For Chusing of Lute-strings.

WHen wee take in hand to instruct or teach a man on the LVTE, wee doe suppose that hee knoweth before (be hee neuer so rude) what a String, a Fret, a Stop, a Stroke, &c. meaneth: therefore it were not conuenient for a Teacher to stand vpon euery small point and matter that may be thought appertayning to the Art of Lute-playing, but to leaue and let passe ouer some things, as apparant of themselues, or easie to be discerned of euery learner, by Nature, Sense, Reason, or common Experience, and therefore we will onely entreat and giue resolution of those things which are most needfull: of which chusing of Lute-strings is not the least, Ordinarily therefore wee choose Lute-strings by the freshnesse, or new making: the which appeares vnto vs by their cleere and oylinesse, as they lye in the Boxe or bundle; yet herein we are often deceiued, for Oyle at any time will make strings looke cleere, and therefore this tricke is too too commonly vsed to them when they are old.

Now because Trebles are the principall strings wee neede to get, choose them of a faire and cleere whitish gray, or ash-colour, and take one of the knots in your hand, but let it not be too small, for those giue no sound, besides they will be either rotten for lacke of sub­stance, or extreame false. Also open the boutes of one of the ends of the Knot, and then hold it vp against the light, and looke that it be round and smooth: but if you discerne it to be curlie, as the thread of a curled Cypris, or horse hayre, (which you may as well feele as see) then refuse them, although they be both cleere and strong, because those strings were not well twisted, and therefore will neuer be true on the Instrument. For trying the strength of these strings, some doe set the top of their fore or middle finger on one of the ends of the Knot, which if they finde stiffe, they hould them then as good; but if it bend as wee say, through a dankish weakenesse, then they are not strong. Some againe doe take the end of the string between their teeth, and then plucke it, and thereby if it breake faseld at the end, then it is strong, but if it breake stubbed then it is weake. This Rule also is houlden for the breaking of a string betweene the hands. The best way, is to plucke out an end of the string (if the seller will suffer you, if hee will not assure your selfe that those strings which hee sheweth you are old or mingled,) and then looke for the cleernesse and faults before spoken, as also for faseling with little hayres. And againe looke amongst the boutes, at one end of the Knot, that the string be not parted, I meane one peece great and another small, then draw it hard betweene your hands, to try the strength, which done, hould it vp againe against the light betweene your hands, and marke whether it be cleere as before; if it be not but looke muddie, as a browne thread, such strings are old, and haue beene rubbed ouer with oyle to make them cleere. This choosing of strings is not alone for Trebles, but also for small and great Meanes: greater strings though they be ould are bet­ter to be borne withall, so the colour be good, but if they be fresh and new they will be cleere against the light, though their colour be blackish.

Now againe some old strings will hould well the stretching betweene your hands, yet when you set them on the Instrument they will sticke, (and rise by starts) in the Nut, and there breake, euen in the tuning: the best remedy when the strings sticke so, is to rub the [Page] little nickes of the Nut, (in which the string slides) with a little Oyle, Waxe, or black lead. If you desire to choose strings that are not false, that the maker cannot promise you; but there is a rule for the knowledge thereof by sight after the string is drawn out, which being it is so ordinarie and so well knowne, I hould it not fit to trouble you with the relation. Some strings there are which are coloured, out of which choose the lightest colours, viz. among Greene choose the Sea-water, of Red the Carnation, and of Blew the Watcher.

