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Gregor Brayssing, German Guitarrist in Paris in the 16th Century |
D. Goldobine
Lutenist and guitarist Gregor Brayssing was one of many artists, scientists, humanists, thrown all over the Europe by the stormy 16th century and its religious reforms ans wars. Little is known about himself – besides the fact that in 1550s he lived in Paris and was a lute teacher. The only music we know by him, is a book of works for 4-course Renaissance guitar published in 1553 in Paris, by A. Le Roy and R. Ballard. This book is mostly keeping with the Parisian guitar tradition of those days. As other parisian guitarists – Le Roy, Morlaye, – Brayssing treats the guitar as an «imperfect» polyphonic instrument (because of it’s limited range), and uses some harmonical and counterpointal licences seldom seen in the vocal, lute or keyboard music of his epoch. At the same time, the profusion of counterpointal fantasias and of intabulations of sacred vocal music (here: psalms of protestant origin) differs his book from most others, and may be understood as a «german» feature.
Keywords: Renaissance, reform, protestantism, four-course Renaissance guitar, imperfect instrument, fantasia, psalm, chanson, intabulation, «Battle», harmony, counterpoint, voice-leading
Contacts: E-mail: mi-contra-fa@sfr.fr
Pp. 22-29. |
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