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ANTONIO
CORONA-ALCALDE
Y o u w i l l
r a i s e
l i t t l e
y o u r
t h
f r e t :
a n
Equivoca l
Instruct ion
y
L u i s
M i l a n
We have seen
players
who.try
to
play
in
the
fourthmode
using
the
[same]
rets that
they
use
for
playing
n
the
sixth,
and
fail,
until
they
change
the
frets
according
o their
keen ears.
J.
Bermudo,
Declaratidn
e
Instrumentos,
ol. civ.
T
HE first
known
book
of
music for
vihuela,
El
Maestro
by
Luis
Milan,
is a
work
intended
-
as its name
shows
-
to
teach a
complete
beginner.
To
achieve
this end
Milan
presents
a series of
pieces
of
increasing
difficulty,
providing
each with
a rubric
that
specifies
its mode
and,
in
some
cases,
the
tempo
and directions
about the
right-hand techniques
best
suited
to
play
certain
pieces.
While
placing
the
emphasis
on the
recognition
of
the
modes
and their correct
cadences,
he also
supplies
some
indications
that
imply different tunings for the vihuela and, in two separate instances,
directions
to
shift
fret
IV?
From
a
study
of the
tablature
these
last
instructions
seem
unnecessary
at first
sight;
furthermore,
a number of
other
pieces
also
require
a
different
position
for
this
fret,
and for these
Milan
offers
no
directions
to
alter ts
position.
This
problem
is
closely
linked
with the use
oftemperaments
other
than
equal,
since the fret
positions
on the
fretboard
are determined
by
the
temperament
in use
as well
as
by
the
functions
they
have to
fulfil.
The use of
equal
temperament
in
fretted
instruments
during
the
sixteenth
century
has
been
explored
at some
length byJ. Murray
Barbour,
who
arrived
at the
conclusion
that
this
temperament,
or some
variety
approaching
it,
was
probably
favoured?
This is confirmed
in
sources
ranging
chronologically
from
the work
of G.
M. Lanfranco
(1533)
to
that
of
M.
Mersenne
(1636-
1637),
including
the
treatises
of
two
Spanish
authors:
Juan
Bermudo
and
Francisco
Salinas.4
Barbour
accepts,
however,
that other
temperaments
may
have been
used,
such
as the
Pythagorean
with
untempered
fourths
and
fifths,
and
the
meantone,
where
the
fifths were sacrificed
in
favour of
pure
or
moderately tempered
thirds
and
sixths.5
These two
temperaments
are
of
special
interest
for
the
music
of the vihuela. The
Pythagorean
is discussed
by
Bermudo,
who
gives
three
different
ways
to
fret the
vihuela,
in
ascending
order
of
difficulty.
In
the
first
place
he shows how to
place
the diatonic
frets
(queforman
ono),
that
is,
frets
II, IV, V, VII,
IX and
X,
and
advises
the
reader
to
place
the
remaining
frets
according
to
this rule:
'If it is to be
afa
[i.e.
flat],
place
it closer
to
the side
of the
nut,
and
if it is
to
be
a mi
[i.e. sharp],
place
it
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towards
the
side of the
bridge.'6
The second
manner
is an
extension
of
the
first:
Bermudo describes
a
series
of
elaborate
geometrical
calculations
which
allow one
to
determine with
precision
the
position
of
all the
frets,
diatonic
as
well
as
chromatic;
these
last ones are
I, III,
VI and
VIII,
and
may
be
placed
in
two different
positions
depending
on whether
they
serve to
provide
flats
or
sharps.
In
Bermudo's
view it was
feasible to
imagine
seven
different
vihuelas,
that is, to assume seven different tunings for the same instrument; each
tuning
would thus have
a
particular
combination
of
sharp
and
flat
frets.
In
order to
illustrate these
combinations Bermudo
also
provides
the
corresponding diagrams.7
These
directions are meant for a
vihuela
fretted
with the
Pythagorean
temperament,
where
semitones have
to be
either
minor
or
major,
but a
third set of
instructions
shows how to
place
the frets
so
'all
semitones can
be
played' ('que
se
tangan
odos
os
semitonos'),
hat
is,
a
sort
of
equal
temperament.8
Bermudo
claims the
authorship
of this
last
system, and it can therefore be regarded as something of a novelty around
1555?
The
meantone
temperament
is
hinted at in the rules
for
tuning
the
vihuela
and
monochord
of Tomas de
Santa Maria's
Arte
de Tatier
Fantasia,
where
he states that
'each fifth
should be a
little flat'
but,
since
Santa Maria
deals
with the
vihuela
only
in
passing,
his
advice
is
more
likely
to
be
directed
towards the
keyboard
player.lo
The main
problem
posed
by
the use
of
any temperament
other
than
equal
in
fretted
instruments is
the
existence of what
may
be
called
'missing
notes'
on the
fretboard.
This means
that if
a
particular
fret is in
a 'flat'
position
and
a
sharp
note is
required
on
some
course,
it will
not
be usable in
that
particular
fret and
vice-versa.
The
fretboard
locations
where this
combination
appears
correspond
to
missing
notes: notes
that
do not
exist,
at
least
from a
theoretical
point
of
view.
This
characteristic is
pointed
out
by
Bermudo in the
following
terms:
It
happens
hat
a
fret
is
sharp
and
thus it
must stand
or four or
five
courses,
but
it
should
be
flat
for the
otherone
or
two. For
example,
n
the
firstand
fifth
frets
of
the
gamaut i.e. G]
vihuela: t
is true that
any
fourth
[course]stopped
at the
fourth
ret
forms
a
unison with
the
open
third
[course];
therefore,
the
aforesaid fourth
[course]
stopped
at the
fifth
[fret]
should
agree
with
the third
[course]
stopped
at
the
first
[fret],
but in
this
gamaut
ihuela
t
does not
happen
o. The
causeof this
is
the
following:
the
first
fret
is flat and the
fifth
is
sharp
..
If
the
firstfret
was
to be
placed
closer to the
nut,
transforming
t
from a
sharp
o
a
flat,
a
faultlessunison
would be
formed,
but in
the
way
it is
placed
a
unison
s not
formed.You
will find n
many
other
frets
what
I
have
shown
for
these
two."
Bermudo
shows,
in
each
of
his
diagrams,
the
location of
these
missing
notes by means of blank spaces (see Ex. 1, which shows the
gamaut
or
G
vihuela).
The
presence
or
absence
of notes
which are
theoretically
'missing'
can
provide
the
basis to
determine if a
particular
tablature
was
intended for an
instrument
fretted
for an
equal
or
unequal
temperament:
the
consistent
absence
of
'missing
notes'
betrays
a
high
probability
that
such
a
tablature
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EX.
1.
1
2
3
4
5
5
7 8
9
X
g t
was destined
for
an
instrument fretted
for
an
unequal temperament.
On the
basis of this
kind of evidence Mark
Lindley
has
suggested
that it is
very
likely
that
Luis
Milan
used the
meantone
temperament.12
Part
of
Lindley's
argument
lies
on two of Milan's
rubrics,
which
instruct
the
player
to shift
the
position
of fret
IV.13
The first
part
of this
article
will
be devoted
to
reconsidering
the first
rubric,
placed
at
the
head of
Fantasia
14,
limiting
the
evidence
used here
to
the
pieces
for solo vihuela
from
the
first book of
El Maestro.This discussion intends to show that, in the limited context of the
first
book,
there
seems to
be an
inconsistency
between the
instructions
provided
by
this
rubric and
the
actual
use of fret
IV.
