Another CD on six-course guitar

[Jelma van Amersfoort]

Here is another recording on a six course guitar. Peruvian guitarist Javier Echecopar Mongilardi recorded pieces from 18th century (Peruvian!) sources on an original Benedid guitar from 1811. 

http://www.javierechecopar.com/discopart3.htm

[Akira Sakamoto]

A Japanese early guitar/lute researcher Makoto Tsuruta also recorded a CD containing some music from the Matias Maestro and Libro de Zifra on the original Benedid he had restored himself, and at least Fandango and Tocata the Peruvian guitarist recorded are also on Tsuruta's CD that I have.

 

I don't know if there is any connection between them, but this is a very interesting coincidence.  I just let him know about the CD.  I'm looking forward to his response.

 

Thank you for sharing, Jelma!

[Rob MacKillop]

Oh, it's getting too trendy...

[Jelma van Amersfoort]

It's a hype.

[Thomas Schmitt]

And an other CD with spanish music of the 18th century for guitar has just been published on "Versus".

Have a look at: http://www.diverdi.com/portal/detalle.aspx?id=47696.

Yes, it seems to be a trend.

Saludos,

Thomas

[Mark Day]

I too dislike trends and enjoy the esoteric nature of early guitar and lute music. On the other hand, being too esoteric risks extinction. If interest in 6 course guitar or anything pre-Segovia and pre-Torres increases among the mainstream it will bring with it some good things. Maybe more interest in preserving the right to make gut strings in the EU for example, or more work for luthiers who specialize in early instruments, and of course more recordings for us all to enjoy.

Alright, enough of that I have to get back to my unbeaten path...

[Scot Tremblay]

"...or more work for luthiers who specialize in early instruments..."

 

I'm all for that wonderful idea!

 

Actually, be it trendy or esoteric, I'd like to know and hear more from that middle period "wasteland" between the Baroque guitar and the six string. I'm not as familiar with that era as I am the times on either side of it... I'm not sure if there is much available material to research or if scholars just haven't looked at it until recently but what ever is there, bring it on I say.

[Akira Sakamoto]

Scot, do you know this recording by Olav Chris Henriksen?

http://www.amazon.com/La-Guitarre-Royalle-Baroque-Classical/dp/B000...

 

He uses historical guitars from the collections of the Museum of FIne Arts, Boston.  And the latter half of the album is dedicated to the music written for single-strung 5 course guitars in late 18s.

[Scot Tremblay]

Hey Akira, well, I've seen it but I've not heard it. It looks very interesting.

 

I didn't know the Boston Museum of FA had a five course/single strung guitar. I thought I'd seen most of what they had. Interesting. I'll have to check next time I'm down there.

 

I had an instrument visit my shop for a couple hours that I thought at the time may (or may not) have been an original Italian 5 string instrument. But I couldn't be sure as the poor thing had suffered a great number of dubious restorations during it's long life...the jury is still out on that one .

[Akira Sakamoto]

Scott, actually, the single-strung guitar used in the CD is a 5-course one made by Champion.  The liner notes says: "...beginning in the 1780s, both iconography and method books (such as Lemoine's Nouvelle methode from 1790) show a preference for a pattern of single strings tuned e'-b-g-d-A, leaving every other tuning pegs empty."

 

Hope it helps.

[Rob MacKillop]

Well, I was only joking. I love the 6c guitar. If someone could give me one, I'd happily play it :-)

[Akira Sakamoto]

Any good music deserves recognition and appiciation without remaining obscure.  Bach's music had been by the public forgotten for decades after his passing!

 

Anyway, I asked Tsuruta Makoto about Javier Echecopar Mongilardi.  He kindly revealed that he had bought his Benedid from Javier along with the scores he had used for the recording!  Tsuruta then restored the Benedid himself and made his own recording using the same score.  He used real gut strings.  After the restoration, Tsuruta went on to make two excellent replicas of Benedid:

 

http://www.crane.gr.jp/more/2008Benedid1812Copy/indexE.html

http://www.crane.gr.jp/more/2009Benedid1812_6str/indexE.html

 

He made one as a dead copy and another as a converted 6-string version, following the historical method to convert 6-course guitars to 6-string ones.

[Jelma van Amersfoort]

Hello Akira

That is interesting. I knew about Mr Tsurutas Benedid project but never realized that it was the same instrument. Also it is remarkable that he restored the Benedid, because Carlos Gonzales restored it as well before :-)

And I agree with you about all good music. Six course guitar is still a niche within a niche and far from trendy.