13 WilliamLawes's Lyra Viol Music:Some Observations Frank Traficante The Nation magazine for 15 May of 1995 bore a front-page headline designatingthat year as the 50th 'Anniversaryof Almost Everything.' To supportthe assertionreference was madeto a long list of eventssuch as 'the first useof the atom bomb, ... the signingof the U.N. charter,... the birth of U.S.-Soviettensions' and so on.' For the participantsand guestsof the William LawesFestival Conference 1995 was the 3501hanniversary of one particularsad event. Although personsattending the Festivaldid not gather togetherfor the purposeof discussingpolitics, it was things like politics, nationalism,religion, heroism, and bad luck that causedthe demise of William Lawesin 1645,thus insuringthat, accordingto the peculiarlaw of decimal significanceby which we organizeour lives, 1995 would be the year for taking special notice of his great contribution to our cultural heritage. My task is to discussthat small cornerof Lawes'screative output that constituteshis music for lyra viol.t Before tuming to the music as such, however,I would like to focus,briefly, on a curiousnotational anomaly. A common element of normal staff notation from earliest times until the eighteenthcentury is the custosor direct.'' It is usuallyfound in the form of a flourish at the end of a staff and positioned at the line or spaceon which the first noteof the next staff appears.Itserves as a forewamingof the pitch of that note(though not its duration)before the player'seye has moved from the end of the previousstaff.It is especiallyuseful when sightreading. If the forthcomingnote is to be inflectedthe direct can be accompanied by a sharpor flat signas needed.'In caseswhere the new staff beginswith a changeof clef the direct may simply be positionedaccording to the clef in effect at the end of the old staff. Alternatively, it may be accompaniedby a forewarningof the clef change.Occasionally, these two options might be combinedin a double direct-one basedon the prevailing clef, the other showingthe new clef.t In most instances,however, the direct alone will normally provide a clear indicationof the forthcomingpitch when used in staff notation. On the other hand,it could neverbe relied upon to do that in tablature. In this notationalsystem the direct alone will indicate only the string on 341 Frank Tra/icante ll/illiam Lav'es's Lyra Vio which the first note of the next staff is to be played.To indicatethe actual Fig.13.1. EIRE-Dm, MS 23.5.13, f.5' pitch it would always have to be combined with the tablature letter. when Lawes,Corant (defhO. End of staff1; one considersthat frequently the new staff will begin not with a single note but with a harmony of two, three, or more notes it is no surprise that the direct doesnot constitutea commonelement of tablature.It is all the more noteworthy,then, to find this sign cropping up in tablaturesources of Lawes's music including some consideredto be in the composer,sown hand. Two, from the Dublin Marsh lablature (not in Lawes's hand) are Figuresl3.l and13.2. One could speculatethat Fig. l3.l representsan attemptto clarifu the distraction of the crossed out measure. There is no corresponding explanationfor Fig. 13.2. Unlike these two isolated occurrencesin the Marsh tablaturethe direct is ubiquitous in the presumedautograph Harvard Fig.13.2. EIRE-Dm. MS 23.5.13. f.5 Lawes manuscriptMusic 70. The signsoccur in the sectioncontaining one Lawes.Corunt (defhfl. End of staff2 part of works for three lyra viols.' The directs in this manuscriptalmost invariablydo mark a string on which a note is to be playedat the beginning of the next staff. Figs. 13.3aand 3b, however,show caseswhere this is not so. Numerous other directs not quite so unfathomable as these are perplexing,nonetheless, because they refer to a stringthat will provideonly one note of a multiple-note harmonic formation on the next staff. Thirty- three directs in this manuscriptlead to a two-note interval. Two of them are ambiguous.'Ofthe remainingthirty-one, fully twenty-fivepoint to the string of the lower note of the interval while only six retbr to the upper as exemplifiedin Figures13.4a and 4b respectively. Fig. 13.3(a).US-CA. ms Mus 70. no. Finally, thereare singledirects leading to chordsof threeor more notes. Lawes.Sarab't (fhfh0. Endof staff2: Figures13.5a, 5b, and 5c show,respectively, a directreferring to the middle noteofa three-notechord, one referring to the secondfrom the top ofa four- note chord, and one referring to the fourth note from the top of a five-note .rl','rI chord. lt is hard to see how these directs could convey any useful .11 