Evidence-based reconstruction of a Spanish Renaissance vihuela de arco and its “Andalusian” playing technique.

In addition to the wonderful frescoes with music-making angels from 1476, which
were rediscovered only in 2004, in the Cathedral of Valencia also can be found
other representations of string instruments. Of particular note is a wooden sculpture
of an angel playing vihuela de arco (Yáñez de la Almedina, ca. 1514). The
investigation of this three-dimensionally presented vihuela de arco in connection
with other iconographic sources, the extensive knowledge gained in a research
projects at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB) on the internal construction
of early string instruments (www.rimab.ch) enabled the evidence-based reconstruction of a Spanish vihuela de arco. Music ethnological studies on traditional
andalusi-music in Morocco and there upright playing technique of Rabab, Violin
and Viola, which corresponds to the iconography of the vihuela de arco, where
important sources for the development of the playing technique. (This lecture
contains also a practical demonstration of the reconstructed vihuela de arco.)