A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Virdung, Sebastian

by Alfred James Hipkins

VIRDUNG, Sebastian, author of the oldest work describing the precursors of modern musical instruments. It is entitled 'Musica getutscht und auszgezogen durch Sebastianum Virdung Priesters von Amberg und alles gesang ausz den noten in die tabulaturen diser benanten dryer Instrumenten der Orgeln: der Lauten: und den Flöten transferieren zu lernen. Kurtzlich gemacht zu eren dem hochwirdigen hoch gebornen fürsten unnd herren: herr Wilhalmen Bischove zum Straszburg seynem gnedigen herren.' We read in the dedication that the Bishop in 1510 had required of Virdung that he should send to him the 'Gedicht der Deutschen Musica.' Virdung replied that on account of the great cost he had decided to postpone printing the great work, but to pacify the Bishop and his own friend Andreas Sylvanus, he sends this present extract, in which the latter appears as the interlocutor. The place of publication is Basel; the date 1511. The work, which is written in dialogue, begins with a description of the keyboard instruments; then follow the others in use at the time. He describes the keyboard, the organ and clavichord, concluding with the tablature of those instruments and of the lute and flute. The woodcuts, taken in their order, will best briefly indicate the nature of the book. The clavicordium is the clavichord 'gebunden,' or fretted, as is obvious from the twisted keys, and he explains this peculiarity in the text. It shows its monochord origin by the strings being all of the same length. The soundboard is very narrow. The virginal is an instrument of the same oblong form, but has a triangular scale of stringing, by an error of the engraver turned the wrong way. The soundboard, psaltery-wise, covers the interior. The compass of keyboard of both these instruments is three octaves and a note from the bass clef-note f to g‴, the lowest f♯ being omitted; but Virdung goes on to say that the compass had already, in 1511, been extended by repeating the lowest octave, that is, descending to F below the bass clef. The clavicimbalum is like the virginal, but with different compass (the organ short octave), apparently from B♮ in the bass clef to d‴; but the B, we believe, sounded G. [See Spinet and Virginal.] This is the 'clavicimbanum' of Sagudino, on which he tells us little Mary Tudor played;—the Italian spinetta; French espinette. The claviciterium is figured as an upright virginal, with the same keyboard; but the keyboards of all these instruments and the organs also are inverted in the printing. Virdung says it has jacks ('federkile') like a virginal, but cat-gut strings. It was, he says, newly invented; he had only seen one. This is the only early reference we have anywhere met with to the clavicytherium. Rimbault's early date for it in his History of Music and the chronological order of keyboard instruments, are alike without foundation and misleading; and further to confuse matters, he has been deceived by a blunder in Luscinius, the Latin translator (1536) of Virdung, by which the horizontal clavicimbalum appears as the claviciterium, and vice versa. Count Correr's interesting upright virginal, or spinetta, to be ascribed to the last years of the 15th century, and shown in the Loan Collection of the International Inventions Exhibition, 1885, has Virdung's compass, but adds the bass E and F♯ which we assume to represent C and D short octave. Virdung appears to know nothing about the harpsichord or later clavicembalo, yet there is a fine and authentic specimen of this two-unisons instrument, dated 1521, of Roman make, in South Kensington Museum. Virdung's lyra is the hurdy-gurdy. His lute has 11 strings, 5 pairs and chanterelle, 6 notes; his quintern, or treble lute, 10 strings, or 5 notes. The Gross Geigen is a bass viol with the bridge omitted by the draughtsman. The Harffen is the regular mediæval David's harp, such as Patrick Egan was still making in Dublin as a revival or fancy instrument some 50 or 60 years since. The Psalterium is a triangular small harp strung across. The Hackbrett shows the common dulcimer. The 'Clein' Geigen is a small viol; the Trumscheit, or Tromba Marina, a kind of bowed monochord. The last-named instruments, being without frets, Virdung regards as useless. The wind instruments follow:—Schalmey, Bombardt (oboes), Schwegel, Zwerchpfeiff (German flute), Flöten (set of flauti dolci or recorders), Ruszpfeiff, Krumhorn, Hernsen horn, Zincken (ancient cornets), Platerspil, Krumhörner (set of Cromornes, the origin of the 'Cremona' in the modern organ), Sackpfeiff (bagpipes), Busaun (trombone), Felttrumet (cavalry trumpet), Clareta (clarion), Thurner horn (a kind of French horn). The organs are Orgel (with 3 divisions of pipes), Positive (a chamber organ), Regale (a reed organ), and Portative (pipe regal), with, as we have said, short-octave compass like the clavicimbalum, the keyboards being reversed in the printing. The organ and portative end at g″ instead of d‴. Lastly are Ampos, Zymeln und Glocken (anvil and various bells, Virdung appearing to believe in the anvil myth). He has trusted to his own or another's imagination in reproducing St. Jerome's instruments, only the drums and perhaps psalteries being feasible. His keyboards come next, and are evidently trustworthy. His diagram of the diatonic keyboard, with two B♭s only, agreeing with Guido's hand, is the only evidence we are acquainted with for this disposition of the clavichord with twenty natural and two raised keys, which Virdung says lasted long. The latter part of the book is occupied with the Tablatures. His lute rules meet with objections from Arnold Schlick the younger, 'Tabulatur etlicher Lobgesänge' (Mentz, 1512). Mendel's Lexicon says that copies of Virdung's book are only to be found in the Berlin and Vienna Libraries. However, Mr. Alfred Littleton, of Sydenham, owns an original copy. A facsimile reproduction of 200 copies was brought out in 1882 at Berlin, edited by Robert Eitner, being the 11th volume published for the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung, who had previously published Arnold Schlick's 'Spiegel der Orgelmacher,' also of 1511, and referred to by Virdung. Mendel further says there are at Munich four 4-part German songs by Virdung in the rare collection of Peter Schoefier (Mentz, 1513). They are numbered 48, 49, 52 and 54.

[ A. J. H. ]