Does anyone know about the Spanish Renaissance cittern?

[Joaquim Boguñá]

Castellano
I'm answering the following comment from Damien Delgrossi.

At 9:43am on 11 April 2009, Damien Delgrossi said…
Gracias Joaquim no hablo spagnol ne catalan, so i am going to write you in english!
I have heard your music on your page, it is just deep and great; Congratulations for your music. As a lute player, maybe you do have some informations about the renaissance cittern in Spain? I am looking for informations about the history of cittern in Spain but don't find anything...
Ciao amicu,
Damien

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And now, my reply.

Hello Damien,

Thank you for your kind comment.

I'm sorry, but I know very little about cittern. I have seen some tablatures, but most of them were transcriptions from lute works and not originals.

Cittern is known nowadays as our 'bandurria' or 'Spanish Lute'. They are used in music ensembles here in Spain known as 'La Tuna', which are formed by young university students who usually sing witty love songs.

Unfortunately, I cannot tell you how different a modern bandurria is from a Spanish renaissance cittern.
Nevertheless, I have looked up on the internet, and found a reference about a renaissance Spanish book - Nebrija, Vocabulario, 1495. It seems to be a dictionary. Instead of cittern, bandurria or citara, it talks about a 'citola' for that period. Maybe you should continue your research through this word. Here is the link.

Could someone help Damien?

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Good luck with your further research, Damien.

Greetings,

Joaquim.

[Joaquim Boguñá]

Well, I just opened this thread to help Damien. The one who was especially interested in this topic was him. And since he belongs already to the cittern group you are referring to, I presume he must have read such postings by now. But thank you very much again for your comment, Marc.

[Marc Alexander]

Hola Joaquim,

Why don't you look on the Ning cittern site? James Tyler has made a few postings about the "cistre" in Spanish Renaissance music. Buena suerte.

Requerdos,

Marc Alexander

[Joaquim Boguñá]

Thank you for your help, Marc.

Greetings,

Joaquim.

[Marc Alexander]

While I am not a music historian, I listen to and play the music of the vihuelistas, especially Milan and Narvaez, but I've never come across a piece for cittern. Some of the music is composed for "harp, keyboards, or vihuela," but there is no mention of the cittern. Also, while the cittern is used on Shirley Rumsey's "Music of the Italian Renaissance," her companion CD, "Music of the Spanish Renaissance" employs vihuela, lute, and Renaissance guitar, but not the cittern. You might want to put a posting on the companion Ning cittern group site. No doubt Andrew Hartig and Doc Rossi cold be more specific than I. It is curious that while there is an obvious cross-pollination between 16th century Italian and Spanish music to the point where the vihuela de mano and the viola da mano are virtually interchangeable, there is no clear evidence of the cittern's use in Spain. But do ask Doc and Andrew. Buena suerte.

Requerdos,

Marc Alexander