Now these strings as they are of two sorts, viz. Great and Small: so either sort is pact vp in sundry kindes, to wit, the one sort of smaller strings (which come from Rome and other parts of Italy) are bound vp by certain Dozens in bundels; these are very good if they be new, if not, their strength doth soone decay: the other sort are pact vp in Boxes, and come out of Germany: of these, those strings which come from Monnekin and Mildorpe, are and continue the best. Likewise there is a kinde of strings of a more fuller and larger sort then ordinary (which we call Gansars.) These strings for the sizes of the great and small Meanes, are very good, but the Trebles are not strong. Yet also there is another sort of the smaller strings, which are made at Liuornia in Tuscanie: these strings are rolled vp round together, as if they were a companie of horse hayres. These are good if they be new, but they are but halfe Knots. Note there is some store of these come hither lately, and are here made vp, and passe for whole Knots. For the greater sorts or Base strings, some are made at Nurenburge, and also at Straesburge, and bound vp onely in knots like other strings. These strings are excellent, if they be new, if not, they fall out starke false. The best strings of this kinde are double knots ioyned together, and are made at Bologna in Lumbardie, and from thence are sent to Venice: from which place they are transported to the Martes, and there­fore commonly called Venice Catlines. The best time for the Marchant is to prouide his strings at Michaelmas, for then the string-makers bring their best strings which were made in the Summer to Franckford, and Lypzig Martes. Contrarily at Easter they bring their Winter strings, which are not so good.

Of setting the right sizes of Strings vpon the Lute.

FOR the well ordering and setting on the right sizes of strings vpon the Lute, the sen­ces of Seeing and Feeling is required. Wherefore first haue consideration to the great­nesse or smalnesse of the Instrument, and thereby proportionably size your strings, ap­pointing for the bigger Lute the greater strings, and for the lesser Lute the smaller strings, which being so thought on, first set on your Trebles, which must be strayned neither too stiffe not too slacke, but of such a reasonable height that they may deliuer a pleasant sound, and also (as Musitions call it) play too and fro after the strokes thereon. Secondly, set on your Bases, in that place which you call the sixt string, or Γ vt: these Bases must be both of one bignes, yet it hath beene a generall custome (although not so much vsed any where as here in England) to set a small and a great string together, but amongst learned Musi­tions that custome is left, as irregular to the rules of Musicke. But to our purpose: these double Bases likewise must neither be stretched too hard, nor too weake, but that they may according to your feeling in striking with your Thombe and finger equally counter­poyse the Trebles, yeelding from them a low or deepe sound, distant from the Trebles an Interuall called Disdiapason. Now the Base being ordered, proceede to the Tenor, which strings must be so much smaller then the Base, that they may reach a Diatessaron higher, that is, a fourth, or to say better, foure Notes higher: that being done, strike the Tenor with your Thombe, and the Treble with your fore-finger both together, and you shall heare them sound the Interuall Diapason cum Diapente. Thus as the sounds increase in height, so the strings must decrease in greatnesse. Likewise by the contrary, for those Acces­sories, which are the seauenth, eight and ninth string, &c. keeping the former counterpeise, as if they were equall things waighed in an euen Ballance.

Of fretting the Lute.

ALthough it may be thought we doe not herein keepe a good Decorum, because our discourse is first of fretting the Lute, rather then of Tuning, which is most commonly vsed: yet for that we meane this to Schollers, and not Maisters (seeing both these things are so needefull) I haue rather chosen this subiect first, hoping hereby to make the easier in­duction to Tuning: which part is not the least, and of most desired, because between Fretting and Tuning there is Simphonie by Antiphonie, that is to say, through the winding vp and letting downe of the strings, an Accord riseth from Discord, so as of contrary Notes is composed a sweet Tune, which doth concurre and after a sort of meeting together, bring foorth by their agreement that sound which pleaseth the Eare. Wherefore as that famous Maister in Musicke Andreas Ornithoparcus, saith in lib. 1. cap. 3. of his Micrologus: a voyce is compact of a Key and a Sillable: euen so here the sounds on the Lute, by which a Tenor of Notes may be expressed) are compact of a stoppe and a stroke; whose distincti­on is shewed by Strings called of the auncient Musitions Pthongos, and also by Frets cal­led Nerui, Glarianus lib. 1. Dedocha. Now these frets of late yeeres were but seauen in num­ber, as witnesseth Hans Gerle Lutenist, Citizen and Lute-maker of Nurenburge, (for so he stileth himselfe in his booke of Tableture, printed 1533.) and so the seauenth fret (accor­ding to the Monochord in the Diatonike order) rested vpon the Diapente. Yet presently after there was added an eight fret: for my selfe was borne but thirty yeeres after Hans Gerles booke was printed, and all the Lutes which I can remember vsed eight frets, and so ended at the Semitonium cum Diapente.

