Tarantelle intabulate per liuti
Tarantellas intabulated for lutes

Contents:

1. Tarantelle published by Athanasius Kircher
2. Tarantelle to be played, also video(s)

1. Tarantelle published by Athanasius Kircher

Kircher 1641: European Cultural Heritage Online (ECHO): Kircher, Athanasius, Athanasii Kircheri Fuldensis Buchonii, E Soc. Iesu Magnes sive De Arte Magnetica: Opus Tripartitum Quo Praeterquam..., 1641 (direct link)
Kircher 1643: Wolfenbütteler Digitale Bibliothek (WDB): Athanasii Kircheri ... Magnes Siue De Arte Magnetica Opvs Tripartitvm : Quo Præterqvam Qvod Vniversa Magnetis Natvra, Eivsqve In Omnibvs Artibus & Scientijs vsus noua Methodo explicetur, ... multa hucusque incognita Naturæ arcana per Physica, Med.../ Athanasius Kircherus. - Editio secunda post Romanam multò corr. [Electronic ed.]. - Coloniae Agrippinae : Kalcoven, 1643 Permalink: http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/218-25-quod-1/start.htm

My intabulations try to be honest reproductions of Kircher's staff notation. Also the titles etc. follow the originals. Playing these intabulations by a "renaissance" lute in G will produce the original keys. A 6 course instrument is enough; the 7th course (in F) is needed only once.

No harmonizations are are added. The 17th century player(s) naturally played also the continuo, they improvised proper harmonies to the texture of the music. And so it should be done also today! One piece, the Antidotum Tarantulae is an exception among these pieces: it was written in three parts, and when intabulated, it becomes a complete lute piece.

Many thanks to Diego Cantalupi for decrypting me the music of this Antidotum!

The letter "e" in the bar 3 is not from the notated music, but Kircher gives a continuo "sharp" there.

2. Tarantelle to be played

Readers of this page are invited to make their own arrangements!

Tarantelle:

• Actually one of Kircher's Tarantelle is not a skeleton, the Antidotum Tarantulae. This version is for a lute in renaissance tuning. Six strings is enough. Compared to the version in this page, only some fingerings added.

  There is also a low quality webcam video, a "direct shot", April 2008, of the piece in the YouTube. The lute is model "Andreas Berr, Vienna, 1699", made by Stephen Barber, 1986. At the end of the video there is also our dog... And he is the main reason for publishing this video: his timing is perfect! :-)

• (21.2.2008) I made a playable version of Kircher's Tarantellas of Primus, Secundus and Tertius modus: Tarantella "Tre modi di Kircher". The version is for a lute in renaissance tuning. Six strings is enough.

  There is also a video, a "direct shot", April 2008, of the piece in the YouTube. The soprano lute is made after model "Wendelio Venere", Vienna, c.1580, by Timo Kontio, 1997.

(by WebCounter) (19.2.2008)