets i Serra, on the importance of this work, states: "The Poema is comparable in value to the works of Gaspar Sanz and Ruiz de Ribayaz for Spanish guitar music of the period, and Guerau's music was highly regarded by his contemporaries such as Santiago de Murcia."⁴²

_{Fig.12. Gueraus’s Poema harmónico}

After the end of the seventeenth century, the most influential figure who appeared in Spanish guitar music in the early eighteenth century was Santiago de Murcia (1673-1739).
Santiago de Murcia was a composer, theorist and guitarist. His legacy for the baroque guitar is a detailed treatise on basso continuo titled "Resumen de acompañar la parte con la Guitarra"/Summary of accompanying the part with the guitar(fig.13) and three manuscripts anthologies of guitar music.

<sub>41 . Yates, Stanley “THE BAROQUE GUITAR: LATE SPANISH STYLE AS REPRESENTED BY SANTIAGO DE MURCIA IN THE SALDIVAR MANUSCRIPT (1732)”, Doctoral dissertation, University of north Texas, 1993, (p-18)
42. Serra, Joan Parets i. "Guerau [Garau Femenia], Francisco." Grove Music Online. . Oxford University Press. Date of access 26 Oct. 2021,</sub>

_{Fig.13. Santiago de Murcia’s Resumen de acompañar la parte con la Guitarra}

Many believe that "Resumen" treatise was one of the most comprehensive and influential sources of that era as Stanley Yates states: "As a theoretical treatise, (dealing with such topics as figuredbass, time signatures, suspensions and cadences), the Resumen was of considerable influence, portions of it frequently being quoted in later Spanish and New World sources. As a collection of guitar music, it was the first Spanish publication to adopt the French style fully.⁴³
As Yates pointed out, one of the differences between Murcia and the composers of the previous generation was his interest in French music.
The "Resumen" begins with a group of 59 contradances based on the melodies provided by Louis Pécour and published in the dance treatise of Raoul-Auger Feuillet at the beginning of the 18th century, along with twenty-five Minuets and three French suites, each comprised of an Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Giga.⁴⁴
The last considerable fact about Murcia is that printed of his works have been recently discovered in Mexico, it is not yet known whether he travelled there, but it can be said that his music is one of the first to reach the New World.⁴⁵

_{43 . Yates, Stanley “THE BAROQUE GUITAR: LATE SPANISH STYLE AS REPRESENTED BY SANTIAGO DE MURCIA IN THE SALDIVAR MANUSCRIPT (1732)”, Doctoral dissertation, University of north Texas, 1993, (p-19)
44 . Murcia, Santiago de, “Resumen de acompañar la parte con la Guitarra » Madrid, 1714
45 . Russell, Craig H., and Monica Hall. "Murcia, Santiago de." Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. Date of access 26 Oct. 2021,}

However, as mentioned earlier, baroque guitar music declined in the latter decades of the eighteenth century, and except for a few collections of works by previous composers, no other printed work is available.
Nevertheless, the cause of this decline is not clear, but the guitar re-emerged decades later and appeared with a new look, the look we know as the six-course guitar.

2. The Instrument
2.1 Characteristics, Stringing and Tuning
In explaining the structure and characteristics of the baroque guitar, American scholar, James Tyler in his book "A GUIDE TO PLAYING THE BAROQUE GUITAR" states:
"In the late sixteenth through the early eighteenth century, the guitar was known as the Spanish guitar (Italian: Chitarra Spagnola). Throughout the period, it had five courses (pairs) of gut strings. As a study of its music and the various contemporary references to its tuning and stringing reveal, the baroque instrument, unlike a lute or classical guitar, was not designed to have a true bass range. Its true range was tenor to low treble."⁴⁶
Structurally, the guitar's fingerboard was flush with the soundboard and its bridge, a single bar of wood glued onto the soundboard like the bridge of a lute. Unlike the modern classical guitar, its frets were made of gut, not metal, and were tied around the neck rather than permanently inlaid.
Movable frets were preferred to inlaid ones probably because they could be adjusted for finetuning.
The number of frets varied from seven to ten on the neck, and museum instruments that have survived in their original state show that they never had more than two additional frets glued to their soundboards. One or two tablature sources call for notes up to the sixteenth fret, but these notes were probably played on the soundboard.

