Renaissance Vihuela & Guitar in 16th Century Spain by Frank Koonce, Mel Bay Publications, 188 pages, Standard Notation

Scholarly editions, which serve different purposes than performance editions, are not often designed with the modern guitarist in mind. For instance, Renaissance vihuela tablatures are usually transcribed with the open first string as G, not E. Most are presented in double-staff notation, a medium that is superior for realizing counterpoint but unconventional as guitar notation. Furthermore, these editions sometimes give idealized, but not realistic, solutions for voicing, note duration, and other matters that need to be considered within the limitations of our instrument. Guitarists who try to play from these editions essentially are faced with the task of transcribing the transcription!

This 188-page anthology is designed as a companion volume to The Baroque Guitar in Spain and the New World (MB21122). It includes representative selections, edited for modern guitar, from the seven books for vihuela that were published in Spain between 1536 and 1576.As well as being fun and entertaining music for all to enjoy, these collections are intended to help bridge the gap between scholarly editions and performance editions by providing a hands-on introduction to tablature transcription and to issues concerning historically informed performance of early music on the guitar.

• A 188-page anthology, edited for modern guitar, from the seven books for vihuela that were published in Spain between 1536 and 1576.
• A companion volume to The Baroque Guitar in Spain and the New World (MB21122).
• Intended to help bridge the gap between scholarly editions and performance editions.
• An introduction to tablature transcription and to issues concerning historically informed performance of early music on the modern guitar.