The
evidence
provided
by
the second book of
El Maestro
presents
further
complexities,
which will
make it
necessary
to
modify
somewhat the
preliminary
conclusions
drawn
from
the first
book's
pieces
and,
ultimately,
question
some of
Lindley's
conclusions;
this
study
is
undertaken
in the
second
part
of
the article.14
PART I
It has been
generally
accepted
that
the A
tuning
is the most
appropriate
for
the
transcription
of Milan's
works,
and it is
indeed the
best
one for most of
the
first
book.'5
If
we
assume,
following
Lindley,
that Milan used
a
meantone
fretting,
the
tablature
must
therefore
present
missing
notes.
Among
the
diagrams
which Bermudo
published,
he
included
one for an
A
vihuela
that defines
the
sharp
or
flat
function of
the
frets and identifies the
'missing
notes
that
appear
on
this
tuning',
but does not
pretend
to show
graphically
the
position
where the frets
must be located.
The
difference
between
the
Pythagorean
and meantone
temperaments
resides
in
the
actual
position
of
the
frets;
but,
since the
sharp
and
flat
functions
behave in
a
similar
fashion,
it is valid to use Bermudo's
diagrams
in
order
to
illustrate
a
meantone
fretting
scheme,
despite
the fact that
they
were
originally
intended to show
a
Pythagorean
fretting,
bearing
in mind that
the
only
thing
these
diagrams
show
is,
precisely,
functions. For
clarity's
sake the
diagram
(Ex.
2)
is
shown
here with the first course
on the
upper
line,
just
as
it is used in Milan's tablature. In this
diagram
fret IV has a
sharp
function
with a
missing
note on
course
3:
Eb.
The examination of some
examples
of
how
Milan uses this
fret
in Fantasia 1
(Ex.
3)
discloses
that it
agrees
with the
theoretical
diagram,
fulfilling
the
function
of
sharp.
Similar
examples
can
be found
in
Fantasias
2,
4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18,
21 and
22;
in Pavans
1, 2,
4,
5 and
6;
and in Fantasia
14,
where the rubric
concerning
the fret shift
is
to
be
found.
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EX.
2.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 X
aIt
G
D
A
,
- i,
i, ,
EX. 3.
Fantasia1
? " -0
dA
-o 6- _
w
W
45-46
73-74 67
It
is
worthwhileto
classify
these
pieces according
o the
modes
to
which
they belong,
following
Milan'srubricsat the head of
each:
1st
& 2ndmodes:Fantasias
, 2, 4,
6;
Pavan .
3rd& 4th
modes:
Fantasias
, 8, 9,
14:
Pavan
.
7th
& 8th modes:Fantasias
8, 21,
22;
Pavans
, 5,
and
6.
This
classification
s
specially
elevant,
incethe rubricunderconsideration
excludes
all
othermodal
complexes,appearing
ftera seriesof
pieces
n
the
same modal
group,
namely
the
3rd-4th,
Aeolian or
E
modal
complex.
It
reads as
follows:
Whenever
youplay
he ourth
nd
hirdmodes
by
the erminos
n
which
his
antasia
goes:you
should
aise hefourth reta
little,
o that
he
noteof
thesaid retwillbe
strong
ndnot
weak.'6
Thereare threepointsto consider n thisrubric: heprecisemeaningof
the word
terminos,
he
directionof the shift
(as
ndicated
by
the word
alCar,
'to
raise'),
and the
words
'strong'
and 'weak'
(fuerte
ndflaco espectively).
Terminos
take
to mean the
general
scheme
in
which
the
notes
of
any
particular
mode
fit
in
the
fretboard
f
anyparticular
uning
or the
vihuela,
and
therefore t
could be
synonymous
with assumed
tuning;
but
this is a
matter
hatwill be
dealtwith more
fully
later.
The
directionof
the
shift
is
clarified n
two
other
rubrics;
he
instruction hat
appears
at
the head of
Fantasia 7
states:
The
present
antasia
goes
hrough
he
same erminosn the
vihuela sthe
past
one,
and t
goes down o the tenth ret of the
vihuela
.
.17
The
other
rubric
hat
ndicates
a
shift
n
the
position
of fret
IV,
placed
at
the head
of
the
Romance
Con
pavor
ecordo
l
moro,
n
the
second
book
of
El Maestro
eads
as
follows:
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[When]
playing
hrough
hese
parts
on the
vihuela,
you
shouldraise
he fourth
ret
a little towards
the
pegs
of
the
vihuela.18
According
to these instructions
'down' means towards the
bridge
and
'to
raise'
means
towards
the
head of the
vihuela;
this indicates
that the result
of
raising
the fret
is
effectively
to
lower the sound since
the
string-length
is
increased.
The
third
point poses
more
problems:
weak and
strong
are
subjective ways of referring to the quality of the sound, and a precise
answer
is difficult.
Lindley
interprets
these
terms
as a
description
of the
quality
of
the
thirds
produced
between fret IV
and
the
open string,
but
I
would
rather
suggest
that
they
indicate the different
effect a
major
or minor
semitone
would achieve.19
The
rubric states
that 'the note
should
be
strong',
and
this
last
word
might
more
plausibly
indicate the
leading-note
effect
a mi
or
sharpened
note would
have.
If
this
is
the
case,
the
hypothesis
should find
support
in the music
itself.
As
already pointed
out,
the
general
tendency
suggests that fret IV should be sharp,andin Fantasia14 no exception is to be
found;
in
fact,
the
missing
Ek6
n
course
3 is used
as
DO
(see
Ex.
4),
which
confirms
the
function
of
the
fret
and offers
a solid basis for the
theory
that
fuerte
might
mean
a
leading-tone
quality.
In
view of the considerations
expressed
above,
the
rubric to
Fantasia
14 could
be
translated
in modern
terms
as follows:
'Whenever
you
play
the 3rd
and 4th
modes
in
the
[assumed]
A
tuning,
you
should lower
fret IV
a
little
towards the
pegs,
so
that its
notes
will
be
sharp
and not
flat.'
This
interpretation
is consistent
with the meantone temperament,
where the
sharp
is lower
than the
flat.20
On
the other
hand,
it
argues against
a
Pythagorean
fretting
scheme,
whose
sharps
are
higher
than its
flats,
since
it would
imply
shifting
the
fret to
a flat
position
that
is
completely
inconsistent with
the function
it
has to fulfil.
EX. 4.
Fantasia
14
1-3
Looking
more
closely
at
the distribution
of the
pieces
in
the
3rd
and 4th
modes, it
emerges
that Fantasia14 is the last of the fantasiasof this modal
group,
and that
the
only
later
piece
that
belongs
to
this
group
is Pavan
2
(see
Appendix
1).
In
other
words,
the rubric
appears
at the
end of the
series of
fantasias:
this
is not
the best
place,
if
it
is intended for
a
beginner
on
the
instrument
who
would
find,
upon
reaching
this
point,
that
he
might
have
played
all the
previous
fantasias
of
the 3rd
and 4th
modes with
a fret out of
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place.