_{46. Tyler. James. “A GUIDE TO PLAYING THE BAROQUE GUITAR”, Indiana University Press,2011(p-3)}

There was no standard string length; lengths varied from an extended 74 cm to a short 58 cm, and body sizes ranged accordingly. Guitars with a vaulted (or rounded) back were found just as frequently as the flat-backed models. Vaulted backs tended to be characteristic of Italian-made guitars and the Italian-style guitars built by German makers. The body shape, unlike that of a classical guitar, tended to be narrow with shallow sides.⁴⁷_(fig.14)

^{Fig.14. Baroque guitars came in various sizes, shapes and types at that time}

Apparently, with all the variety in shape and size, this instrument has also been very diverse in terms of pitch and stringing-tuning.

_{47 . Tyler. James. “A GUIDE TO PLAYING THE BAROQUE GUITAR”, Indiana University Press,2011(p-3)}

Although probably a variety of pitches were in use at that time, in terms of tuning, except for a few cases, the source and references often agree on the pattern below:

^{*. few sources give d as an alternative.48}

However, in the stringing-tuning topic, the main challenge remains with the stringing since not all composers mention it.
As we know, baroque guitar strings are all in pairs except (in most cases) the first string; now, having the strings in pairs gives the composer the possibility to tune each of these strings in unison or octave. This possibility allows for a variety of tuning, especially for the 5th and the 4th courses, leading to the usage of the "Bourdons."
On the baroque guitar, a bourdon (Fr), (Sp. Bordón, Eng. burden) is a term used for the lower and thicker of the two strings of a course.⁴⁹
 

_{48 . Hall. Monica, “The Stringing of the five-course guitar”, 2012, (p-1)
49 . "Bourdon (i)." Grove Music Online. . Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Oct. 2021,}

In general, considering using or not using the "Bourdons," three primary tuning types are obtained by studying various composers' instructions:
1- Re-Entrant tuning: without low octave strings (bourdons) on the fourth or fifth courses _(Fig.15)
2- Semi-Entrant tuning: with a low octave string (bourdon) on the fourth course, but not the fifth, also referred to as the "French tuning." _(Fig.16)
3- Conventional tuning: with low octave strings (bourdons) on both fourth and fifth courses.50_(Fig.17)

^Fig.15

^Fig.16

^Fig.17

^{50 . Terms like, Re-Entrant, Semi-Entrant and Conventional are borrowed from Monica Hall.}

As mentioned before, the above three tuning methods are inferred from the instructions of the composers. One of the first five-course guitar tuning instruction instances is in the Introduction of Joan Amato's Guitarra española de Cinco Ordenes (1596 no longer exists- reprinted in 1626). 
Amato, in this book, clearly suggested octave tuning on both 5th and 4th courses and single string for the first one (chanterelle)as he explained:
"This five-course Spanish guitar …has nine strings in all, one on the first course, called first, and two on the other courses, which are called seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths. The seconds and thirds have their strings tuned in unison, but the fourths and fifths, having one thicker string on each course, are not tuned in unison like the seconds and thirds are because the thicker strings are tuned an octave lower than the strings which accompany them."⁵¹

