Hello Manuel,

Great to see you here! First of all, I just wanted to say a big thank you for publishing complete texts of DO REGIMENTO DOS VIOLEIROS as well as that of string makers ( ... DOS QUE FAZEM CORDAS DE VIOLA). I did some selected translations of the first from a few pages of your handwritten copy that John Griffiths has kindly provided me with. I only wish I knew Portuguese better so as to translate the complete document, maybe one day ... Anyway, this is the translation I'm talking about in case anybody is interested:

http://www.vihuelademano.com/regimento.htm

I'm very interested in one piece of iconography that you mention in the article. It's by Francisco Venegas (c. 1582-1591), Lisboa, Igreja da Luz, (Figure 4, p. 422). Do you have a better quality picture from where the number of pegs can be counted on the plucked viola (on the left)?

There is one more Portuguese viola to those that you mention (footnote 58, p. 415) which is in the Edinburgh University Collection of instruments (on loan from the National Museum of Scotland). It a beautiful small 5-course (3 x 2 + 2 x 3) viola, in completely original condition, bearing the inscription "IOZE DOR V", no date found but possibly from c. 1740s - 50s.

As for the viola by Antonio dos Stos Vieyra (from the Ashmolean collection), it actually still has its original bridge with 6 (!) slots for paired courses, not 5. Otherwise the bridge design is very close to the above-mentioned instrument in Edinburgh. I can forward you some photographs if you are interested.

Alexander

Hello Manuel,

Great to see you here. First of all, I just wanted to say a big thank you for publishing complete texts of DO REGIMENTO DOS VIOLEIROS as well as that of string makers ( ... DOS QUE FAZEM CORDAS DE VIOLA). I did some selected translations of the first from a few pages of your handwritten copy that John Griffiths has kindly provided me with. I only wish I knew Portuguese better so as to translate the complete document, maybe one day ... Anyway, this is the translation I'm talking about in case anybody is interested:

http://www.vihuelademano.com/regimento.htm

I'm very interested in one piece of iconography that you mention in the article. It's by Francisco Venegas (c. 1582-1591), Lisboa, Igreja da Luz, (Figure 4, p. 422). Do you have a better quality picture from where the number of pegs can be counted on the plucked viola (on the left)?

There is one more Portuguese viola to those that you mention (footnote 58, p. 415) which is in the Edinburgh University Collection of instruments (on loan from the National Museum of Scotland). It a beautiful small 5-course (3 x 2 + 2 x 3) viola, in completely original condition, bearing the inscription "IOZE DOR V", no date found but possibly from c. 1740s - 50s.

As for the viola by Antonio dos Stos Vieyra (from the Ashmolean collection), it actually still has its original bridge with 6 (!) slots for paired courses, not 5. Otherwise the bridge design is very close to the above-mentioned instrument in Edinburgh. I can forward you some photographs if you are interested.

Alexander

Hello Manuel,

Great to see you here. First of all, I just wanted to say a big thank you for publishing complete texts of DO REGIMENTO DOS VIOLEIROS as well as that of string makers ( ... DOS QUE FAZEM CORDAS DE VIOLA). I did some selected translations of the first from a few pages of your handwritten copy that John Griffiths has kindly provided me with. I only wish I knew Portuguese better so as to translate the complete document, maybe one day ... Anyway, this is the translation I'm talking about in case anybody is interested:

http://www.vihuelademano.com/regimento.htm

I'm very interested in one piece of iconography that you mention in the article. It's by Francisco Venegas (c. 1582-1591), Lisboa, Igreja da Luz, (Figure 4, p. 422). Do you have a better quality picture from where the number of pegs can be counted on the plucked viola (on the left)?

There is one more Portuguese viola to those that you mention (footnote 58, p. 415) which is in the Edinburgh University Collection of instruments (on loan from the National Museum of Scotland). It a beautiful small 5-course (3 x 2 + 2 x 3) viola, in completely original condition, bearing the inscription "IOZE DOR V", no date found but possibly from c. 1740s - 50s.

By the way, the viola by Antonio dos Stos Vieyra (from the Ashmolean collection) has actually retained its original bridge with 6 (!) slots for paired courses (i.e. 6 x 2), not 5, as you mention. Otherwise the bridge design is very close to the above-mentioned instrument in Edinburgh. I can forward you some photographs if you are interested.

Alexander

Hello Manuel,

Great to see you here. First of all, I just wanted to say a big thank you for publishing complete texts of DO REGIMENTO DOS VIOLEIROS as well as that of string makers ( ... DOS QUE FAZEM CORDAS DE VIOLA). I did some selected translations of the first from a few pages of your handwritten copy that John Griffiths has kindly provided me with. I only wish I knew Portuguese better so as to translate the complete document, maybe one day ... Anyway, this is the translation I'm talking about in case anybody is interested:

http://www.vihuelademano.com/regimento.htm

I'm very interested in one piece of iconography that you mention in the article. It's by Francisco Venegas (c. 1582-1591), Lisboa, Igreja da Luz, (Figure 4, p. 422). Do you have a better quality picture from where the number of pegs can be counted on the plucked viola (on the left)?

There is one more Portuguese viola to those that you mention (footnote 58, p. 415) which is in the Edinburgh University Collection of instruments (on loan from the National Museum of Scotland). It a beautiful small 5-course (3 x 2 + 2 x 3) viola, in completely original condition, bearing the inscription "IOZE DOR V", no date found but possibly from c. 1740s - 50s.

By the way, the viola by Antonio dos Stos Vieyra (from the Ashmolean collection) has actually retained its original bridge with 6 (!) slots for paired courses (i.e. 6 x 2), not 5, as you mention. Otherwise the bridge design is very close to the above-mentioned instrument in Edinburgh. I can forward you some photographs if you are interested.

Alexander

Estimado Manuel, toco vihuela, laúd renacentista y transicional, guitarra barroca y tiorba. He tocado también el cittern y obviamente la guitarra clásica (aún doy clases de este instrumento en conservatorios).
Un abrazo