Lute music in sixteenth-century German speaking countries: a study of the manuscripts Pl-Lzu M6983,Ch-Bu F.IX.70 and D-Si G.1.4.

Abstract

In part because of the complexities of the German tablature system, lute music preserved in manuscripts from German-speaking regions has been much less studied than music from sources notated in French or Italian tablature. This thesis provides editions and analysis of music from three important German manuscripts of the sixteenth century: M6983, stored in the University Library in Lodz, Poland; F.IX.70, kept in the Öffentliche Bibliothek der Universität in Basel, Switzerland; and G.1.4, stored in the Württembergische Landesbibliothek in Stuttgart, Germany. This is the first transcription, edition, and analysis of this music.

The thesis shows relationships between these three manuscipts and other sources of the period through comparison with other German and European manuscripts and prints. More detailed analysis of selected forms – Passamezzi; free forms such as the Prelude, Intrada and Fantasia; and intabulations – provided a method for selecting material for edition as well as for further comparisons with better known sources from elsewhere in Europe. I also consider instructions on playing the lute, included in many German sources, comparing them to the pedagogical texts in the selected manuscripts.

The main goal of this work is to shed considerable new light on manucripts that have never been studied in detail, providing new knowledge about their notation, contents, and possible users. In addition to insights on the individual sources, by studying more than one source from the region, I can advance secure hypotheses about the cultivation of the lute in a defined geographical and linguistic area. Finally, by looking more closely at the German lute tablature system, from the perspective both of research and of performance, the significance of this music can be shared with the wider community including lute players familiar with French, English, Italian, and Spanish repertory. Examination of the three selected manuscripts shall show their place in the history of Renaissance music.

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