The History of Transcriptions of Lute Tablature —1679 to the Present
It is evident that neither tablature nor transcription, however explicit the instructions, can ensure replication of a performance. So, how have different transcribers, with pen in hand, “performed” in notation the music they transcribed? To what extent different transcription epistemologies advanced or hindered the propagation of the lute and its culture?
This article will trace the events leading up to the Schrade-Gombosi controversy and the impact of this affair on the subsequent generation of...