Yet,
the rubric seems to
apply retroactively
the
the
fantasias
preceding
it;
the
wording
siempre ue
means
'whenever',
with the
additional
force behind
it
of
the normal
meaning
of
siempre
as
'always'.
There
is,
however,
a
difference between
this
fantasia
and
the other
pieces
in
the
3rd
and 4th
modes:
Fantasia14 evinces a
fuller use of
fret IV.
Whereas
fret
IV
is
used
only
for
courses 2 and 4 in
the
preceding
fantasias and in Pavan
2,
in
Fantasia 14 it is used for courses 2, 3, 4 and 5. This exceptional usage could
justify
the
special
rubric, but,
on
the other
hand,
the
use of two
more
courses could
merely
be an
extension of the
same
principle.
This
question
may
be
answered
through
an
examination
of
the
way
in
which Milan
uses
fret
IV in
some of
the earlier
fantasias
(see
Ex.
5).
While
EX. 5.
a)
Fantasia
18-19
26-27
64-65
122
b)
Fantasia
44-45
47-48
c)
Fantasia
6-8 82-83 100
e%-#,
_u'K-,5
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in
Fantasia
2
thereare
no
examples
as clear-cut
as
these,
it
can be
inferred
that ts
function hould
be
similar,
hat s:
in
the whole
group
of
pieces
fret
IV has
a
sharp
unction.This also
applies
o Pavan
,
whereseveral nstances
of
this use
can
be found. Ex. 6
confirms
hat fret
IV exhibits
exactly
the
EX. 6.
Fantasia 14
1-3
8-9
11-12 44
samefunctionof sharpn Fantasia 4; furthermore,he asterisked hord s
found
n all the
previous
antasias, r,
as
in
Fantasia
,
bar
44
(see
Ex.
5b),
with one
of the notes
arriving
after the
others;
t
is also the final chord of
Pavan
.
Surely
here s no reason o
suppose
hat
he
final
chordof Fantasia
14 was ntended o sound
differently
romthe
final
chordsof Fantasia
(see
Ex.
5a)
and Pavan
2. This
evidence shows
that
the
rubricto Fantasia
14
makes
sense
only
if it
applies
to all
the
pieces
of the
3rd
and 4th
modes
intabulated
assuming
an
A
tuning.
It
is
worthwhilenow
to
pose
the
question:
s the rubric
necessary
t all?It
has
already
been shown
(p. 5)
that he
sharp
unctionof
fret IV also
appears
in
pieces pertaining
o other
modes,
so this
indication o
move
the fret to
a
position
it
should,
theoretically,
already
occupy
if
the meantone
temperament
s
used,
or to
a
flat
position
in
the
case
of
a
Pythagorean
temperament,
eems
inconsistent
and
illogical.
It
is feasible to adduce
further
evidence to
support
his
hypothesis.
The
chord
llustrated
n
Ex.
7
appears
n
Fantasia
4;
its
dispositionpresents
an
octave between the
B
of
course
4 and the
B
of
course
1. If the
octave
is
achieved
by
the shift of
fret
IV,
and the rubric
appliesonly
to the
pieces
of the 3rd and 4th
modes,
this
chord
should
not be
found in
pieces
belonging
to other
modes,
but it
occurs
n Fantasia
,
which s described
by
Milanas
pertaining
o the 1stand
2nd
modes
(Ex.
8).
This fantasia
vinces
even
a
fuller
use of
fret
IV:
it
is
EX.
7.
Fantasia
14
8
EX. 8.
Fantasia
8
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used
for
all
the
courses
save for
course
6,
and its
function
is,
again,
that
of
a
sharp
fret,
to the extent of
using
the
missing
E6
of
course 3
as
D#
(see
Ex.
9)
as it
happens
in
Fantasia
14
(see
Ex.
4).
EX.
9.
Fantasia6
96-97
EX.
10.
EX. 11.
a
?X
Further
proof
of
the stable
position
required
f fret IV is
provided
by
the
cadential
figure
shown
in
Ex.
10: this
figure
can be
found
in
Fantasias
,
4
and 6,
belonging
to the 1st and 2nd
modes;
and in Fantasias and
9,
belonging
to the 3rd and 4th.
There is still
more
evidence to
support
he
need for
fret
IV
to
remain n
the
same
position:
he
G
major
chord,
when
found
n the
disposition
hown n
Ex.
11,
has the
B
natural n
fret
IV.
This
chord s
found,
n
several
hree-note
combinations,
n
pieces
belonging
to
the
three
modal
groupsalready
mentioned:
1st/2nd,3rd/4th
and
7th/8th;
Ex. 12
shows
some of these
cases.
As these
examples
how,
the use
of fret IV s
consistent
throughout
ll the
examined pieces; this confirmationquestions, for the moment, the
usefulnessand
validity
of the
rubric to Fantasia
14,
since
it
apparently
requires
he
shifting
of
the
fret
to a
position
where
it
has to
fulfil
the
same
functionthat
it had served
for all the
pieces
preceding
t,
as well
as
for
a
good
number
of
the
pieces
that
follow,
belonging
o three
different
modal
groups.
Yet this is
not all. If a
temperament
ther
than
equal
was
used
by
Milan,
there
is an actualneed
to shift
fret IV
for
some
pieces,
but
for
this
Milan offers
no indication.
Before
embarking
on
this
subject
t
will
be
helpfulto make a digression n orderto clarifya word that hasalready
appeared:
erminos.
In
previous
writings,
erminos
as been
translated
s
'endings',
meaning
the
end
of
the
piece, presumably
oinciding
with
thefinalis
f the
mode,
or
the
notes
in
which the
internal
cadences
finish?1
This is
not
necessarily
wrong,
but it
is
not exact
either,
and it
can be
misleading.
n
a literal
way
terminomeans
end,
but it
also
means
limits
or
boundaries,and,
in
my
opinion,
Milan
uses it
metaphorically
n
this
last
sense.22
The
rubric to
Fantasia showsclearlythatMilandoes not confusethe terminos ith the
cadencesor
the
end:
Lookwell
at
the
cadenceshesaid
antasia
akes,
nd
what
erminos
t hasand
where
it ends:
because
n it
you
will
see
everything
hat he
first
mode
can
rightfully
do.3
Since the
cadences
and
the
endings
are
referred
o
separately
rom the
terminos,
t is
clear
that this last
word must
mean
something
else.
Further
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clarification
is
found
in
the
rubric
to Fantasia 2:
The
fantasia
written
below
belongs
o the first
mode,
and
t
shouldbe
played
with
a
hurried
beat,
and t
goes
by
the
same
erminos
n the
vihuela
as the
previous
antasia,
because
n
these
terminos
he music s easieron the
vihuela han
n
otherswhere the
musicwould riseabovethe fifth
fret,
and
n
order o
make hem ess difficult or the
beginner,
it
goes by
these
easy
terminos.24
EX. 12.
Fantasia
Pavan
2
(1st
mode)
(3rd
and
4th
modes)
4 63 78 24
Fantasia
-
Pavan
(3rdmode)
(7th
nd
th
modes)
83
27
36 37
Fantasia
(2nd
mode)
13
Fantasia
4
3
Fantasia
8
(3rd
and
4th
(7th
and
8th
modes) modes)
12
45-46
In this context the mode
(and presumably
ts
cadences
and
end)
is
mentioned
independently
rom the word
terminos,
hich is
related o
the
vihuelaitself.Furthermore,t impliesthatthe 1stmodeis easier o playin
these terminos:rom this
it can
be inferred hat the
term
is a
practical
ne.
