Tarantelle intabulate per liuti Tarantellas intabulated for lutes

Latest update 15.4.2008 / Arto Wikla 22.2.2008.

Contents:

1. Tarantelle published by Athanasius Kircher

2. Tarantelle to be played, also video(s)

1. Tarantelle published by Athanasius Kircher

These intabulations are based on a great (and huge, very huge) book about nearly

everything in the world, written by Athanasius Kircher in 17th century: "Magnes sive De

Arte Magnetica". In the Net there are e-facsimiles of two editions:

Kircher 1641: European Cultural Heritage Online (ECHO): Kircher, Athanasius, Athanasii Kircheri Fuldensis

Buchonii, E Soc. Iesu Magnes sive De Arte Magnetica: Opus Tripartitum Quo Praeterquam..., 1641 (direct link)

Kircher 1643: Wolfenbütteler Digitale Bibliothek (WDB): Athanasii Kircheri ... Magnes Siue De Arte

Magnetica Opvs Tripartitvm : Quo Præterqvam Qvod Vniversa Magnetis Natvra, Eivsqve In Omnibvs Artibus &

Scientijs vsus noua Methodo explicetur, ... multa hucusque incognita Naturæ arcana per Physica, Med.../ Athanasius

Kircherus. - Editio secunda post Romanam multò corr. [Electronic ed.]. - Coloniae Agrippinae :

Kalcoven, 1643 Permalink: http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/218-25-quod-1/start.htm

My intabulations try to be honest reproductions of Kircher's staff notation. Also the titles

etc. follow the originals. Playing these intabulations by a "renaissance" lute in G will

produce the original keys. A 6 course instrument is enough; the 7th course (in F) is

needed only once.

No harmonizations are are added. The 17th century player(s) naturally played also

the continuo, they improvised proper harmonies to the texture of the music. And so it

should be done also today! One piece, the Antidotum Tarantulae is an exception among

these pieces: it was written in three parts, and when intabulated, it becomes a complete

lute piece.

Pages 1641:872, 1643:761

Pages 1641:872, 1643:761

Pages 1641:873, 1643:762

Pages 1641:873, 1643:762

Pages 1641: fol. 874, 1643: fol. 763

Many thanks to Diego Cantalupi for decrypting me the music of this Antidotum!

Pages 1641:875, 1643:763

Pages 1641:875-876, 1643:764

Pages 1641:876, 1643:764

The letter "e" in the bar 3 is not from the notated music, but Kircher gives a continuo "sharp" there.

2. Tarantelle to be played

The previous Tarantelle by Kircher are more or less only skeletons. Here I intend to

collect Tarantellas to be played by early lute instruments, "renaissance" lutes, baroque

lutes, theorboes, archlutes, renaissance guitars, baroque guitars, ...

Readers of this page are invited to make their own arrangements!

Tarantelle:

Actually one of Kircher's Tarantelle is not a skeleton, the Antidotum Tarantulae.

This version is for a lute in renaissance tuning. Six strings is enough. Compared to

the version in this page, only some fingerings added.

There is also a low quality webcam video, a "direct shot", April 2008, of the piece

in the YouTube. The lute is model "Andreas Berr, Vienna, 1699", made by

Stephen Barber, 1986. At the end of the video there is also our dog... And he is

the main reason for publishing this video: his timing is perfect! :-)

(21.2.2008) I made a playable version of Kircher's Tarantellas of Primus,

Secundus and Tertius modus: Tarantella "Tre modi di Kircher". The version is

for a lute in renaissance tuning. Six strings is enough.

There is also a video, a "direct shot", April 2008, of the piece in

the YouTube. The soprano lute is made after model "Wendelio Venere", Vienna,

c.1580, by Timo Kontio, 1997.

See also my pages French theorbo music / Archlute music / 10-course lute

music / Chitarrone music / Chitarrino music.

There are also some other arrangements, intabulations, etc. in my Contributions page.

(by WebCounter) (19.2.2008)