informationto the performereven were one temptedto seein the especially lt elaborate : flourishof Fig. 13.5ca forewarningof the chordto come.'o I Before leavingthis topic it is worth noting that tablaturedirects occur, also, in the Bodleian Library autographLawes manuscript,Music School : MS 8.2, in connectionwith the Alman andthe secondof the two Corantsall three of which are for lute duet. There are six directs in all on this page,and they reflect the same notational contexts already described.Three refer to stringson which single notesare to be playedat the beginningof the next staff. Figure 13.6ashows one that refers to the lower note of a two-note interval(on non-adjacentstrings) and one that refers to the third highest 342 tficante William Lav'es's Lyra Viol Music: Some Obsemations o be played.To indicate the actual Fig.13.1. EIRE-Dm, MS 23.5.13,f.59 (reversed). VdGS lndex427, nedwith the tablatureletter. When Lawes,Corant (deftrf . Endof staffl; beginningof staff2. rff will begin not with a single note ore notes it is no surprisethat the mentof tablature.It is all the more rpping up in tablature sources of lred to be in the composer'sown blature (not in Lawes's hand) are rcpresentsan attempt to clarifu the iure. There is no corresponding e two isolated occurrencesin the in the presumedautograph Harvard Fig.13.2. EIRE-Dm. MS 23.5.13,f.59 (reversed). VdGS Index 428. occurin the sectioncontaining one Lawes.Corant (defh0. End of staff2; beginningof staff3. e directs in this manuscript almost rote is to be playedat the beginning wever,show caseswhere this is not nt aat' I e so unfathomable as these are ;l5;E----I- fer to a string that will provide only =---_[--;-^-:f lormationon the next staff. Thirty- - Ltwo-note interval. Two of them are ^-f , fully twenty-fivepoint to the string ile only six refer to the uPper as rcctively. Fig.13.3(a). US-CA. ms Mus70. no.8. f.l5[9?].VdGS Index 569. threeor more notes. Lngto chordsof Lawes.Sarabd (fhfhf) Endof staff2; beginningof staff3. vely, a directrefening to the middle to the secondfrom the toP of a four- rth note from the toP of a five-note directs could convey any useful J.Jl one temptedto seein the especially l)t A-a rrningof thechord to (l.-+ "o...'o -rl_-_-_.- 1 noting that tablaturedirects occur, h Lawes manuscript,Music School andthe secondof the two Corantsall re six directsin all on this page,and rts alreadydescribed. Three refer to playedat the beginningofthe next ers to the lower note of a two-note rne that refers to the third highest .)+J t Frank Traficante Ilillian Lawes's Fig.13.3(b). US-CA, ms Mus 70, f.l8v[2v?]. VdGS Index 521, Fig.13.5(a). US-CA, ms Mus 70 Lawes,Pouen (fedfh). End of staff2; beginningof staff3. Lawes,Pauen (fhfh|. Endof sta I . t\ I a^ .l a' a 5-/ o4 --4 : -+ :-:a- Fig.13.4(a). US-CA, ms Mus 70,no. l, f.l1v[5v?].VdcS Index563. Fig.13.5(b). US-CA, ms Mus Aire (fhfhf). Lawes.Pauen (fhfh|. End of staff I ; beginningof staff 2. Lawes, End of staff I Fig. l3.a(b).US-CA, ms Mus 70,f.17| 1?1.VdGS Index 443, Lawes. Fig.13.5(c). US-CA, ms Mus (fhfh0. Corant (defhfl. End of staff I ; beginningof staff 2. Humour Endof staff3; I 344 alicante ll/illian Lawes's Lyra Viol Music: Some Obsemations '|2v?1.VdcS Index521, Fig. 13.5(a).US-CA, ms Mus 70, no. l, f.l lv[5v?]. VdGS Index563, eginningof staff3. Lawes,Pauen (fhfh|. End of staff 2; beginningof staff 3. I I a -* = "! ,a- : . f.l lv[5v?].VdGS Index 563. Fig.13.5(b). US-CA, ms Mus 70, no. 11, f.l6v[l0v?]. VdGS Index 572, eginningof staff2. Lawes,Aire (fhfhf).End of staff7; beginningof staff8. I l?1.VdGS Index 443. Lawes. Fig.13.5(c). US-CA, ms Mus 70,no.7.f.l4v[8v?]. VdGS Index 568, Lawes, rs of staff2. Humour(fhfhf). End of staff 3; beginningof staff 4. /-Ilr 345 Frank Tra/icante iltilliam Lawes'sLyrc string (or course)when, in fact, it I Fig. 13.6(a).cB-Ob, MS note is to be played.Finally, Figu Mus. I Sch.B.2, p.[86], second-lutepart, showsa direct th Lawes, Alman (for 2 lutes: chord (the two lower of which areo ddeff/ccbcc).End ofstaves 3 and4: The fact that all but two of including the most incomprehensib in the handof William Lawesmake what this phenomenonsignifies mu The number of lyra viol wor completeform is not large."It incl the simplest brief solo dancepier seventeenthcentury, after the cor beginningofstaves 5 and6. fantaziasthat he and otherswere co There are 44 piecesin all-38 sok viols. Eight tuningsare employed el The complete pieces for a tt movement groupings-F antaziaw Fantaziawith a piecein dupleme rank with the bestof Lawes'swork belong to an all too sparseearly works by Alfonso FerraboscoII, Jr pity thereare no morepieces like t quality.