Song Intabulations for Solo (soprano) Lute

 Updated 16.7.2008 / © Arto Wikla 28.5.2008

I call these arrangements song intabulations instead of vocal intabulations, because they are not intabulations of polyphonic compositions, but arrangements of songs belonging more or less to the so called monody style, which was born in the late renaissance and flourished in the early baroque. In this new style there basically was the melody ("song") and the continuo bass line with harmonic realization. The big names of 16th century lute made lots and lots of those vocal intabulations. The amount of song intabulations (in my sense) is really quite limited.

My intabulations are made to my taste, to my fingers and to my 7 course soprano lute in d. I have been accompanying these songs many many times already nearly 20 years, and all these songs are my great favorities. Perhaps also someone else is interested in my solo versions?

When played by a soprano lute in d, these songs sound in their original keys. Of course nothing prevents playing these arrangements by bigger lutes, too. And you are certainly allowed to embellish the repeats, etc., etc. And to understand the pieces and to find out the phrasings, you really must know the songs and especially their texts!

Here in my page there are also mechanically produced midi-versions of my intabulations, just for checking "what it is", and perhaps these midi versions also help you in learning the tabulatures? The midi versions assume a "g-lute in renaissance" tuning. So the midis are 5th lower than the original compositions.

There are also YouTube videos of the pieces - just raw, unpolished, direct shots. The soprano lute is made after model "Wendelio Venere", Vienna, c.1580, by Timo Kontio, 1997.

See also my pages French theorbo music / Archlute music / 10-course lute music / Chitarrone music / Chitarrino music.
There are also some other arrangements, intabulations, etc. in my Contributions page.

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