History, Part 4
The Four-string guitar
The four-string Egyptian guitar, once arrived in Europe, underwent a considerable change in form. The number of strings became variable, passing from three, four, and five strings. However, the four-string guitar (fig.4) emerged as the most popular by the end of the medieval period.
In the 15th century, the terms chitarra and chitarino (Italy), guitarra (Spain), quitare, quinterne (France), and gyterne (England) referred to a round-backed instrument that later developed into the mandolin. Only in the 16th century did several of these terms come to be used for members of the guitar family. [Tyler James, 1997]
All of its four strings were double in most of Europe with the exception of Italy, where the first string remained single, and the tuning of the Italian instrument differed from the standard system. Whereas, the general practice was to tune the lowest course in octave, with the remaining three each tuned in unisson, the Italians tuned the two lowest courses in octave, the remaining double course in unisson, the first string being single. Both systems used the tuning G, C, E, A most frequently.
In Spain, there appeared to have been two main tuning systems for the four-string guitar. The first tuning was G, D, F#, B. This tuning was more suitable for old ballads and musica golpeada (strummed music) than for music of the present time. The other tuning is identical to the tuning of the first four strings of the modern guitar.
The first of the Spanish tablatures to include serious music for the four-string guitar were those of Alonso Mudarra. It included four fantasias, a pavana and the romanesca "Gárdame las Vacas". The second work to include four-string guitar was Miguel de Fuenllana's Orphelina Lyra. The last work containing music for this instrument was Juan Carlos Arnat's Guitarra Española y Vandola de cinco Ordenes y de Quatro, in 1586.
As these Spanish tablatures were being published, the popularity of the four-string guitar was rising in France and Italy. In Italy, a collection of guitar music was published in Venice under the title Libro de tabolatura de chitarra, by Paolo Virchi. The growing number of publications was paralleled by the number of noted guitar players.
In France, the effects of music printing became manifest. From 1551 to 1555, five books of guitar tablatures were issued in Paris by Adrian Le Roy and Robert Ballard. These books contain fantasias and pieces in dance such as branles, galliards; music for voice and guitar: psalms, chansons. These compositions came from many masters. It gives the proof that a true school of guitar playing existed in France in the sixteenth century.
From Germany, we have the name of two guitar players: Michael Janusch and Michel Mulich.
There must have existed a great many number of guitarists, in those countries, who will remained anonymous whose music never reached the press as it was nearly impossible to publish without royal sanction.
Five-string guitar
In the Middle Ages, the co-existence of three, four and five string guitars was noted. By the fifteenth century, the four-double strings instrument excelled in popularity. In the sixteenth century, it in turn was gradually replaced by the five double string guitar (fig.5).
The first evidence of a true five-string guitar is an Italian engraving in the fifteenth century. The instrument, itself is at least as large as its modern counterpart, the soundbox appears to be larger than that of the present day guitar. Its fine construction draws our attention to the excellent craftmanship for which Italian luthiers of this period were known.
The five-string guitar had a derivative known as the guitarra battente (fig.6). It is characterized by a soundbox the back of which curves gently outwards (fig.7) instead of being simply flat. It has a bridge with foliage designs at each end. It had tied-on gut frets and a lute-like bridge glued to the soundboard. The back of the soundbox is decorated with white stripes. These motives were to become very popular later on. In its earlier days, the guitarra battente was primarly a strummed instrument. By the beginning of the sixteenth century, it became a plucked in addition to being a strummed instrument. The popularity of the guitarra battente is attested to by its frequent representation in paintings.
The same observation on the taste for decoration holds true for the French Rizzio guitar. It is decorated with tortoise shell, ivory, mother of pearl and ebony.
In Spain, the most comprehensive work on the five-string guitar was published in 1586 in Barcelona. Written by Juan Carlos Amat, it has a section on the five-string dealing with a new method of playing and contains several compositions for this instrument.
In conclusion: the five-string guitar came to being as a result of the development and transformation of the four-string guitar. The tuning of the five-string instrument was A-D-G-B-E as on the five first strings of the modern guitar. Since the tuning of the four-string guitar was the same as that used on the first four strings of the modern guitar, the low A string was the later addition. The five-string guitar emerged from Italy to its acceptance and increasing popularity throughout sixteenth century Europe.
