| Salterio - The History |
 |
 |
 |
| Écrit par Carlos Paniagua |
| Jeudi, 16 Octobre 2008 21:33 |
|
Psaltery is a word that derives from the Greek term "Psalterion" which means a collection of psalms or hymns contained in the Bible and attributed to King David (1000 B.C.). It is also the name of a series of stringed musical instruments that have been evolving throughout history to the present. Basically the psaltery is a closed wooden box with a series of metallic or cat gut strings on one surface that form a scale and are plucked. Today, ‚Psaltery‘ and it´s Latin relative ‚Citara‘, are the generic names for all stringed instruments without a neck, except for the harp and lyre. Ancient Grreks mentins the "Trigonon" or Triangular Psaltery that must be the most primitive form of the instrument. It was described by Saint Jerome in the V century but the pictoral representations we have were made subsequently and have two disadvantages: first, the difficulty of distinguishing Triangular Psalteries from harps and second, the dificulty of knowing if it was a real instrument or if it was only a symbol identifying King David, just as keys are the symbol f Saint Peter. At any rate, there are unmistakably representations and it seems that they were in use in Spain at least until the XIII century. But it is earlier, in the XI century, that psalteries began to appear with different characteristics as in the case of the "Rota" or Harp-Psaltery. It maintains the triangular form but has strings on both sides of the sound board. The musician holds it like a small harp, playig a set of strings with each hand. In Spain it was often shown in sculptures through the end of XIV century. The "Square" or "Rectangular Psaltery" is also described by Saint Jerome and was visually depicted since at the least the IX century (in Spain since the XI century, when it was portrayed in the cathedral at Jaca). Called "Nuzha" by the Arabs, it was described by Al-Farabi in the X century and became very sophisticated in the Persian society of the XIV century. However, ist portrayal ceased soon thereafter. "Trapezoidal Psaltery", "Quanún" to the Arabs, coming from the Greek word "kanon" (law, rule, norm) is an instrument for which acoustic-mathematical intervals were studied in order to establish the musical scales, something the Greeks had done earlier with the monochord. It was introduced to Spain by the Arabs; Christian representations have existed since the XI century showing it played with plectrums or hammers. Al-Saqundi (1231) mentions the Quanún as an instrument that was much used in Al-Andalus (Andalucia) and whose centre of construction was Seville. The Archpriest of Hita in the XIV century called it the ‚Cano Entero‘ (Full Qanún) or ‚Medio Cano‘ (Medium Qanún), probably because os some differences in size or form. He also mentions the ‚Dulcema‘, identified with percussed strings. At the end of he Middle Ages, in areas under Persian influence, there appeared a Qanún with a pegbox that was not straight, but had a double curve as in a harpsichord (curiously, the harpsichord appeared in the XV century as the result of attaching a keyboard to this kind of psaltery). This curved Qanún reamained in use only until the XVII century; the kind with the straight pegbox survived, ist harmonic cover where the bridge rests, already being made of leather by the XVI century. After a few technical modifications it has reached our area as a traditional instrument integrated into the Arab musical orchestra. The "Butterfly Wing Psaltery" appeared in Europe in the XII century, was very successful and thus, the most widely represented in the XIV and XV centuries, especially in Italy, France and Spain. A great many paintings of the Virgin with angelic musicians are from this period and from the very beginning they show psalteries of various sizes. In the XV or XVI centuries it changed from being diatonic to chromatic because of the demands of the poliphony composed at that time and was played more than ever wit the tips of the fingers, as happened with the lute. "Barroque Psaltery", "Timpanon" or "Dulcema". In the same period when this instrument appeared, a technique was being developed of playing with hammers (an earlier occurance in northern Europe), and whose culmination in the XVIII cntury was a chromatic instrument with symetric-trapezoidal box and metallic strings. It was very common in Italy and Spain and for the first time had ist own repertoire.The oldest original instrument kept in any museum is of this kind and was made in Bologna in 1514. It fell into disuse at the end of the Barroque period because of advances in the construction of the forte-piano, but has been maintained in the traditions of places such as Greece and Iran. There are many other forms of instruments in iconography but they are less relevant because of their scarcity. There are also some representations that have appeared only once and therefore are more difficult to understand. For example, the Carolingean Psalteries of the IX century in the protico of ‚la Colegiata de Toro‘ (Monastery of Toro) in Zamora created around the year 1200 or those in the miniatures of the ‚Cantigas de Alphonse X de Castille‘. There are also images of psalteries played by two musicians at the same time shown in Piasca (Cantabria) and in Moradillo de Sedano (Burgos), both of the XII xentury. In conclusion, the fact is that there exist neither two identical representations nor descriptions that match exactly. Thus we have to think about old psalteries differently from the way we do abot violins, for example. The methods of making and even playing medieval instruments were local, not standardized, especially during the period after the end of Greco-roman influence, until the invention of the rpinting press beacme the critical unifying factor. However, we should not discount the influence of some peoples on others, occuring mainly through in invasions and pilgrim routes, even though it took many, many years for technical advances to spread, as opposed to perhaps the few minutes it takes in today´s world. The Psalteries The tradition of playing these instruments was lost in Spain so long ago that the techniques of interpretation with plectrums, fingers or hammers have to be learned again. But who teaches the pioneers ? It is the instruments themselves and their constant practice which establishes the pattern of apprenticeship. For this reason, the reproductions of these instruments have to be precise, but how much accuracy can we get from a painted image on a parchment or from a stone sculpture ? Almost none. It is the sum of the images taken together with other information which allows me to have an idea of what they should be like. The material itself – wood, bone, skin, metal also defines resistencies, thickness and tensions, etc. Also indispensable is ‚know how‘, which can only be acquired from experience based on making and taking apart, trial and error. And the last and most difficult factor to explain is the "magic" and spirit that hand made instruments have. It is this that the musician must awaken; if he achieves this, the instrument will almost take on a life of ist own and for its interpreter will become a tool of expression and ultimately, an expressive mode of communication. |
| LAST_UPDATED2 |