Lute Arrangements of Lully's Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs
&
Also Something More by Lully

Below you'll find the history of my little "Lully project", pdf's, midis, etc. There are also some arrangements not only to 10-course lute, but also some to theorbo and chitarrino.
First there are anyhow direct links to the 10-course "suite":

The movie "Tous les matins du monde" made French baroque music known to the masses. One very good piece among the other very good pieces, which was played in the movie, is the "Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs" from the ballet "Le bourgeois gentilhomme" composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1670 to the text of Moliere. As far as I know this was the premier of Moliere's play, and both guys, Lully and Moliere, also had a role in that play! ["Molière played the role of Monsieur Jourdain, clothed in bright colors trimmed with silver lace and muilticolored feathers; ... and the musician Lully was the muphti." (See the Wiki-page of "Le bourgeois gentilhomme".)]

I got an idea of arranging (or transcribing?) that piece to the lute and also to the theorbo. The original manuscript can be found in the net thanks to the wonderful work of Le Conservatoire numérique des Arts et Métiers. They have e-published a lot of mss of Lully's music, see their page http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/catalog.php?Fonds=Fonds_Philidor. Also the University of North Texas has published a great collection of Lully's music as scanned scores, see their page http://www.library.unt.edu/music/lully/ .

Versions of "Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs" & something more ...

• The original 5-part version of the Marche by Lully (pdf)

• My transcription for 10-course renaissance lute of the Marche (pdf) (© Arto Wikla 2006)
  Actually only 9 courses are used, and you can manage my transcription also by an 8 course lute, even perhaps 7, if you are clever. I did not try to imitate French lute texture in my transcription - I just wrote my tabulature in a way that suits (in my mind, of course! :-) to the very festive nature of the piece. And I also wrote the tab and especially some fingerings to suit to my own hands and fingers. And taste, of course... My version is not meant to be difficult or "academic". On the contrary, it is meant to be (moderately) easy and especially fun! Assuming a lute in g, this transcription is in the original key of g-minor.

  I have transcribed/arranged/intabulated some extra pieces from Lully's "Le bourgeois gentilhomme" for 10-course lute to be played with the great Marche:

  • Ritournelle Italienne (pdf) (© AW 30.10.06)
    This wonderful piece is actually a trio-sonata, where the two top voices cross here and there. The "melody" of my arr. is the highest voice at any moment. I have set also some fingerings that suit to my fingers. Assuming a lute in g, this transcription is in the original key of g-minor.
  • Premier air des Espagnols (pdf) (© AW 1.11.06)
    Nice little beautie! Assuming a lute in g, this transcription is in the original key of Bb-major. (This piece is arranged by de Visee himself for theorbo in the Saizenay manuscript!)
  • Second air des Espagnols (pdf) (© AW 2.11.06)
    Happy little piece! Assuming a lute in g, this transcription is in the original key of Bb-major.
  • Canarie (pdf) (© AW 3.11.06)
    At the end you may play the Canarie. My version is very strongly simplified from the notes and voicings of the original score, in order to make it possible to play the piece in the tempo of a "Canarie"! Assuming a lute in g, also this transcription is in the original key of g-minor.

  • Perhaps we could call this set of pieces by the name Lully's "Suite Méditerranée" in spite of Canary Islands not being very Mediterranean, ..., because, anyhow, Turkey, Italy and Spain are there...

  • And here it is, at last, all of the "Lully's Suite Méditerranée", where all of the parts are my arrangements of the pieces of his ballet "Le bourgeois gentilhomme", arranged for 10-course lute (Arto Wikla © 2006):
    • Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs (pdf)
    • Ritournelle Italienne (pdf)
    • Premier air des Espagnols (pdf)
    • Second air des Espagnols (pdf)
    • Canarie (pdf)

  • You are (of course! :-) allowed to leave some parts off, change the order of the pieces, and also repeat some of them, and still call all of it by the name "Lully's Suite Méditerranée arranged by AW"...

  • I made also midi-versions of the pieces of the "Suite Méditerranée". (Thanks again, Wayne C., for your great program!) These midi versions are perhaps useful for getting to know the pieces? Especially in case the "tab doesn't easily ring in your imagination". But take into account the following: All the repeats and embellishments are left out. Also the tempos (=tempi) should be reconsidered in the real human performance! And last but not least, as our 10 years old girl told me after having heard me playing one of the pieces, and after having heard the same piece played by the computer: "The machine sounds so mechanical!" :-)
    • Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs (mid)
    • Ritournelle Italienne (mid)
    • Premier air des Espagnols (mid)
    • Second air des Espagnols (mid)
    • Canarie (mid)

• My transcription of the Marche for theorbo (pdf) (© Arto Wikla 2006) and the midi-version of to help to practise the piece)
  My theorbo version uses lots of the campanella effect that is made possible by the "re-entrant" tuning of theorboes - the two top strings are lowered an octave. The melody in my arrangemant is normally the highest note. I have marked some voicings by short lines. There are also some fingering suggestions that work at least for me. This version of the "Marche" is perhaps a little more demanding than the lute version, but what theorbo piece wouldn't be: theorbo is not an easy instrument! Assuming a theorbo in a, this transcription is in the key of e-minor. If you play a theorbo in d, this transcription is in the key of a-minor.

• Roman Turovsky's version for d-minor 11-13 course lutes (of my 10-course version) (© Arto Wikla and Roman Turovsky 2006)
  He made also a midi-version of the piece. (These and much more can be found also in Roman's own pages.

• My transcriptions of the Marche and the Canarie for chitarrino, 4 course renaissance guitar (© Arto Wikla 2006)
  These arrangements for chitarrino are made so that it is possible to strum all the chords. That is why some harmonies have been slighly changed - for ex. there are some 7th's where Lully did not have them. Also the bar 21 of Canarie is a little tricky: you cannot keep the chord. Assuming a chitarrino in a-tuning, these pieces are in the key of d-minor.
  • Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs (pdf), Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs (mid)
  • Canarie (pdf), Canarie (mid)

• [22 December 2006: (Not very much to do with Lully!) Here is a renaissance lute intabulation of one very popular Christmas song in Finland "Heinillä härkien kaukalon" (pdf). Originally (at least the melody?) is an old French song "Entre le bœuf et l'âne gris". It is said to be from the 17th century, perhaps earlier. (So maybe there anyhow is a weak link to Lully? ;-)
  My intabulation is very plain and simple, but to me this piece is as beautiful as it is simple. Merry Christmas to everybody!
  Daniel Shoskes made a nice version for baroque lute in d-minor tuning!]

• [21 and 22 September 2008] Added links to videos of the "Suite Méditerranée" arranged for 10-course lute (© Arto Wikla):
  • Marche pour la Ceremonie des Turcs(pdf): video in YouTube, video in Vimeo
  • Ritournelle Italienne(pdf): video in YouTube, video in Vimeo
  • Premier air des Espagnols(pdf): video in YouTube, video in Vimeo
  • Second air des Espagnols(pdf): video in YouTube, video in Vimeo
  • Canarie(pdf): video in YouTube, video in Vimeo

Many thanks to Wayne Cripps for his tabulature typesetting program Tab, and for his advice in using the program!

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