Salterio
Salterio (Italian and Spanish) was mainly in the 18th century a box zither that was widespread in Italy and Spain , the strings of which were either plucked ( psaltery ) or struck ( dulcimer ).
The name is derived from the medieval “psalterium”, which means plucked instrument . The instrument first appeared in Italian literature in 1723 in the instrument book Gabinetto Armonico by the Roman scholar Filippo Bonanni as part of the treatment of chopping boards . In the absence of a correct Italian term, these appear under psalterio diverso .
About the Salterio ( l'ordinario usato in Italia ) used in Italy , he expressly writes that it is either plucked or beaten con le bacchete . A great master of this instrument is currently the clergyman Florido Ubaldi from Città di Castello . These written references have remained the only ones for decades. A small treatise by Giambattista Dall'Olio , which deals with the playing technique on the Salterio, is then dated to 1770 . In it, however, there is only talk of plucking, with the help of penne de'ditali , which one infects on three fingers of each hand.
Much more insight than these sparse written sources gives us music manuscripts from Italian archives and instrument collections. The scores show that the salterio was often used as an accompanying instrument in church music , but from around 1750 it also increasingly appeared as a soloist in the secular area. The most noticeable figure in church music was Girolamo Chiti (1679–1759), from 1726 Kapellmeister in the Lateran . In his sacred vocal works , an organ and violins were often accompanied by a salterio. Some of these works are even dated, namely to the years 1728, 1730, 1731, 1733 and 1737. Antonio Vivaldi had already used it in opera in 1724 in the aria Ho nel petto un cor si forte of his opera Giustino .
Around 1770 it seems to have become particularly fashionable in Milan - sonatas for Salterio have been preserved by C. Monza, M. Chiesa and Gio. But. The large number of Salterii still in existence, especially in the various Italian museums, shows that the instrument could not have been very rare. Dates range from 1706 to 1785, the geographical origin from Rome to Milan. Many of the specimens are richly decorated, from gilded moldings and bars to lavish paintings. The mostly three or four-string choirs are led over dividing bridges in the left playing area, on the right there are undivided choirs. The range was at least two and a half octaves based on the note g.
From the entire inventory, reference is made here to the instrument of a Saverio Cesario (according to the inscription, completed on November 14, 1753), which is listed under Inv. No. 1956–474 is in the Basel Historical Museum. The body has the following dimensions: lower length 77 cm, upper length 42 cm, leg length 37 cm, height 9.5 cm. Today it has no more strings, but there are still 14 rows of pegs of five pegs and ten rows of pegs of four on the sound post. On the soundboard one is sounds spielerin in the company of four cherubs painted on. Intensive research into the name of the builder yielded no result; the instrument cannot therefore be further localized within Italy.
Salterii can also be found in relatively large numbers in Spain in the 18th century. Despite good research, there is no evidence of any kind for the first half of the century. It can therefore be assumed that they were created under Italian influence.
In the course of historical performance practice, replicas of these instruments have been made since 1990. There was great interest in this, especially at the former Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich. In 1998, Cecilia Bartoli had it in her head to record Vivaldi's aria on CD. This was only possible with the help of a salterio player from the north (Bavaria / Austria). The first CD with a replica of a baroque Salterio was released in 1996 ("Il Salterio" with Birgit Stolzenburg on the Salterio, Josef Hornsteiner on lute and guitar). In 2009 the CD "Duo con Fuoco" followed with Sabine Kadner on Salterio and Eva-Maria Wende on the lute, in 2011 the CD "Gioco di Salterio" with Birgit Stolzenburg, Josef Hornsteiner and Marion Treupel-Franck on the transverse flute.
literature
- Luigi Francesco Valdrighi: Scrandola-pianoforte-salterio . Modena 1879
- Beryl Kenyon de Pascual: The Spanish Eighteenth-Century Salterio and some Comments on its Italian Counterpart . In: Musique-Images-Instruments, 3, 1997
- Beryl Kenyon de Pascual: The harpsichord maker Saverio Cesario and his Salterios . In: Musica Instrumentalis , Nürnberg 2001, p. 138ff
- Lorenz de Biasio: The Salterio in the Italian musical life of the 18th century . In: Saitenspiel , issue 4 and 5/2000
- Komale Akakpo: Italian salterio music of the 18th century . In: Phoibos , 1/2015, ed. v. Silvan Wagner, pp. 125-137
- Theresa Chirico: Il salterio in Italia from Seicento e Ottocento. In: Recercare , XIII, 2001, p. 147ff