Schiarazula Marazula

  1. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    "Schiarazula Marazula" is one of the best-known Italian renaissance dances, originally published in "Il primo libro di balli" in 1578. It's a catchy fast tune, written at the same time and with a similar feel as Horse's Bransle, which we've had before (Link).

    Based on a four-part arrangement by Stephen Hendricks (I'm not playing his bass part):

    PDF sheet music

    Recorded on (in this order):

    Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
    1915 Luigi Embergher bowlback mandolin
    "Baroq-ulele" bowlback soprano ukulele/lute (tuned in fifths, GDAE)

    Each instrument plays the melody once through and then takes a harmony part while the next instrument comes in and takes the lead. So, it starts with an unaccompanied run through the tune on the OM.

    Fun tune!



    Martin
  2. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    I've been playing some early and renaissance music on the weekend -- this is the third out of five tunes I have recorded, revisiting my earlier version from nine years ago.

    Same four-part arrangement by Stephen Hendricks, but treated differently (and faster):

    https://sca.uwaterloo.ca/sca/Hendric...n/schiaraz.pdf

    I'm playing the melody four times, first solo then with the other parts coming in.

    1898 Giuseppe Vinaccia mandolin (x2)
    Vintage Viaten tenor guitar
    Suzuki MC-815 mandocello

    Fun tune!


    https://youtu.be/iZDXc8rNvxI

    Martin
  3. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thought I’d join you on this one Martin, thanks, a fun tune indeed.


    https://youtu.be/MS7ZFlPSjbI
  4. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    Two very nice arrangements! It's like travelling back in time with your mandolins!
  5. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Definitely, thanks Dennis.


    SHOUT-OUT FOR ALL OF OUR SAW GROUP LURKERS!! YEEEEEHAR, WELCOME !
  6. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    A really nice renaissance dance. Well played by both of you, Martin and Simon.
    Martin – I prefer your 2013 recording with “Baroq-ulele”

    Simon – I hope you don’t scare away a shy lurker who is willing to join in.
  7. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thanks Frithjof, me too. Sometimes I say things, but my intentions are caring.
  8. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Thanks, Dennis, Simon and Frithjof. My new version is quite a bit faster than my previous one -- possibly a touch too fast but it's one of those tunes that have so much internal momentum that it can run away a bit. The 2013 version had a click track keeping care of that for me, the new one is "free hand".

    Very nicely played, Simon, and at a more controlled tempo than mine. I like the harmonies when they come in. Did you use the same as mine, or did you have another source?

    Martin
  9. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thanks Martin I tabbed out the notation you posted and played the melody on the octave with a fair bit of rubato, more for some verses than others, but remembering which. Then I played the other instrument(s) in turn. (It’s all played on my beautiful Ashbury octave in fact). Very difficult up at the 14th fret I think it was! I believe for this one all recording was completed in my new bathroom studio.

    While playing the other parts I removed notes or increased the emphasis on some notes, depending on rhythm and call/response. I wanted to-and-frow. I didn’t use the fourth part because it tends to muddy the sound, and flatten everything out. It was just a drone that’s not too loud and is quite clean. If there had been just two parts I would have considered using a rough but strict rhythm, droning, double-stopped fiddle in place of the electric drone. An issue with that is I don’t have software nor recording expertise to get clean tracks in this situation.

    Then after all the recording, to my HORROR I heard a theatrical version on YT that is delightful, precipitous, fast and authentic, very much like a happy but rowdy medieval tournament, an improvised popular performance.
    Horror because now I want to record the tune again… like that!

    Four part .abc file in the description on my https://youtu.be/MS7ZFlPSjbI YT channel, PDF here:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/sneutxagcf...azula.pdf?dl=0


    And here’s the two part which is still pretty good, with a warmer, happier harmony.

    X:1
    T: Schiarazula Marazula (two part)
    C:Giorgio Mainerio (c.1535-1582)
    W:from Il Primo Libro di Balli, 1578. Two part accomp. by Stephen Hendricks
    L: 1/8
    M:4/4
    K: G
    V:1
    e2|:e2d2e2d2|c2c2c2B2|A2G2A2B2|A2A2A2e2|
    e2d2e2d2|c2c2c2B2|A2G2A2B2|A2A2A2dc|
    B2A2B2c2|B2A2B2ed|c2A2A2G2|A2A2A2dc|
    B2A2B2c2|B2A2B2ed|c2A2A2^G2|A6:|
    V:2
    A2|A4A4|A6GF|E4E4|E4E4|A4A4|A6GF|E4E4|E6A2|
    G4G4|G4G4|E4E4|E6A2|G4G4|G4G4|E4E4|E6:|
  10. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Two different but nice Marazulas!
  11. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    …..
  12. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Thanks, Christian!

    Simon: looking on Youtube, there are many different interpretations, from lightling-fast and rowdy to dead slow and melancholy. It's all valid, nobody knows what speed they played it at the time (except we're pretty sure they added a lot of improvisation and ornamentation to the notated music).

    Martin
  13. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    I read a text one time talking about this. Can’t remember where (!) but one point was castenette tempos, the other was about dance moves and how long it’s physically possible to do them. -before falling down in a merrie, happy stupeur.

    Here’s one (brilliant) example:



    Here’s another favourite from a piece by Gaspar Sanz which has at times a similar lively feel.

    https://youtu.be/L-sVpZUJleo

    I don’t usually post non-SAW performances as large thumbnails but they really are quite good!
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