A Renaissance harp handbook

Claire Piganiol

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Table of contents

Introduction p. 4

Beginning warm-ups p. 6 Laudemus (anonymous / Llibre Vermell) p. 6 Passamezzo (anonymous) p. 7

With two fingers p. 8 Villano (anonymous) p. 9 Bergamasca (anonymous) p. 9 Mr Dowland’s Midnight (John Dowland) p. 10

With three fingers p. 11 Splendens ceptigera (anonymous / Llibre Vermell) p. 11

Melody and drone p. 12 Gaytas (Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz) p. 12 A la mode de France (anonymous / John Playford) p. 13

With two voices p. 14 Matachin (anonymous) p. 14 What if a Day (John Dowland) p. 15 Oy comamos y bebamos (anonymous / Cancionero de Palacio) p. 16

For a fuller sound: intervals and chords p. 17 Go from my Window (anonymous) p. 17 Calleno custure me (anonymous) p. 18

Extended melodies p. 19 Mignonne, allons voir si la rose (anonymous / Chardavoine) p. 20 Branle de l’Official (anonymous / Thoinot Arbeau) p. 21 Der Nunnen Tantz (Hans Neusiedler) p. 22

Alterations and retuning p. 23 Tarantela (Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz) p. 23 Alta Orsina (Fabritio Caroso) p. 24 Redeuntes (anonymous / Buxheimer Orgelbuch) p. 25

Repertoire selection p. 26 Canarie (Joachim van der Hove) p. 26 Une Jeune Fillette (anonymous / Chardavoine) p. 27 Redeuntes (anonymous / Buxheimer Orgelbuch) p. 28 Packington’s Pound (Francis Cutting) p. 29 The Emperor of the Moon (anonymous / John Playford) p. 30

Fortune my Foe (John Dowland) p. 31 Nicht lang ich spazieren ging (Charles Bocquet) p. 32 Haulberroys (anonymous / Pierre Attaingnant) p.33 La Magdalena (anonymous / Pierre Attaingnant) p.34 Tourdion (anonymous / Pierre Attaingnant) p. 35 Lady Laiton’s Almain (John Dowland) p. 36

Illustrations p. 38

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Introduction

This book contains musical pieces, exercises and tips on technique and style. It can accompany you from the beginning of your journey with the harp.

Which music ? As the title suggests, the core of this book’s repertoire is from the Renaissance period (15th & 16th centuries), although a few older or newer pieces are also included. I have selected different styles, such as dances and songs, from several European countries. You may notice from the commentaries, that few pieces were actually written for the harp. At that time in most cases, music was not written for a specific instrument but was adapted to be played in several ways.

Which instrument ?

The Renaissance period is the golden age of what we now call the gothic harp — a small instrument with a single row of strings and without any mechanism. These are the harps on which this music was originally played. However, these pieces can also be played on many types of harps, with or without mechanism (levers or pedals) and with one or several rows of strings. The last chapter, Alterations and Retuning, is the only one mentioning techniques that are only useful on a single harp without mechanism.

A « gothic » harp

Adaptations and instrument sizes The pieces have been adapted to match the technical progression of a beginning harpist.

- Modes/keys: all pieces at the beginning of the book can be played on a harp tuned in C (without sharps or flats). Retuning is needed and explained in a further chapter.

- String colors: most harp makers and harpists use colored strings for some notes: red for C and black or blue for F. I have colored these notes in the first pieces to make reading easier. If your harp does not have these colored strings, the colors can simply be ignored.

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- Range: the range of pieces in this book goes down to c (middle of F clef), sometimes to G (bottom line of F clef).

If you play on a small Renaissance harp, or on a bardic or troubadour modern harp, it could be that your harp does not have these low notes. There are two easy solutions for this: • You can play the missing low notes an octave higher. • You can play the whole piece an octave higher. The higher range of small harps is often very nice and it would be a pity not to use it. I have notated all the pieces in the medium range to make reading easier but it is possible to play the same in a higher range.

How can I use this book ?

This book can be used either as a learning method to play early harp or as a simple repertoire collection.

It is organized in two parts. The first one follows a progressive order. You will regularly encounter framed texts that present the new technical aspects, such as position and fingerings that will be needed in the following pieces. The second part is a selection of music.

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Laudemus virginem

Matachin

Another standard at the time, Matachines are dances that imitate a battle. They were either rather serious and danced by young noblemen or grotesque entertainment performed by buffoons. These dances appeared in the 16th century and still exist in Mediterranean Europe and Latin America.

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With two voices The left hand will now have its own voice or line of music. It is always a good idea to practice each line separately, to get to know both the music and the fingerings.

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