The
rubric
also mentions
hat
f the terminos
re
changed
he
music
will be
played
higher
on
the
fretboard,
ndthis meanseither
a
transposition
f
the
music,
or
a
change
n
the assumed
tuning25
Terminoas
been defined
above
as the
general
scheme
n
which the notes
of
any
particular
mode
fit
on
the
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fretboard f
any
particular
uning
or
the
vihuela,
pointing
out that t
could
be considered s
synonymous
f 'assumed
tuning'.
The reason or this
s
that
every
mode
(with
its own
range
and
particular
cadence-notes
already
predetermined
y
the
theory)
will
form
a different
and distinct
pattern
on
the
fretboard,
nd these
patterns
will
be determined
by
the
tuning,
which
defines
what
note
will
be
found
in
any specific
ocation on the fretboard.
All these elementscombinetogether o delimitthe available instrumental
territory'
where
the
fingers
of
the left
hand
will
move.26
It is
convenientto examine here the
way
in
which Milan
handles
the
concept
of
terminos,
r
rather,
hatof a
'change
of
terminos'.
n
Fantasias
-15
the
only
comment
concerning
he terminos
(whenever
he word
appears),
s
thatthe
piece
in
question
s in
the same
terminos
s
the
preceding
one. If
all
these
pieces
aretranscribed
ith
an
A
tuning,
he fundamental
ote of
their
final
chordswill
coincide
with
the
correct natural
finalis
of
the
mode
to
whichthey belong (see Ex. 13).7The rubric o Fantasia 6 statesthat the
terminos
ave
changed
see
Appendix
2):
if
the
tuning
s still
assumed
as
A,
the final
chordwill
not
be built
upon
the
correctfinalis
ut
upon
Bb
(Ex.
14a);
if,
on theother
hand,
he
tuning
s
assumed s
E
the
resulting
hord
will
be
built
upon
the
correctfinalis
f
the 5th and
6th modes:
F
(Ex. 14b).
This
observ-
ation
also
applies
o
Fantasia
7,
whose rubric
nforms hat it
has the
same
terminos
s
the
precedingpiece.
Although
he
rubric o Fantasia
8
makesno
reference o
the
terminos,
he 7th
and 8th modes
appear
or
the
first
time in
this
piece,
and
the
A
tuning produces
the correct
finalis,
G
(Ex. 15).
In
Fantasia 9 Milan returns o the
5th
mode,
again
without
any
indication
EX.
13.
a)
Fantasias
1,2,13:
1st
mode
a
]
b)
c d
e
f)
4: 2nd
mode
10:
1st
and 2nd
_
4
.
b)
3:
1st
5: 2nd
_
,
:
1st
and 2nd
c)
7:
3rd
14:
3rd
and 4th
.
o
d)
8:
4th
9:
3rd
and 4th
- -
-
e)
12: 3rd
and 4th
_ _
-
_
,
)
15: 5th
and6th
19:
5th
EX. 14.
a) b)
EX. 15.
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about
he
terminos:he
tuning
hatworks
best
is stillA
(Ex.
13f).
Fantasia
0
belongs
to the 6th
mode,
but this
time
a
change
of
terminos
s
mentioned,
with a resultsimilar
o thatfound
n
Fantasias
6
and 17
(Ex.
14b).
Fantasias
20 and
21
belong
to the
7th
and
8th modes
respectively,
and come out
correctly
f
they
are
consideredas
being
intended
or
anA
tuning,
as in
the
case
of
Fantasia 8
(Ex. 15).
Applying
he same
criterion he correct
tuning
for the pavans s A. A clearpictureemergesfromthis:A tuningis used
throughout
he
solo
part
of the first
book,
with the
exception
of three
fantasias,
ll of them
belonging
o the
5th/6th
modal
complex,
andfor these
a
change
of terminos
s
distinctly
ndicated
by
Milan.
It
may
not
always
seem
reliable
to use the
final chord
as a conclusive
criterion
to establish he
finalis
of the
mode
(and
thereforethe
tuning),
taking
nto account
hat,
as Milan
himself
states,
his
chorddoes
not
always
correspond
o the
final
cadence:
Allofthe antasiasonot inishwitha[proper]adence,ince ome inishnaclose
or
consonance,
nd
when
hey
inish
hus
ou
shallnot akeas he
final
adencehe
said
close,
but the lastcadence
made
n
the fantasia
efore heclose.28
This consideration
s
merely
academic for
the
practical
purpose
of
determining
he
tuning:
ven
though
ome
pieces
may
finish
with a seriesof
consonances,
he final chord
is
invariably
based
on
the same
note as
the
conclusive
chordof the final
cadence
(see
Ex.
16)?9
There
is,
besides,
still
EX. 16. Fantasia20
0
.
301
0
10
4
,10
.
01
3
209-214 [cadence
*
Lconsonance
another
way
to
corroborate
he
conclusions
tatedabove.
Each
particular
tuning
(assumed
or
real)
has a
specific
structure
on the
fingerboard,
determined
by
the
place
where
the natural
notes,
and therefore
the
semitones,
are found.
If the
semitones
n the
tablature oincide
with
those
in a
theoretical
diagram,
he
tuning
can be
recognized
with a
reasonable
degreeof certainty.To illustratehispoint,Ex. 17 showsthe diagramshat
correspond
o
the
A
and
E
tunings.
The accidental
notes that
appear
n
the
tablature
an
be accounted
or
by
the
frequency
with which
they
appear,
r
by
taking
nto consideration
he conventions
hatruled
theirnormal
usage,
such
as
the consistent
ubstitution
f
B ~
for
B
6
in the 5th and 6th modes
or
FO
nstead
of
Fk for the
7th
and
8th?oOn
the other
hand,
Ex. 18
provides
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EX.
17.
1
2 3
4 5
a
2'"
EX.
18.
2
5
i
"
1 234
578
Fantasia6
EX. 19.
1 2
3
4 5
5
7
Fantasia 14
v
1 2t34L5 6
Fantasia6
i i
v
I
,
v
+atai {Eb @
A o
thediagrams f two pieces (Fantasia 4inA, and 16 in E), showingall the
fretboard ocations
used in the course of them. The
diagrams
n Ex. 19
correspond
o
the same
pieces,
now
with the
accidentalnotes
indicated.
These
examples
how the
complete
tructural ifferencebetween
the
pieces
inA
andE
tunings,
andsince
they agree
with
those
obtainedbased
solely
on
the
theory,
it
may
be concludedthat the
original proposition
s
correct.
Having
established hat a
change
of terminos
eansa
transposition,
t is
worthwhile o remember hat
Bermudo,
when
referring
o the
intabulation
of music,states hatthe playershavetwo differentoptionsto achievethis
end:
'they
either
change
the music
for
the
instrument,
r
they change
the
instrument or the
music';
he also
describes he
'changing
of
the
music'
as
the old
usage,
as
opposed
to
the
changing
of the
instrumentwhich
he
considers
the
practice
of his
time31
The
final
result is the
same
in
the
tablature,
egardless
f the
system
used
to
intabulate,
nd s of
consequence
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only
when
transcribing
he
music,
n
whichcasethe
resultwill
depend
upon
the criterion
adopted
for
the
transcription.