But yet as Plautus saith, Nature thirsting after knowledge, is alwayes desirous to inuent and seeke more, by the wittie conceit (which I haue seene, and not altogether to be disalow­ed) of our most famous countriman M^r. Mathias Mason Lutenist, and one of the Groomes of his Maiesties most honourable Priuie Chamber, (as it hath ben told me,) inuented three frets more, the which were made of wood, and glued vpon the belly, and from thence a­bout some few yeeres after, by the French Nation, the neckes of the Lutes were lengthned, and thereby increased two frets more, so as all those Lutes which are most receiued and disired, are of tenne frets. Now to place these frets aright, whereby wee may make vse of these various sounds by them caused, there is two wayes: the one is the deuine sence of Hearing, which those that be skilfull doe most vse, and according to the opinion of the Stoiks, is a Spirit reaching from the Vnderstanding to the Eares, and thereby (after the Instrument is tuned open) doe set them in their order; yet as Caluisius in de initio & progressu Musicis saith, the sence of Hearing of all others deceiueth most, and cannot discerne and iudge of the sounds in the smaller Interuals. To this agreeth Valla Placentinus in lib. 2. cap. 3. of his Musicke, wherein hee writeth that those sounds must be censured and ponde­red with naturall Instruments, and not by the Eares, whose iudgement is dull, but by wit and reason.

Now the certaintie thereof was first sound out (as Petrus Comester in Historia Scholastica saith) by Iubals waighing of his brother Tubals Hammers: but most Authors attribute this vnto Pithagoras, (the sonne of Mnesarchus a Samian borne) the first author of the name of Philosophie, who flourished in the time of Cambices king of Persia, seauenty yeeres after the captiuitie of Babilon ended: when Tarquinius superbus the last King of the Romaines raigned: more then sixe hundred yeeres after the destruction of Troy; and fiue hundred yeeres before the birth of Christ, and the manner of it was thus. Pithagoras searching af­ter a certaine distance of Interuals, left the iudgement of the Eares, and went to the rules of Reason: for hee would not giue credit to mans Eares, which are chaunged partly by Nature, partly by outward accidents: as for example, let a companie of Lutenists, Violists, &c. which be skilfull, play each after other, and you see euery one as the Instrument com­meth to him, Tune according to the iudgement of his owne Eare. Besides, Pithagoras was giuen to no Instruments, amongst which commonly there groweth much varietie and [Page] vncertaintie, being that euen now if you will regard the strings, the Ayre being moyst dulles their sound, or dry, makes them dry, or by some other accident doth chaunge the state of their former constancie. Now being all other Instruments were subiect to the same, hee accounting all these things to be of no waight nor truth, did with great toyle studie a long time how hee might learne the firme and constant course of Concords. Meane while (as God would haue it) passing by the Smith shops, hee heard the beating of their Hammers, and that of diuers sounds there was as it were one consent. Wherefore ama­zed at this, hee set to that worke which he had long intented, and pondering long thought that the strength of the strikers did make the diuersitie of the sounds: which that it might be more euident vnto him, hee bad them change hammers, but the propertie of the sounds was not in the Armes of the strikers, but in the hammers which were chaunged: wherefore marking that, hee takes the waight of the hammers, and being by chance there fiue ham­mers, they were found to be duple in waight, which answered themselues, according to the concord of a Diapason, and that which was duple to the least, hee found to be a Sesqui­tertia to another, to whom it sounded a Diatessaron. And againe hee found that the same duple was a Sesquialter to that, with which it was ioyned in a Diapente concord. Now those two, to whom the former duple was proued to be a Sesquitertius and Sesquialter, were found to keepe a Sesquioctaua proportion one with another betwixt themselues: and the fift hammer which was a discord to all of them was reiected. Whereas therefore before Pithagoras his time, the Musicall concords were called partly Diapason, partly Diapente, and partly Diatessaron, which was thought the least of all Concords. Wherefore Pi­thagoras was the first that by this meanes found out by what proportion this diuersitie of sounds was ioyned together.

