Talk about an "axe," at 6 feet tall, the chitarrone, a large bass lute, or archlute, developed in Italy just before 1600, is quite formidable. It was used to accompany singing.
For a romantic candle-lit listen to chitarrone, click here.
For a romantic candle-lit listen to chitarrone, click here.
The chitarrone had six to eight strings running over the fingerboard to a pegbox (the part of the instrument in which the tuning pegs are set) positioned midway in an extended neck. The instrument had six to eight additional bass strings, or diapasons, lying off the fingerboard and running to a second pegbox at the end of the neck. Having a sonority approaching that of the contemporary harpsichord, it was used as a ... (100 of 109 words) http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/113313/chitarrone
Through the late conductor and music historian Newell Jenkins, and the Clarion Music Society, I had the great honor to sing with a chitarrone as a soloist at the Kaye Playhouse when I was 19. We performed Cavalli's Vespers to Mother Mary. Though I don't have a copy of my own performance, here is a very lovely youtube performance of the solo piece "O Quam Suavis" just with chitarrone and voice (the only soprano solo without the chorus and other instruments).
This 40-day Virtual World Tour of Music correlates with the World Music House kickstarter crowdfund. (Click the orange words for more details!)
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