The
choice lies between
transcribing
ith the
natural
notes
(assuming
'change
of
instrument'),
r
transposing
he
music
(if
the
'change
of music'
is
adopted
as a
criterion).
The
decisionaboutwhich
method o
use mustbe
determined
by
the
context
in
which the
piece
is
found,
or
the
intendeduse
of the
transcription.
have
chosen to
speak
about'A andE
tunings'
rather hannaturalor
transposed
modes for
two reasons:
first,
because the
different
tunings
show
more
clearly
the different
use of the
available
notes of
the
fretboard,
and
secondly,
because t is
most
probable
hatthis
may
have been the
criterion
adopted
by
Milan
to define his
terminos. he
rubric
o Fantasia 8
provides
the evidence
that
supports
his
hypothesis:
This antasiahat
ollows
belongs
o the6th
mode
..
the8th
may
be
played
n
these
same
laces.
The
difference
s
that,
while
both inishn
thesame
ote
i.e.
fretboard
location]
t will be calledF if it is the6th,andG if it is the
8th32
The final
cadenceof this fantasia
s
reproduced
n Ex.
20,
which
shows
that
thefinalis
of the
superius
s foundat
the
third ret of the first
course?3
f
this fretboard
ocation
s
named
F,
the
open
string
must
produced
a
D,
and
the
tuning
will
therefore
be that
of
a
vihuela
n
D.
On
the
other
hand,
f the
same location
is
namedG
when
playing
n
the 8th
mode,
the
open string
will
produce
an
E,
corresponding
o the
tuning
of
an
E
vihuela.
This
reference
proves
thatMilan
may
have
very
well
followed the trendof the
vihuelists hat
'changed
he instrument'.
Bearing
he above
considerations
in
mind,
the correct ranslation
f terminoould be either
'assumed
tuning'
or
'transposition
f the
mode',
the
former
being
the most
appropriate
n
the
context
of the works of Milan.
EX. 20.
Fantasia38
D
-E
-3 B
.1,I
I
EF#
. ..
II
222-227
D vihuela
S----JI
I
II
3
'k
0
I o.._
--
J.
iO I
1
o
I I o I
'dl.
"
0 I .,-,
I 0 l
-1
I
I3]C3I
Coming
back o the
case
n
whichthere s
a
realneed
to move fret
IV,
it is
precisely
n the
pieces transposed
o
anE
tuning
hatthe
evidence
of
a new
function
or
thisfret
appears, amely
hatof a
flat
orfa
fret. In the courseof
these
pieces
a
semitonebetween
frets
IV
and
V,
or between fret IV and the
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open
course
above,
never
occurs,
as
opposed
to the
pieces
in A
tuning
discussed
above. On the
contrary,
the
semitone
is
always
found
between
frets
III
and
IV;
the
case illustrated in Ex. 21 is
typical.
This
general
tendency
does
not
provide,
however,
conclusive evidence of the need
to
displace
the
fret
to a flat
position.
This evidence will
be found
among
the
chords used
in
these
pieces.
In the fantasias in
A
tuning already
examined
the chords that use fret IV can be reduced to the G majormentioned above,
E
major
and
D
major
(Ex. 22).
In
the context of the first
book of El
Maestro,
these
chord-shapes
are nowhere to be
found
among
the
chords
using
fret
IV
in the
E-tuning pieces,
while,
on
the
other
hand,
these latter
pieces
have
chords
using
fret
IV
which
are not to be found
among
the
pieces
in
A
tuning
(Ex.
23).
These
chords,
besides the
basic fact of their
difference,
show
clearly
the
new
function
of fret IV.
Among
the
A-tuning pieces already
considered,
whenever this
fret
was
involved
in
an
octave,
this
was formed
with the
aid of
a
note
on
fret
II,
which is
'sharp'
as well
(see
Ex.
7
and
Ex.
8),
while
in
the
new
chords
the
octave
is
formed above
a
note
on
fret
I,
that
is,
a
flat fret
(Ex.
24).
If fret IV
were to remain
in a
sharp position,
a
case of 'mi'
against
fa',
sharp against
flat,
would
ensue,
with an
inadmissible
result
in
actual sound since
these
notes are not
equivalent
in an
unequal
temperament?4
EX.
21. Fantasia 16
EX.
22.
31
EX.
23.
EX.
24.
Fantasia 16
.
1n 06 I
64
69
The relevance that Bermudo's writings might have in the context of
Milan's
music
may
be
disputable,
but
it
is
noteworthy
that this
theoretician
considered fret
IV
as
diatonic,
and
therefore
as
fixed.
The
only
case
in
which
he
considers it
necessary
to
move
it is for
the
vihuela tuned
in
B.35
f
the
E-tuning
fantasias
were
transcribed
assuming
instead the
B
tuning,
the
resultingfinalis
would be
C;
besides,
the
consistent use of B
gives
rise
to a
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scale
structure
imilar o that of
a
modem
major
mode:
in
brief,
such
a
transcription
would
yield
as
a
result fantasias
in C
major
(using
anachronistically
he
modem
term).
This
transposition
was the most
usual
for the 5th
and 6th
modes
during
he
period
when the
vihuela
flourished?6
This
evidence could
be
considered
as an
indirect
confirmation
f
the
need
to
move
fret IV.
Inthe firstbook of ElMaestro,antasias f the 5thand6thmodesappear
both
in the
'transposed'
and
n
the
'normal'
A
tunings.
t
only
remains o
examine
how
fret IV
is
used
in
the
fantasias
f the
5th and
6th modes
that
share he
A
tuning
with those
for which
a
'sharp'
unction
or
the
fret
was
detected.
In Fantasia
5 fret
IV
is
not used
at
all,
but
in
Fantasia
9 and in
Pavan
3
the
chords
found
in the
other modal
groups
are,
again,
missing,
while those
found
n the
'transposed'
unings
are
present
Ex. 25).
The use
of
the fret
in melodic
sequences
also
shows it
as
having
a 'flat' function
(Ex. 26). These examplesprove that,in the firstbook of El Maestro,he
criterion
governing
the function
and
presumably
he location of
fret IV
seems to
be
dictated
by
the
mode
of
the
piece,
regardless
f
the
tuning
involved:
his
fret
hasto
be moved
only
for the
pieces
that
belong
to
the 5th
and6th
modes.
Furthermore,
hroughout
ll the works
n these
modes,
this
fret
is
used
only
for
course3
in the
pieces
nA
tuning,
and
for courses
2
and
3
in
those
in
the
'transposed'
E
tuning,
which
suggests
that the
sharp
function
t
could
have
had in
other courses
has been
consciously
avoided,
leaving the fret free to be placed in the flat position (comparewith
Bermudo's
diagrams
or the
A
and
E
vihuelas,
Ex.
2
and
Ex.
27,
shown
here
with
the
courses
reversed
for
clarity's
ake)?7
EX.
25.
a)
Fantasia
9
66
EX.
26.
Fantasia
19
56-69
b)
Pavan
74
EX.
27.
