Two Pieces from the 1512 Munich Lute Tablature

Music from half-a-millennium ago.... maybe.

In about 1975, I bought a book called "The Tablature Manuscript of 1512". It is a collection of German lute music, adapted for the guitar. I was told some years later by a college professor that the actual composer was Arnolt Schlick (1455-1521), an important organist and lutenist of the era. OK, fair enough, seems reasonable, and that's where my belief has rested all these years.

However, in doing some Google research on this book, it turns out that the original manuscript may date from later, 1534 or so. Given that I don't know if I will still be around in another 23 years, I figure I am going to go with the 1512 date and celebrate the half-millennium of this particular lute book now, by uploading some pieces over the next few weeks. The musical style is certainly more medieval-sounding than the other lute music from the mid-1530s (Milan, Francesco, Narvaez, Neuseidler, Judenkonig, etc).




I do not know what the two titles translate to in English; any assistance on this will be appreciated.

The Celtic harp seen in the background belongs to my wife.

TECH DATA: Recorded on a Flip UltraHD camcorder. No additional soundfile processing. The guitar is an "altgitarr", built in 2011 by Darren Hippner. Englemann spruce top, quilted maple back and sides. 570mm scale, pitched to G in order to emulate the tuning of a renaissance lute. LaBella strings. However, I am using guitar tuning here, not lute tuning.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• lute
• arnolt schlick
• darren hippner
• 1512
• munich
• walter gerwig
• vihuela
• david norton
• classical guitar

[andi33x]

Hi David,

I enjoyed your playing very much! This guitar fit to these ol songs ver well.

I had a look on the titles. It is "old German".

"Mein Vleis und Mueh" is written today "Mein Fleiß und Mühe" in English: "my hard work and effort".

"Entlaubet ist der Walde" ist today "Entlaubt ist der Wald", English: "The forest is defoliated".

Have an excellent 2012 and

CU in the forum!

Andreas

[davinort]

@andi33x Thank you for this. The first seems a good translation, but the second ("The forest is defoliated") is not a natural idiomatic way of speaking, it is more scientific perhaps. But it is a start!

[andi33x]

@davinort

Hi David,

I understand, sorry, this was the translation of google which was ok to me but since I am German it's hard to know the idiomatically correct translation. This sentence wants to express that in autumn the leaves have been fallen down from the trees and the forest is now bare-branched.

[davinort]

@andi33x Aha, okay this works then. "The Forest Is Bare" is probably the most idoimatic way to phrase it in English. And this matches the rather austere sound of the composition.

[rsengland]

Very nice, David. I enjoyed the music. And, a beautiful instrument. Thanks,

Robert

[MrEasterling1]

Interesting "guitar." :-)