Musica getutscht. A Treatise on Musical Instruments.
The publication of Musica getutscht in 1511 by the priest Sebastian Virdung is significant for a number of reasons: it represents the first treatise on instruments and instrumental music published in the vernacular, it attempts to establish an instrument classification system based on structure, sound production, and playing technique; it demonstrates how to transcribe mensural vocal music into three types of instrumental tablature - for keyboard (clavichord), strings (lute), and winds (recorder); and it gave birth to a number of instrumental tutors written for the lay musician. Editor/translator Beth Bullard defends Virdung's treatise against critics of its accuracy and pedagogical approach, resolving that the writer had "good command of the tablatures for all three instruments he presents." Yet there is no evidence that anyone actually ever used his recorder tablature system; furthermore, his intabulation technique, geared toward an earlier performance practice of playing single lines rather than polyphony on lute and keyboards, raises questions about Virdung's currency as a performing musician.Virdung's text, written in Early New High German (Fruhneuhochdeutsch), appears in the form of a dialogue between two colleagues, Sebastian (the author) and his friend Andreas Silvanus. It seems a miracle that anyone could have learned to hold, much less actually play, a recorder from the very convoluted discussion provided; in this case, the crude illustrations are truly worth a thousand words. Bullard provides a mostly readable translation that remains close to the original yet divides up long sentences into more digestible units, transliterates letters where necessary, and corrects minor errors. Sadly, a glossary explaining Virdung's archaic words, provided in her dissertation, is lacking from this publication.
Bullard has given careful attention to bibliographic issues surrounding the publication of Virdung's treatise. She categorizes the two editions of the original German work, and further identifies two separate states within the first edition, listing the extant exemplars for each. The basis for these two states is, according to the editor, orthography and text placement, supported by watermark evidence; however, no examples of these variants are provided in the preface, nor are any watermarks reproduced. Bullard also confirms that the format of the original publication - variously described as quarto, octavo, and duodecimo by modern bibliographers - is indeed a small oblong quarto, as recorded by the Spanish bibliophile Ferdinand Columbus.
Virdung's treatise is particularly important for its longevity of use and popularity in other countries, evinced by its translation into Latin, French, and Dutch (which Bullard refers to as Netherlandic). An intriguing theory is presented surrounding the order of these versions. The traditional view has held that the first translation of the treatise was an anonymous French version (somewhat abridged), published in Antwerp by Guillaume Vorsterman in 1529; the next version a Latin one translated by the noted scholar, musician, and theologian Othmar Luscinius and published in Italy in 1536; and the last a Dutch version that appeared in two editions (1554 and 1568) in Antwerp, published by Jan van Ghelen (with cuts similar to the French translation). Bullard, following an idea first espoused by Charles Warren Fox, supports a linguistic stemma that would reverse the order of the French and Dutch translations, thus suggesting a missing Dutch-texted edition of around 1528, possibly issued by Vorsterman as a "twin" to the French one. She further shows that the Latin translation of Luscinius predates both these in a manuscript copy of c. 1517, making it the earliest of the treatise's progeny.
Bullard's preface represents the most thorough study to date of Virdung's treatise, and her translation is much welcomed by English readers. Her theories will almost certainly invite continued debate among scholars over bibliographical and organological issues surrounding this early Renaissance music textbook.
KRISTINE K. FORNEY California State University, Long Beach
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| Author: | Forney, Kristine K. |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Renaissance Quarterly |
| Article Type: | Book Review |
| Date: | Jun 22, 1997 |
| Words: | 617 |
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