1
2 3 4
5 6
7
8
9
X
a d l
The
evidence
provided
by
the first
book
of El Maestro
llows
us to
draw
the
following preliminary
onclusions:
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a)
Milan uses
different
terminos,
a
word
that
may
be
interpreted
as
a
synonym
of
'assumed
tuning'.
b)
Fret IV can be located in
either of two different
positions,
according
to
the
sharp
or
flat
function it
must
fulfil.
c)
There seems to exist
a
certain
inconsistency
between
the
rubric
to
Fantasia
14,
which states that
fret IV
must be moved when there
is
no
apparentneed, while the cases that effectively require such a displacement
lack
any
indication.
d)
The
position
of fret IV
seems to be dictated
by
the mode of the
piece,
regardless
of
the
tuning.
e)
The
consistent use
of
fret IV
fulfilling only
one
function,
either as
sharp
or
as
flat,
suggests
that Milan
used
a
fretting
scheme that
corresponds
to
an
unequal
temperament;
the most
likely
candidate seems
to
be
the
meantone
temperament.
Milan was, above all, a practicalmusician, and his advice should not be
disregarded
lightly. Up
to this
point
the
rubric that
indicates
fret
IV's
shift
of
position
seems to
be
located at an
inconvenient
place;
to
shed
more
light
on its
implications
it is
necessary
to
examine how
this fret
is
handled
in
the
works
for
solo
vihuela that
appear
in the
second book of El Maestro.
PART II
Some pieces for solo vihuela from the second book of El Maestrodisplay a
different use of fret
IV
as
compared
with the
use detected for
the
works
of
the first
book:
in
the latter
pieces
fret
IV
served
consistently
either
as
flat
or
sharp;
in
some of
the
following pieces
it will
retain
the
same
consistency
of
function,
but in
others
it
shall
be called for
to
provide
both
sharps
and
flats
in
the
course
of the same
piece.
This
inconsistency
will make
it
necessary
to
reconsider,
taking
into
account
the
new
evidence
from
the
second
book,
the
validity
of the
preliminary
conclusions
stated
above,
especially
those
that
refer to the use of the meantone temperament and to the relation between
the
mode
and
the
function of
fret IV.
Milan
declares,
in
the
preface
to the
second
book,
that it differs
from the
first
book in
that the
works
contained in the
second
present
a
greater
degree
of
difficulty,
adding
that
the
first book
'provided
beginning
and
midway',
while
the
second
'provides
the
conclusion'.38 The
first
indication of
a
different
usage,
a
difference
that will
cause
the
inconsistent
use of
fret
IV,
appears
in
the
rubric to
Fantasia
23,
placed
immediately
after
the
preface
to
the second book:
The
fantasia
hat
follows
belongs
to the
first
mode
through
a
different
part
from
that
shown in
the
first
book; thus,
you
shall
see
in
this
second
book the
modes
through
different
parts
n
the
vihuela
from
those
you
have seen in
the
past
book.39
'Through
different
parts'
means the
same
thing
as the
'change
of
terminos'
of the
first
book,
in
other
words,
that
the modes
will
appear
in
different
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assumed
tunings
rom those used
in
the first
bookP.4
antasia
3
itself can
confirm
the
correctness
of
this
interpretation.
The
pieces
from the first
mode
in
book one are Fantasias
, 2,
3
and
13;
all
of
them
use the
A
tuning
and
present
as
the
locus
f
D,
thefinalis,
ourse
3
stopped
at
fret
III.
Fantasia
23
'through
different
parts',
on the
other
hand,
has
course
2,
fret
III as
the
locus f
the
finalis,
which
corresponds
o the
E
tuning
(Ex.
28).
A
parallel
may be drawn, besides,between the rubric to Fantasia17 and that of
Fantasia
8.
Fantasia 6's rubricwarns
that
a
change
of
terminos
as
taken
place,
while
Fantasia 7
'goes
through
he
same
terminos
s
the
preceding
fantasia'
see
Appendix
1).
In
a
similar
ashion,
Milan
ndicated hatFantasia
27
'is
of
the
3rd
mode,
which
I
have
changed hrough
other
parts',
ollowed
by
Fantasia
8 which
'goes through
the
same
parts
n
the vihuela
as the
preceding
fantasia'.41
EX.
28.
a n t a s i a s
1,
FantasiasFantasia 3
Fantasia23
1,
2
&
13B
'Terminos' as
been defined
previously
as
a structural
pattern
determined
by
the
use
of
specific
locations
of
the
fretboard,
considering
the term
as a
synonym of 'assumedtuning'. Bearing in mind the way in which Milan uses
this
word in an
instrumental
context the
proposed
definition
is
correct,
but
the consistent use of
accidental notes
-
such
as
B6
for
the
5th
and
6th
modes,
or
F#
for
the 7th and
8th
-
may
cause the
fretboard
patterns
to
vary
without
any
change
in the assumed
tuning.42
These
alterations
make
it
necessary
to
introduce
a new
concept
of
terminos,
ow as structural
patterns
defined
exclusively by
the fretboard locations used in
the
course
of
a
piece,
regardless
of
the assumed
tuning.
It
may
be considered that
the
tuning
corresponds to the terminosapplying the word in a strict sense, while an
isolated
structural
pattern
may
be
interpreted
as
terminos
in
a
wider
sense.
The difference between
the
two
concepts may
be
appreciated
in
Ex.
29;
without
any
elements that could
help
to
establish the
name
of
the notes of
each fretboard
location,
diagram
'a'
does
not illustrate
any
specific tuning.
An examination of the
places
where
semitones
occur
may
induce
one to
think that this
diagram corresponds
to
an E
tuning (diagram
b)
but it also
could be interpreted as an A tuning where Bk is used consistently, as it
would
happen
with the
5th
and
6th modes
(diagram
c),
or even to
a
B
tuning
with
consistent
F
sharps,
as
would be
the
case
for
the
7th
and 8th
modes
(diagram
d).
These variants
prevent
the identification of
the
absolute
terminos
f
a
work
using
the
assumed
tuning
as
the
sole basis:
the structural
pattern
must
also be
taken
into
account
and vice versa.
A
clear
example
of
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EX.
29.
a)
1
2
3
4
5
b)
1
2
3
4 5
c)1234 5
d)1
2345
E
F
A nutk
B--4'
-
Ls
A,
LC
DI
w
C~ C~M%
this
ambiguity appears
in
Fantasia
38,
of
the
6th
mode,
whose rubric
points
out that 'the 8th may be played in these same places' (see p. 14), concluding
that the
only
difference will
reside in the names
assigned
to
thefinalis:
F
for
the 6th mode
and G for the
8th.
The
consistent use
of Bk
in
the sixth
mode
and
FO
in
the 8th
produces
similar
scales
in
both
modes,
whose
structure
corresponds
to that of an
Ionian
or modern
major;
if
the
only things
that
change
are the names of the notes on the
fretboard,
it is evident that
exactly
the same fretboard locations will be
used,
thus
shaping
a similar structural
pattern,
even
though
the
assumed
tuning
will be different since the
same
fretboard locations bear the names of different notes (see Ex. 30).
EX.
30.
1 2 3
4
5 1
2 3
4 5
f
AD
,B
A
LL_
E
F,,
:'
C
D
E.,"I.?
II
T
n
D
--
f-
,,,
'C"
'=
G
EI
. .