In Italy, some composers who suggest tuning methods are Foscarini, Montesardo, Sanseverino and Valdambrini. In his article" Performing seventeenth-century Italian guitar music," Gary Boye explains: "Foscarini's explanation on tuning leaves no doubt that he intended the use of Bourdons on the lower two courses, which places him in the tradition of Montesardo and Sanseverino."⁵²
He also adds: "Valdambrini makes quite clear where unisons and octaves should appear, here we have evidence of tuning without Bourdons!"⁵³
Unfortunately, Bartolotti didn't mention his tuning method in his books. Still, given Foscarini's influence on him and his musical style, researchers believe he used conventional tuning as well, which we'll discuss in detail in the chapter on adaptation challenges.
It is believed that Corbetta also used the conventional tuning at the beginning of his career, as Monica Hall states: "At the beginning of his career, Corbetta may have used octave stringing on the fourth and fifth courses, but if he did, there is no reason why he should have continued to do so throughout the whole of his career or that he should never have experimented with any alternative."⁵⁴

_{51. Hall. Monica, “The Stringing of the five-course guitar”, 2012, (p-8)
52 . Coelho, Victor/Boye, Gary R. "Performing on Lute, Guitar and Vihuela, Cambridge University Press,1997. (p-183)
53 . Ibid
54 . Hall. Monica, “The Stringing of the five-course guitar”, 2012, (p-31)}

However, Corbetta suggested semi-entrant tuning in his La Guitarre Royalle preface as he explained: "Take care to put a thin octave on the second string because the two in unison do not make the harmony which my sonatas also call for"⁵⁵
It is worth noting that since most of the guitarist composers of the post-Corbetta generation in France were influenced by him, almost all of them used the semi-entrant tuning method.
In Spain, conversely, both conventional and re-entrant tuning were popular.
Sanz, in his Instrucción de música, writes that re-entrant tuning is best for solo music in the modern style, he also mentions double bourdons on 4th and 5th courses (probably for accompaniments).
Some scholars disagree about Spanish guitarist tuning methods. For instance, in the case of Guerau and Ruiz de Ribayaz, Monica Hall believes that they used the conventional tuning method56, Robert Strizich, another well-known baroque guitar expert, thinks they have used the tuning, which had Bourdon only on the 5th course.⁵⁷_(fig.18)

^Fig.18

In addition to these three main tuning methods and the model that Robert Strizich suggests for some Spanish guitarist composers, according to Hall, there are two Italian manuscripts (one dated 1660 and the other undated) that seem to imply the use of a high octave string on the third course. Neither source indicates that this stringing method is to be combined with octave stringing on other courses, and in both, the information is ambiguous.⁵⁸ _(Fig.19)

^Fig.19

<sub>55 . Corbetta, Francisco, “ La Guitarre Royalle”, 1671, Paris, (To curious Reader)
56 . Hall. Monica, “The Stringing of the five-course guitar”, 2012, (p-65)
57 . Strizich, Robert, and Russell, Craig H.. "Ruiz de Ribayaz, Lucas." Grove Music Online. . Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Oct. 2021,
58. Hall. Monica, “The Stringing of the five-course guitar”, 2012, (p-60)</sub>

Finally, it can be said that due to the interest of the musician of that era in experimenting and trying different methods, no certainty can be given to the tuning methods. Still, in any case, this information helps us get a clearer sense of the spirit of their music.
(For a better understanding of what was stated in this section, readers can refer to table no.1)

Table. No.1

2.2 Notation Types
2.2.1 Italian tablature
For many years tablature was the most common notation system of the lute, guitar and other plucked string instruments. Italian tablature consists of:
1-Five lines: Each represents a guitar's course; for instance, the top line represents the fifth course and the bottom line the first.
2-Numbers: Indicate the fret numbers; for example, 0 means an open string, number 1 indicates the 1st fret, number 2 indicates the 2nd fret, etc.; the Roman numeral x represents the tenth fret. The critical point is that according to the tuning, the interpretation of the tablature to the modern notation is different. _(Fig.20)
3-Rhythm symbols such as whole note, half note, quarter note, etc., indicate the note's temporal value and are placed above the top line

^Fig.20

Explanation of rhythm symbols: regardless of the barlines, when a rhythmic sign is placed above the top line until another rhythmic sign is given, it applies to the note below and all subsequent notes. _(Fig.21)

^{Fig.21. Above: as written, below: as interpreted if the player choose to play lower octaves with conventional tuning}

Refer to Fig.2259 for a better understanding of the combination of rhythm and note.
 

