Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request

Subject: Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request
From: Rowan
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 02:47 AM

A friend of mine has asked me to see if 'catters can help her with information about the possible mode applicable to this piece of music.

The original manuscript dates (apparently) from the 14th century and, although a facsimile appears in part of the manuscript she has, it has been transcribed to modern notation; it has four parts (verses?) and a chorus.

The modern notation shows it starting on D and ending on G and has many occurrences of Bb and C#; the Bb is consistent in the Prima pars but inconsistent through the rest of the piece. Her question is;

Is this piece in a particular mediaeval mode?

I suspect Jack Campin might be of great assistance here but I thought others might also have something to say, so threw it open to all comers.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 04:20 AM

For those who don't know Istanpitta Ghaetta, here's The Dufay Collective's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7jaS1BKCW8.

Subject: RE: Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request
From: Jack Campin
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 05:43 AM

Probably you got it from Timothy McGee's "Medieval Instrumental Dances", in which case look at what he says about it in the introduction: each section is a quasi-improvisatory elaboration of a specific tetrachord within the overall scale.

[Me here, not McGee] That doesn't fit with any of the "church" modes, but does fit quite well with the modal system of Middle Eastern music, where pieces will often modulate by altering pitches within a tetrachord and where each mode prescribes a specific sequence of locally centralized tones (this sequence is called "sayir" in Turkish, I forget the Arabic word).

McGee also mentions that there is a city called Gaeta near Naples, maybe it's named after that. It can't have anything to do with bagpipes as ordinarily understood, though you might be able to do it on a Sardinian launeddas by swapping chanters between sections. I'll ask Barnaby Brown when I see him next.

Subject: RE: Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 06:07 AM

you might be able to do it on a Sardinian launeddas by swapping chanters between sections

Which prompted a YouTube search.

This one's interesting for the pictures, though it mixes up traditional playing with modern medieval: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpEKREGjrYc

These guys seem on the ball though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRZrtuArQdA&NR=1

Electronic launeddas? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOJtiwhUbdI

Andrea Pisu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXduBGPdiJk

But best of all, the legendary Efisio Melis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wu9MjHrG4w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgArDBtU9X0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxJ09Ka0hK8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMziBCU4xkE

etc.

Subject: RE: Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request
From: Rowan
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 07:28 PM

Probably you got it from Timothy McGee's "Medieval Instrumental Dances"

Unfortunately, I haven't got it; my friend has. The manuscript I saw had only a couple of pages (I didn't see any name other than "Ghaetta" and, because I don't read music, I was reliant on her for descriptions of notation.

When I Googled the name a series of sites offering examples of manuscripts, mp3s and video clips came up but no info of the sort I requested.

But thanks for the info so far; I'll print off the thread and pass it on to her.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 12:18 PM

And here's Barnaby playing in the style that gave me the idea that a triple pipe might work for this:

Barnaby Brown and Patsy Seddon, "Deus Auribus"

The thing about the launeddas is that each of the two fingered chanters has a single tetrachord on it - it's basically the same as the Greek aulos, but with an added drone. So switching chanters in mid-tune can let you modulate to a differently tuned tetrachord. I've seen Barnaby do that, it's quite a juggling act.

But was a launeddas ever called "gaeta" or some variant thereof? I kinda doubt it.

Subject: RE: Ghaetta (14th C) mode info request
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 02:14 PM

Oops. I only looked at one paragraph of McGee's intro when making that previous post. I just looked at more of it, and find that he made exactly the same parallel I did; he sees this piece as being part of a genre related to the kind of sectional instrumental form known as "pesrev" in Turkish (bashraf in Arabic). This sort of thing:

pesrev in the huseyni (dorian) mode