The
problem
of
fret IV's
function is
closely
related to the
use of
terminos
through
'other
parts';
it will
therefore be useful
to
classify
the
tunings
and
structural
patterns
that Milan
used
in
the
second book
of El
Maestro.The
tunings
can be
established
following
the
procedure
outlined
above: the
finalis
is determined
from the
mode,
as
mentioned
in
the
rubric;
thefinalis
is
then
located
in
the final
cadence in
order to find its
place
in
the
fretboard,
and,
finally,
all
the fretboard
locations
used
in
the course of
the
piece
are
drawn in a diagram.The tuning is deduced from the place of thefinalis, and
the
fretboard
locations are
examined
in
order to check if
they
correspond
to
the
'natural
notes' or
'key-signature'
accidentals
of the
mode,
and
that the
rest of
the
accidentals
are
congruent
with
those
generally
associated
with
the
mode in
question.3
Taking
into
account the
places
where
consecutive
numbers
appear,
this
analysis
also
allows one to
ascertain
between
which
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frets the
semitones
occur,
and
therefore to establish if a
specific
fret
functions
as
sharp
or
flat,
as
well
as the
structural
pattern
of the
piece.
As a
result of this
analysis,
it
emerged
that Milan
used the
following tunings
(in
order
of
appearance):
E,
nine
pieces;
F#,
five
pieces;
D,
two
pieces;
A,
five
pieces;
and
B,
one
piece
(see
Appendix
1).
The
classification of
the
structural
patterns
requires
a
system
that
groups
in a logical and coherent manner all the different possibilities of using the
fretboard. The easiest
way
of
achieving
this is to
start from the most obvious
case: that the structural
pattern
of the
piece
coincides with
the
pattern
inherent to the
tuning.
A clear
case
may
be found
in
Fantasia
4,
of the 1st
mode
in A
tuning,
where the
use
of
accidentals does not alter
perceptively
the natural
pattern
of the
tuning
(see
Ex.
31;
note also the
inconsistent use
of fret I).
EX.
31.
1
2 3
4
5
E
Dww
#
b b
This
graphic diagram
may
be also
expressed numerically:
the
notes
on
the sixth course
are A and
C,
corresponding
to
the
open string
and
fret
III,
that is, 03; if the
missing
diatonic note is introduced
(in
this case B
),
the
result
will be 023.
In
order to
define
a
structural
pattern,
as
determined
by
the natural notes
of the
scale,
it is
necessary
to take into account
only
the
numbers
for four
notes
in
two courses: this
covers the
range
of
a
seventh.
The
structural
pattern
of
the A
tuning may
be thus
expressed
as
(6)0235/
(5)0235;
this
pattern
will
henceforward be
referred
to as
group
1.
Following
the
same
procedure,
the
following groups
were
established
(see
Ex.
32):
EX. 32. Group1: (6)0235/(5)0235, 1 2 3 4 5
corresponding
o
A
i
Group
2:
(6)0135/(5)0235,
A
corresponding
o
E
I
Group
3:
(6)-135/(5)0135,
__I
corresponding
o
F#
?
Group
4:
(6)0235/(5)0245,
G
I
-
correspondingo D
D
E- -
Group
5:
(6)0135/(5)0135,
E[ ]i
-
1
1
r
corresponding
o
B
-
-Se
All
these structural
patterns
were used
by
Milan,
although
in
some cases
they
do
not
correspond
to the
tuning
from which
they
were
drawn. For
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example:
Fantasia
35 in
A
tuning belongs
to the 8th
mode,
whose
'key
signature'
requires consistently
F#;
this
accidental
is
found,
among
other
locations,
in
course
5,
fret
IV,
thus
presenting
the
pattern
(6)0235/(5)0245
which
corresponds
to the D
tuning,
or
group
4.
In this
case,
the
absolute
terminos f the
piece
are
A,
group
4,
hereafter referred
to as A4
(see
Ex.
33).
The
patterns
that follow
the
structure dictated
by
the natural
notes
of
its
tuning will receive the group number that corresponds to the tuning: Al,
E2,
F#3
and
D4;
the
B
tuning appears
only
in one
piece (Fantasia34),
with
the
group
2
structural
pattern
(B2).
The
use
of
accidentals
may
give
rise to
a
great
variety
of
tuning/pattern
combinations;
among
the
number
of
possibilities,
Milan
uses the
following
in
his
pieces
for solo
vihuela:
First
book:
Al,
without
accidentals
(sixteen
pieces)
A2,
with
B6
(three
pieces)
A4,
with
F#
(six pieces)
E5,
with
B6
(three
pieces)
Second book:
A4,
with
F#
(five
pieces)
E2,
without
accidentals
(five
pieces)
E5,
with
Bb
(four
pieces)
F#3,
without
accidentals
(five
pieces)
D1,
with
B6
(one
piece)
B2,
with
FO
(one
piece).
EX.
33.
1
2
3 4 5
A4
I
I
|
D
GD
IW
rI
,
l
EX. 34.
1 2 3 4
5
D6
,
"
1 2
3
45't
..
C
L
EiLi
Ti'
The piece that remains to make up the total of fifty works for solb
vihuela
in
El
Maestro,
Tiento 4 of
the 7th
and
8th
modes,
presents
the
D
tuning,
but the
FO
gives
rise
to a
new
structural
pattern
that
fits
the
G
tuning,
(6)0245/(5)0245,
which
corresponds
to
group
6
(see
Ex.
34).
Milan
uses
thus a
total
of
nine
tuning/pattern
combinations,
four
where
the
tuning
and
the
pattern
coincide,
and
five
that
could be
denominated as
'accidental'
(see
Appendix 1).
This
classification
of the
terminos
ccording
to the
tuning
and
structural
group
will
be
particularly helpful
for
the
study
of how
Milan
uses the patterns in relation to the modes, and the bearing that these
elements
can
have
upon
the
function
of
fret
IV.44
As
stated
above,
the
tablature
analysis
can
show,
among
other
things,
the
function
that a
particular
fret fulfils in
a
specific
piece.
This
analysis
was
carried
out for
all
the
solo
vihuela
pieces
in
El
Maestro
with a
particular
attention
to
fret
IV,
and
it
emerged
that
this fret
can
operate
in
three
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different
ways:
as a
sharp,
as a
flat,
or
inconsistently,
providing sharps
for
some courses and flats
for
others.
Ex.
35 from
Fantasia23
shows
an
example
of the
last case.
The flat
function is
clearly
defined in
bars 131-132
by
means
of the Bk
of course
3,
which
forms
octaves with
the B flats of
frets
I
and
VI,
also flat
(Ex.
35a);
course 3 in
fret
IV
provides
B
flats
throughout
the
whole
piece.
This same
fret,
however,
also
provides
sharps
for
courses
1
and
4 (see Ex. 35b, bars150-152, where the G# of course 1 cadences to the A of
fret
V).
This kind
of inconsistent
behaviour that
appears
only
in
the
second
book,
combined with the wider
variety
of
terminos,
uggests
that the
more
complex
and
different use
of
fret
IV,
as well as of
the
terminos
hemselves,
could be due to
didactical reasons:
it
may
have
happened
that
Milan
considered
that when
the
pupil
had
finished with
the first
book
he
should be
familiar
enough
with its
straightforward
terminos,
and
increased the
difficulty by
including
the more
problematic
ones. This
hypothesis
is
consistent with Milan's meticulousness on indicating the mode of all of his
pieces
for solo vihuela and
by
which
'parts' they
can
be
played,
a
concern
that is
manifest
throughout
his
work and reiterated in
the
preface
to the
second
book,
when
he
states
that
in
it
'the modes will
be seen in
other
parts
of the vihuela'.45
EX.35.