It is to be noted that for details such as ornaments, nuances, fingerings, etc., since each composer had his personal method, which usually mentions in the preface of their books, here the general principles of reading tablature are mentioned; apparently, in the chapter of Bartolotti, this research deepens the detailed interpretation of his tablature style.
Since the Spanish composers had learned the technique and principles from the Italian school composers, the Italian tablature style was popular in Italy and Spain and later in the New World.

_{59 . Tyler. James. “A GUIDE TO PLAYING THE BAROQUE GUITAR”, Indiana University Press,2011(p-8)}

2.2.2 Alfabeto System
James Tyler on the Alfabeto System in his book "A guide to playing baroque guitar" explains:
"Beginning in the 1580s, a unique tablature system was introduced that enabled composers to notate full chords without having to write out each note. Found either alone or mixed in with regular tablature, this notation was known as alfabeto for one exceedingly apparent reason—the chords are represented by specific letters of the Alphabet.⁶⁰
As mentioned earlier, this system might have been invented by the Italian composer Montesardo.
However, besides the letters that indicate a specific chord, there are two other elements: the signs, which show the strumming direction, and the numbers, which show the position number in the case of barre chords playing.
See figure 23 to understand the function of the Alfabeto system in Italian tablature, French tablature and Modern notation.

^Fig.23

_{60 . Tyler.James. “ A GUIDE TO PLAYING THE BAROQUE GUITAR”, Indiana University Press,2011(p-8)}

Note: When a number is placed above the letter, it indicates the chord should shift to the position shown by the number; for example, if we have number 2 above the letter H, which is the B flat Major chord, the chord shifts to the second position (starts from 2nd fret) and becomes a B major chord. _(Fig.24)

^Fig,24

Regarding the indication of strumming direction, there are two methods, the primary method in which if a small line was placed vertically below the horizontal line, it meant downward stroke, and if it was above the line, it meant an upward stroke. _(Fig.25)

The other method used by later composers like Bartolotti in his second book is that if the stem of the note symbol is towards down, it means downstroke, and if it is towards up, it means upstroke. _{(Fig. 26)}

_{Fig.26. the figure above is of Bartolotti's Passacaglia from his second book; on the right is the original manuscript, and on the left, it shows how it should be interpreted.}

It is necessary to mention that the Alfabeto during the heyday of the baroque guitar music declined, and prominent figures such as de Visée were writing the chords entirely in the French tablature instead of using this system.

2.2.3 French Tablature
While Italian tablature was popular among Italian and Spaniards, French composers presented their music in a tablature system that used letters on the staff instead of numbers to represent individual notes. Some English and German composers also used this system.
In this system, despite the Italian tablature, the top line represents the first course, and the lowest line represents the fifth course; the letter "a" means an open string, letter "b" means the 1st fret.
This sequence continues for the other letters, c:2nd fret, d:3rd fret e:4th fret etc.
Since the Semi-Entrant system was the most widely used in France, this study considers only this tuning system in converting French tablature to modern notation. _(Fig.23)

Explanation on Rhythm: As in Italian tablature, rhythm signs were usually presented as regular
free-standing mensural notes above the staff, but occasionally flags without note heads were used.
(fig.27)

^{Fig.27. In French tablature, note heads are omitted.}

As earlier stated, in French tablature, chords are generally written out in full, only partially
written out with the open courses omitted. However, some French composers elected to use the Italian alfabeto system instead. Down and up strums or strokes are generally indicated by a stemmed note head within the staff (like fig.26 for Italian tablature). ⁶¹
In the last part of this section, it is suggested to refer to Table 2 to understand which composer used which tablature system.
 

_{61 . Tyler. James. “A GUIDE TO PLAYING THE BAROQUE GUITAR”, Indiana University Press,2011(p-9)}

Table. No.1

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