“Vihuela string quality and thickness, and the Paris vihuela”. FoMRHI Quarterly no. 85 (Oct. 1996): 30.
Previous Next| Publication type | Year | ISBN/ISSN | Bibliog code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article: journal | 1996 | segerman1996 |
ILL REQUEST 22381 [21/9/2005] RILM NO.: 96-01456-ap ISSN: 0028-0836. ABSTRACT:
[Abstract Music Index] Evidence that the vihuela’s thick strings were of higher sound quality than those available for lutes indicates that its bass strings were paired in unison with catlines. The quality of the 16th-c. strings may be judged by the fact that at least one escape from prison was effected with the aid of "cuerdas de vihuelas muy gruesas". If a prisoner weighing at least 50 kg lowered himself on a string, the string had to be at least 2.9 mm thick. As the size of the instrument varied, so did the size of the strings. This evidence conflicts with the neck and nut width of the sole surviving vihuela at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris, further supporting the hypothesis that the Paris vihuela was not intended to be a playable instrument. [Abstractor: Blazekovic, Zdravko]
Composer
Instrument VIHUELA
Century 16CENT
Region SPAIN
Medium
Music genre
Research field ORGANOLOGY