Three short pieces for the Cittern - Tommy Johansson

[jrlaker]

How difficult is it to acquire a cittern? Do you have to have them built?

[Yavor54]

Really, you do. ALL the mass-manufactured Octave mandolins are terrible. The mando family is: Mando, Mandola, Octave mandolin,Bazouki, cittern and then some variations..mando-cello etc. I suggest Bill Petersen in Iowa. Hand-made to order- and built the way they should be built. His prices are very reasonable for custom instruments. Go with cedar on the top. Rosewood body gives medium level with rich timbre. Koa - more volume, nice sound. Maple back, loud volume, tight sound. I like Maple/Cedar.

[ceteracorsa]

Beautiful playing, congratulatiosn Tommy. I hope the cittern will have a popularity similar to the lute... Thanks again for your beautiful music!

[Ski56ppy]

Hi ceteracorsa, many thanks for your kind comment! I hope that I can contribute a bit by playing some pieces for the 4-course cittern. Some early pieces for the cittern are technically very demanding and should be played on a smaller instrument. Most of the solo repertoire for the cittern still waits to be recorded by someone.

Best regards Tommy

[ceteracorsa]

Hi Tommy, i am Damien from ning! :-)

[guortiglossa]

Thank for your fine words.The "cetara"have 16 strings.He we have in Sardinia about and medieval period until 1930.We rebuild in atelier Ugo Casalonga in Pigna (Corse)in 1985.The model is tract in a picture of 1700.

[ceteracorsa]

Ciao!

Aghju vistu la video di u gruppu accompagnatu da a cetara, he billissima!

A cetara d'ugo hà un sonu fantasticù.

[guortiglossa]

you can see me and my cetara on "YOU TUBE" search "Coro Gabriel" li culori di la ita.Thank. Guortiglossa

[Ski56ppy]

Thanks for your comment! Grazie!

Exciting performance! Where is this video filmed? Is this in the southmost of Italy?

Beautiful instrument and a lot of strings. Is this an folk instrument or is it an early music one?

Best regards Tommy

[guortiglossa]

sarebbe bello vedere la ditteggiatura. Molto dolce lo strumento. Bravo. Io suono una cetara gallurese costruita Ugo Casalonga, Ma il sistro è fantastico

[Ski56ppy]

Gracia!

Best regards Tommy

[simonaris]

Do you know how big the renaissance cittern is compared to a mandolin?

Nice playing by the way.

[Ski56ppy]

Hi, I am not sure but I think it should be about the same. You know that there were two different kinds of mandolins in the past? The gut strung "milanese" mandolin and the, metal strung "neapolitan" mandolin.

Tommy

[salvadorlaguna]

Skippy:

 Hi, are you using a heavy overwound brass string on one of the G ? At what pitch did you tune the cittern, are the strings kinda loose? Thanks for posting, enjoyed the video. -Sal-

[Ski56ppy]

Hi, yes I have three strings (called the third course) on the G and one of those is a thick wound octave string.

This cittern is tuned to (about) a 415 ( a half tone lower than modern pitch). Yes, the strings are fairly loose. You have to use a very light pressure on these strings.

Tommy

[moiliryc]

how do you tune your cittern? Is it possible to find those pieces in modern tabs?

very well played

[Ski56ppy]

Thanks for your kind words!

This cittern is tuned from the top string to the lowest, e, d, G, b (thus an inverted G maj cord)

The first piece is an arrangement by from John Playfords Dancing Master. The second piece comes from a ms. called John Ridouts ms. The last piece from A Booke of New Lessons for Cithern (1652, revised 1666 as Musick's Delight on the Cithren).

Modern ed. by Roxana Gundry, Waye House, Alston Cross, Ashburton, Devon TQ13 7ET (++44/0 1364 652114).

Regards Tommy