And to make that which is spoken more plaine, let there be for examples sake of ham­mers foure waights, which let be comprehended in the numbers vnder-written, 12.9.8. and 6. Those hammers which waigh 12. and 6. pounds, did strike a Diapason, or eight Con­cord in the duple the hammer that waighed 12. to the hammer of 9. pound waight, and farther the hammer of 8. pound, to the hammer of 6. pound, according to the Sesquitertia proportion, were ioyned in a Concord of a fourth, or in a Diatessaron: then the 9. pound hammer to that of 6. and of 12. to 8. did mingle a fift or Diapente, in the Sesquialtera pro­portion. Againe, the hammer of 9. to that of 8. did sound in a Sesquioctaua proportion. Wherefore returning backe againe from hence, and searching by manifold tryals, whether the whole nature of Concords did consist in these proportions, and so fitting the waights (which answered the late found proportions) to strings, hee iudged of their Concords by his Eare. Then ouerseeing the doublenesse and halfe of the strings length, and fitting the other proportions, he gat a most true rule out of his manifold experience, and was exceed­ingly ioyed that hee had found that which in all things answered with the truth: hitherto are Boetius his words.

Thus the Interuals being found out by waight and number, wee will endeauour to set them downe by measure: whereby the ignorant may perceiue by this vndiuided Trinitie, that the finger of God framed Musicke, when his Word made the World. Wherefore take a thinne flat ruler of whitish woode, and make it iust as long and straight as from the inward side of the Nut to the inward side of the Bridge, then note that end which you meane to the Bridge with some small marke, and the other end with the letter A. because you may know which belongeth to the one and to the other: then lay the ruler vpon a Ta­ble, and take a payre of compasses and seeke out the iust middle of the Ruler: that note with a pricke, and set the letter N. vpon it, which is a Diapason from the A. as appeareth by the striking of the string open. Secondly, part the distances from N. to D. in three parts, then the first part giues you the seauenth fret from the Nut, making a Diapente: in that place also set a pricke, and vpon it the letter H. Thirdly, deuide the distance from the letter H. to the letter A. in eleauen parts: two of which parts from A. giues the first fret, note that with a pricke, and set the letter B. thereon, which maketh a Semitone. Fourthly, diuide the di­stance from H. to the letter A. in three parts, one of which parts from A. vpward sheweth the second fret, note that with a pricke, and set the letter C. vpon it, which maketh a whole [Page] Tone from A. Fiftly, diuide the distance from N. to A. into two parts, there the first part sheweth you the first fret, sounding a Diatessaron: in that place also set a pricke, and vpon it the letter F. The sixt fret which is a G. must be placed iust in the middest betwixt F. and H. which maketh a Semidiapente. Seuenthly, diuide the distance from the letter B. to A. in three parts, which being done, measure from the B. vpwards foure times and an halfe, and that wil giue you the third fret, sounding a Semiditone: mark that also with a prick, & set thereon the letter D. then set the fourth fret iust in the middle, the which wil be a perfect ditone: then take one third part from B. to the Bridge, and that third part from B. maketh I. which soundeth Semitonium cum Diapente, then take a third part from the Bridge to C. and that third part maketh E. which soundeth Tonus cum diapente, or an Hexachordo maior. Then take one third part from D. to the Bridge, and that third part from D. maketh L. which soundeth Ditonus cum Diapente. Now take your LVTE, and lay it vpon a Table vpright, and set the Ruler edgewise, betweene the nut and the bridge, and thereby set little marks vpon the necke of the Instrument euen with those on the ruler, because those are the places on which your frets must stand.

