Cascarda Chiara Stella

  1. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    This is an Italian renaissance dance, collected by Fabritio Caroso (1526/1535 – 1605/1620) in his seminal 1581 book "Il Ballarino". My version for two mandolins, mandocello and tenor guitar is based on a setting by Paul Butler:

    http://crab.rutgers.edu/~pbutler/music/ChiaraStella.pdf

    1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin (x2)
    Suzuki MC-815 mandocello
    Vintage Viaten tenor guitar



    Martin
  2. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Sounds nice Martin. Do you lnow whether this piece was written for a renaissance lute? Or for a small ensemble? Anyway, the arangement by Paul Butler sounds fine.
  3. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Thanks, Christian. I'm not sure about "written for" -- Caroso's Il Ballerino was mainly a treatise on dancing with musical examples probably not written by the author himself. The musical examples were in lute tablature (see facsimile and transcription ), but whether that means they were originally played specifically on lute is a different question. These days, Caroso's dances are core repertoire for renaissance dancers, and usually played on louder instruments than the lute. Here are two nice and very different renditions on Youtube:

    Ernst Stolz on viola da gamba, organ & violone (rather slowly)
    A Hungarian renaissance band on woodwinds, cello and percussion (much faster)

    My tempo is about halfway between these.

    Martin
  4. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Nice recording, Martin.
  5. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    I like Renaissance music, and pieces like this are the reason. It's a great melody, and you play the arrangement in a way that makes it all sound natural.

    Now, how about adding a bit of Krummhorn, Cornamuse or Rackett to the mix?
  6. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Thanks, Dennis -- you mean like this lot:

    https://youtu.be/zIfaHNkvapk

    Martin
  7. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    Exactly like that! What a beautiful arrangement!
  8. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Another interesting one, Martin. You seem to have an inexhaustible supply of those Renaissance tunes and have made them very much your own. The other version with all the woodwinds is just so different - Dennis must love this one.
  9. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    I've loved this tune ever since Martin posted it. So here's one from me. Have a good weekend.

  10. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Lovely tune, and I really like the tempo that you have both chosen.
    Sedate and purposeful Martin, as well as that ‘reveille, we are lonely in the universe’ feeling Dennis that I often associated with this epoch. Your versions both have this medieval, animalistic feeling. I believe.

    I love this tune too! Thanks for the motivation to learn it, maybe record it too.
  11. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    did I spot a witch in that bonfire, Dennis? 'cause it would be totally appropriate and fitting with the overall medieval experience
  12. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    This tune is so repetitive that it becomes almost hypnotic. I really liked the percussion you have added to it which comes over in stereo separation so well in headphones, Dennis. Your use of fire and water in the video is quite powerful too. Just noticed it is a year since this tune last had comments - good to see tunes being revisited.
  13. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Religious people burning.
    -It’s all on SAW, never a dull day.

    Lucky John, good stereo headphones.
    I now have a set of fine hand-me-down, mono headphones.
    They were originally nice two-channel stereo headphones, then after a mishap they became nice zero-channel headphones.
    Now, after some rewiring they are nice-enough mono headphones.
  14. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    I second what John said about the percussion, a dry pong right on each eardrum.
  15. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Very nice recording, Dennis! I love the addition of the percussion and Krummhorn (?). Renaissance dance tunes should really always have percussion -- I need to look into getting some basic tambour or similar for mine.

    Martin
  16. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    I also like the percussion, Dennis, and your mandolin sounds very nice.
  17. John W.
    John W.
    Both nice versions chaps…like Simon, I am motivated to learn (and record?) it…along with a long list of other tunes!
  18. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    You produced a nice medieval sound with your choice of instruments, Dennis.
  19. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    Thank you for your nice comments. A Krummhorn is on my shopping list! The similar-sounding instrument in this recording is a cornamuse, a very similar thing but with a straight body and a slightly mellower sound. I still can't play it well. Some trickery in Audacity was required to stop the high D from sounding too flat.
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