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Cabinet of Curio-stories – Tiny Cathedral Windows that Sing

Jul 14, 2016

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A Rose from a Vilhuela – Spanish Guitar

Up until the 17th century there were no real guitars – the only instruments similar to a guitar were the lute and, in Spain, where my book ‘A Divided Inhritance ‘ is set, the vilhuela.

In the early 17th century the Guitarra Morrisco became popular in Spain in the Moorish areas where what we know now as flamenco guitar and dance began. This type of guitar spread to other European countries where it became known as the Baroque Guitar or sometimes simply the Spanish Guitar. A good example of this sort of Baroque guitar can be seen in Vermeer’s painting “The Guitar Player.”
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Also evident here is the inlaid decorative edge and “rose” or fretwork, which was a feature of this period in many instruments. In the 17th century there were specific craftsmen who made a living carving this sort of decorative panel. They are so beautiful and intricate. They are crafted from wood, or for the more detailed ones, parchment, cut in ornamental layers to give a three dimensional effect.

You can click on the picture below to see more examples. I was almost tempted to invent a “rose” carver just so that I could feature a description of someone making one of these, but unfortunately I already had quite a few craftsmen populating my novel already!

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The designs are similar to those of “rose” windows in many of the great cathedrals, but in miniature, and they let the ‘light’of the instrument shine out to the listener.
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St Stephen’s Cathedral. Vienna Rose Window

As it is, the Spanish guitarist in my novel is a “bit-player” in my cast of characters – nevertheless, I think the look and feel of the guitar is important to the book, and I love this sort of research. This post first appeared on my old blog, and I re-posted it here simply because since I wrote it, I have come across this lovely video with the sound of the vilhuela, and I still love the delicate tracery of these ‘roses’ ! Music by Gaspar Sanz.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e7Ye6ir2K4[/embedyt]
in this series you might also like The Tudor Copperplate Map , The Miniature Scottish Coffins, The Renaissance Gimmel Ring
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