Thus haue you the perfect placing of your ten frets, which taketh away that scruple by which many are deceiued, when they say the frets are false. Note here also, wee doe not try the frets, as wee trie the strings: but (now knowing their places) size them rightly, for which any kinde of string will serue, I meane whether they be true or false, new or old, onely take heed that you set not a great fret where a small one should be, & so by contrary: for euery fret doth serue as a Magade: therefore doe this; let the two first frets neerest the head of the Instrument (being the greatest) be of the size of your Countertenor, then the third and fourth frets must be of the size of your great Meanes: the fift and sixt frets of the size of your small Meanes: and all the rest sized with Trebles. These rules serue also for Viols, or any other kinde of Instrument whereon frets are tyed.

Of Tuning the Lute.

BEing there is such Symphonie by Antiphonie, which proceedeth through the winding vp and letting down of the strings, as is abouesaid, and therein affirmed by Plutarch, to be one kinde of wisedome, which (saith he) is called MVSICKE. I wish those who assume vnto themselues the name of Maister, (by instructing of others) to prouide and finde out some good and necessary rules for the tuning of the LVTE, not onely for their owne ease, but also for the Scholers present good, because it is most needfull. Againe, though the Maister be neuer so diligent, painefull, and industrious, yet three things are required in the Scholer, necessary for the obtaining, thereof, viz. Nature, Reason, and Vse: because this Harmony dependeth of Science and humane Art, which the vnderstanding retaineth by Musicall habit. And from hence it is, that in MVSICKE not onely the sense, but also vn­derstanding is weakened. Wherefore I exhort all Practitioners on this Instrument to the learning of their Pricke-song, also to vnderstand the Elements and Principles of that knowledge, as an especiall great helpe, and excellent worker in this Science, and soone attained, if the Teacher be skilfull to instruct aright: for which purpose I did late­ly set forth the Worke of that most learned Andreas Ornithoparcus his Micrologus, in the English tongue Also the duty of the Lute-master is to teach them the Γ vt vpon the Instrument, that thereby they may both discerne those degrees which are continuall, and also those discreet Interuals, which belong to the tuning of an Instrument. Now this intellect appeareth vnto vs commonly by the subtile sense of Hearing (which is of so great price, that Plotinus, the chiefe of the Platonicall familie, maketh it like the beautie of the Soule.) For which cause, some haue set forth Rules to approue the agreement of Concords by Vnisons and Octaues, which indeede is true, when the Instrument is tuned, but by what order those strings must be let vp or downe, to shew the finding out thereof, I haue not seene declared by any. Therefore according to [Page] mine owne experience: first, let the Scholer practise to set euery one of the paires in an vnison, which being well vnderstood: Secondly, let him tune his Bases and one of his Tenors in the Vnison: Thirdly, let him raise the sounds of the Base, by stopping thereon, and then make the Tenor sound open, to that sound which was stopt in the Base: this rule must be followed betweene the Base and the Tenor vntill the Tenor be in the Vnison with the Base in the letter F: and then tune both the Tenors together, but, suppose you haue tuned your Tenor too high, then you shall finde it in some of those places aboue the F, as in G, H, &c. Wherefore let it downe againe to F. This same course must be kept through out, onely excepting between the Contratenor and the great Meane, in which the same course aboue said must be vsed, that the great Meane may be in the Vnison with E in the Contratenor, and so by this vse the LVTE being tuned, you shall heare these Interuals or spaces in the table vnderneath, and very quickly learne to tune the LVTE by your eare, without stopping, and also place the frets according to the gene­rall custome.