Luogo e data di registrazione		Plenarsaal, München (Germania) - 5/7 aprile 1974
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Executive Producer		Dr. Andreas Holschneider
	Recording Producer		Werner Mayer
	Balance Engineer		Wolfgang Mitlehner
	Prima Edizione LP		ARCHIV - 2533 183 - (1 LP - durata 42' 47") - (p) 1975 - Analogico
	Prima Edizione CD		ARCHIV - 447 727-2 - (4 CD's - durata 71' 05"; 73' 47"; 68' 14" & 62' 37" - [CD2 9-27]) - (c) 1995 - ADD
	Cover		Ludovico Pozzoserrato, "Concerto all'aperto", Treviso, Museo Civico - Photo: Scala Florenz
	Note		-

 

The vihuela de mano, music for which can be heard on these recordings, is a guitar instrument with a large body, flat back, straight sides and inward-curving flanks. In accordance with the ad libitum practice of the early 16th century, which allowed compositions originally written for the vihuela to be played on other instruments, the vihuela music on the present disc is played on the lute. Six Pavanes and four Fantasias are to be heard from the first collection in tablature in Spanish musical history, the Maestro of Luis Milán, who wished with his compositions to provide lessons for self-instruction, Milán also wanted the Pavanes, essentially solenm processional dances in exact time, to be understood as free rather than strict works, since they originated “only and solely from the imagination and creative powers of their composer”. So only two of the Pavanes represent tablatures of folk-songs: Milán chose Italian tunes (“Qua la bella Franceschina”, No. 5, and “Poltron Francoy, lasame andare”, No. 6) as models for his improvisatory compositions. Of Alonso Mudarra and Luis de Narváez our collection includes, above all, variations (“diferencias”). Narváez’s works are historically of great importance, since they contain the first deliberate attempts to cultivate variations as an independent form. The first four variations of the Diferencias sobre ‘Guárdame las vacas’ (“Guard the cows for me”) are based on the variation formula of the “romanesca”, the following three (“otras tres diferencias”) on the “passamezzo antico”. Baxa de contrapunto is a contrapuntal dance, a “basse-danse”. The Canción del Emperador - the title refers to Charles V - is based on a theme by Josquin, which was ingeniously arranged by Narváez in the style of the period. From the work of Mudarra has been chosen, among other things, the original Fantasia que contrahaze la harpa en la manera de Luduvico, “apparently a stylistic parody of the famous harpist lauded by Bermudo” (Ward). “It is difficult”, writes Mudarra, “until it is properly understood”, and he adds a note at bar 62, in explanation of the simultaneous false relation: “From here until nearly the end there are what appear to be some wrong notes: if they are played quickly, they do not sound bad”. In the Pavana de Alexandre y su Gallarda Mudarra composed the only paired dances in the repertoire of the vihuela in Spain.