Fantasia 3
Oa
b-
15-
31-132
150-152
The
use of
fret
IV
in
three different
ways
creates two
broad
groups
of
pieces:
those where the use
is
consistent
(whether
flat or
sharp),
and
those
where the use is inconsistent. The pieces of the second book may be
classified
following
this criterion as follows:
a)
Consistent
use: Flat: Fantasias
32,
33 and
Tiento 3
Sharp:
Fantasias
34-38,
40 and Tiento 4
b)
Inconsistent:
Fantasias
23-31,
39 and Tientos 1-2.
The
inconsistency
may vary
between
the
occasional
appearance
of a
sharp
when the fret functions
as flat and
vice-versa,
to the
recurrent
use of
the conflicting function. In order to distinguish these cases two further
categories
were
created:
minimal
inconsistency,
when the
conflicting
function
appears only
once or
twice in
the course of
the
piece,
and maximal
inconsistency
for a
more
extended
use.
The
pieces
with minimal
inconsistency
are Fantasias26-31 and
Tiento
2. Those that
present
maximal
inconsistency
are
Fantasias
23-25,
39 and Tiento 1.
Using
the
classification
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established
above,
and
including
the modes
of the
pieces, they
form
the
following
groups:
a)
Consistent
use,
fret IV
flat:
E5,
5th
and 6th
modes: Fantasias
32,
33 and
Tiento 3
b)
Consistent
use,
fret
IV
sharp:
D1, 6th mode, Fantasia38
A4,
7th and
8th
modes,
Fantasias 34-37 and
40
D6,
7th
and
8th
modes,
Tiento 4
c)
Minimal
inconsistency:
E2,
3rd and
4th modes: Fantasia
26
F#3,
3rd and 4th
modes:
Fantasias 27-30 and
Tiento
2
E5,
6th
mode: Fantasia 31
d)
Maximal
inconsistency:
E2, 1st and 2nd modes: Fantasias23-25 and Tiento 1
B2,
7th
and 8th
modes: Fantasia
39.
The
presence
of
inconsistency,
even
though
it
may
be
minimal,
in
Fantasia
31 of the
6th
mode
in
E5 suggests
that Fantasias32 and
33,
as
well
as
Tiento
3,
of the
5th and 6th
modes in
E5
as
well,
pertain
to the
same
category
of terminoswhere
fret IV
is
open
to
an
inconsistent treatment.
On
the
other
hand,
the
pieces
from the first
book where fret IV
functions as flat
can
be
classified
thus:
A2,
5th and 6th
modes,
Fantasia
19 and Pavan 3
E5,
5th
and
6th
modes,
Fantasias
16-17 and
20.
It
can
be
appreciated
that
three
of
these
pieces
also
belong
to
the
5th and
6th
modal
group
with
E5
terminos,
and are therefore
subject
to the
considerations
expressed
above
regarding
their
potential inconsistency.
As
a
result
of this
brief
examination,
it
may
be
concluded that
fret
IV
has a
consistent
function
only
for the
A and D
tunings.
In
both of these
tunings
fret IV
is
sharpby
definition,
a
fact that
may help
to
explain
the
consistency
of this
function in
this
context.46
There
is
also the
possibility
of
usirig
fret
IV
as
a flat
in the
A2
terminos,
but
taking
care
of
avoiding
the
courses
where it
should
provide
sharps,
as
Milan does
when he uses
this fret
only
for
course
3
in
the
5th
and 6th
mode
pieces
included
in
the
first
book
(see
above,
pp.
16-17
and Ex.
36).
This
extraordinary
use
of
fret
IV,
which
could
almost be
considered as
artificial
in its
avoidance of five
courses,
makes it
plausible
that
Milan,
in
order
to be
consistent with
his
didactical
policies,
EX.
36.
1
2 3 4
E
(B)
D
23
7/24/2019 You Will Raise a Little Your 4th Fret
23/44
and
to
show
'where' on the vihuela
the
5th
and 6th
modes
could
be
played
in
an
A
tuning
(the
one
he
preferred
to use
throughout
the first
book),
composed
these
pieces
with a
special
care,
fully
aware that these
terminos
might
not
have
been the most
adequate.
This
hypothesis
is
supported by
the
fact
that in the
second
book
no further
pieces
of
this
modal
group
appear
in
A
tuning,
and
specially,
that the
first fantasia
of the
5th and
6th
modes to
appear in El Maestro(No. 15) completely avoids the use of fret IV. If this
hypothesis
is
correct,
it
may
be
postulated
as a
conclusion
that
fret
IV
functions
consistently
only
in
the A
and
D
tunings,
and that its
function
in
these cases
is,
mainly,
that
of
providing sharps.
The rubric
to Fantasia
14 is
not the
only
one
to advise
shifting
fret IV.
As
already
mentioned,
similar
instructions
can
be
found
in
the rubric to the
Romance 'Con
pavor
recordol moro'which
appears
in
the
second
book;
it is
worthwhile
to
state them
again:
(When]playing hrough hesepartsnthevihuela,youshouldraise hefourth reta
little
towards he
pegs
of the
vihuela.7
The rubrics
of
the
pieces
for voice
and
vihuela
of
El Maestrodo not offer
any
information
concerning
the
mode of
the
piece
in
question;
the
identification of
the
tuning
must be therefore
accomplished
through
the
analysis
of the
music and
the
tablature itself. The
accompaniment
of Con
pavor
follows
definitely
instrumental
lines,
chords and
scales,
and
consequently
does not have
a
well-defined
superius:
hese circumstances
forced the choice of the vocal
part
as the basisto determine the modality of
this
work.8
In
the scale
of
the
voice
part
of
Con
pavor
he first third
is
minor,
occasionally
altered
ascendingly,
which
corresponds
to
a minor
mode,
while
the
range
fits
that of
an
authentic
mode;
thus the
options
are
restricted to the 1st
or
3rd
modes whose tonic notes
are D
and E
respectively.
The
organization
of the
intervals makes
it
clear
that
this
piece
must
be
in
the 1st
mode,dsince
using
E
as
the
tonic would
produce
an
unnatural amount of unusual
alterations
(it
would
begin
F
, F#, At,
B,
etc., see Appendix 3). The
tuning
assumed for this
piece
is therefore D, and
the
fingerboard
locations
correspond
to
the structural
pattern
4:
(6)0235/
(5)0245
(see
Ex.
37a).
In
the
D
tuning
fret
IV must
provide
sharps,
and this is
precisely
what
happens
in this
piece;
in
fact,
it
may
be
confirmed
with the
chord
in Ex.
38,
where an
octave
appears
between
a
note
in fret IV
and
another
in fret
II,
also
sharp.
It
has
already
been
mentioned
that in the
context
of the first
book
the
chords that use
fret
IV form two
different,
mutually
exclusive
groups,
according
to the function of flat
or
sharp
they
must fulfil. This rule still operates in most of the second book, with a few
exceptions
that
will
be discussed
presently
(see
Appendix
4).
Fantasia
14
with
Al
terminos,
on
the other
hand,
also uses
the
chords from
the
sharp
group,
and
presents
a similar structure of terminos o that of Con
pavor;
the
difference
in
course 5
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