DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

792 LYRA LYEA VIOL
astical Modes ; called, by mediseval writers,
Modus laetus (The Joylul Mode), from its gener-
ally jubilant characttr.
The Final of the Lydian Mode is F ; and its
compass, in the Authentic form, lies between
that note, and the octave above. Its semitones
fall between the fourth and fifth, and seventh
and eighth degrees. Its Dominant is C ; its
Mediant, A ; and its Participant G. Its Conceded
Modulations are, B, D, and E ; and its
Absolute Initials, F, A, and C.
ModeV.
Pin. Part. Med.
^-.
w
In the Plagal, or
Dom. _
trzi '^^ "^^
Hypolydian
.^^'"'^12.
form (Mode
VI.), its compass lies between the C below the
Final, and the C above it : and its semitones
fall between the third and fourth, and seventh
and eighth degrees. The Final of the Hypolydian
Mode is F ; its Dominant is A ; its
Mediant is D ; its Participant, the lower G.
Its Conceded Modulations are B (the 7th), B
(the inverted 7th), and G ; the two B's being
frequently made ilat, to avoid the Tritonus.
[See Modes.] Its Absolute Initials are C, D,
and F.
f
Part, Med.
Mode VI.
Pin. Dom.
[The Lydian Mode by use of the accidental
B[> is capable of becoming identical with the
Ionian Mode. It was so used in early days
before the Ionian Mode was recognised, but
only sparingly. It was never a popular Mode
for Plain-song because of its leading note ; and
such melodies as exist in it were constantly
transposed a fifth higher where, by use of the
accidental Bb, the leading note could be evaded.
(See Ionian Mode.)]
The Fifth Mass in Palestrina's Tenth Book
Missa Quinti Toni—is written, as its name implies,
in the Lydian Mode. A beautiful example
of the use of the Hypolydian, and one which
fully justifies the epithet anciently applied to it
—Modus devotus (The Devout Mode)— is to be
found in the iirst movement of the Plain-song
Missa pro Sefunctis, printed, at length, in the
article, Kykie, ante, p. 612.
The Lydian Mode of the Middle Ages has
nothing but its name in common with the older
Greek scale, which is said, on the authority of
Apuleius, and other ancient authors, to have
been characterised by a tone of soft complaint
—a peculiarity which modern poets have not
forgotten, in their allusions to it. w. s. R.
LYRA. A form of Chimes. See Glockenspiel.
LYRA VIOL (sometimes 'Lero Viol ' or 'Viol
Lyra way '), a term used in the 17th century
to indicate a method of playing the ordinary
viol da gamba from a letter tablature instead
of from note. This was in use in 1650 to the
end of the 17th century, and it was considered
a simpler and easier way of reading for the
instrument than from the ordinary notation.
John Playford, who printed several editions of
a work on the subject, speaks of it as ' but a
late invention in imitation of the old English
'
lute or bandora ;
and that the first authors he
' had met with in setting lessons this way to
the Viol, was Mr. Daniel Farrant, Mr. Alphonso
Ferabosco, and Mr. John Coperario, who composed
lessons not only to play alone, but for two
or three viols in consort ' (Mustek's liecreation).
Playford also, in his Iivtroduction to the Skill of
Mustek, mentions that the viol used to play
less in size, wdth
' Lyra - ' way ' is somewhat
strings proportionable, than the other two sizes
of viols.' The pjrinciple of the lyra viol is
the simple adaptation of the lute tablature to
the fretted six -stringed viol, the music being
written on a six-line stave, each line corresponding
to a string on the instrument. Burney [Hist.
iii. 409) says that ' the lyra viol was a viol da
gamba with more strings, but differently tuned
from the common six string base. Its notation,
like that of the lute, was written in entablature.'
It is possible that in odd cases the viol played
lyra-way had more than six strings, but contemporary
writers always treat it as being a
six -stringed instrument. The stopping is indicated
by letters placed either on, or above
the lines, thus : a, open string ; b, first fret ;
c, d, e, f, g, h, succeeding half note stoppings.
The viol linger-board only having seven frets,
other letters, i, k, I, m, etc. are to be stopped,
' according to the judicious ear of the performer,'
above the last fret. The time duration in viol
tablature is shown by the crotchets, quavers,
etc. being placed above the stave. The reading
of the tablature is of course simplicity itself,
provided that the tuning is known; but as this
tuning seems to have been somewhat elastic,
each viol player apparently having one of his
own, the translation of viol tablature from
manuscript is sometimes puzzling ; in a printed
source, however, the tuning is generally given
which renders the task easier. For ease of
fingering in certain pieces, tunings named ' harpway
sharp,' and 'harp-way flat,' besides some
others were in use (see Tabt^.-vture and Viol).
The principal English work on the lyra viol
was, as above indicated , by John Playford who,
in a Musicall Banqiiet, 1651 (Bodleian Library)
published some ' new lessons for the Lira Viol,'
afterwards developing this into Mustek's Reerca-
tion on the Lyra Viol, which in some editions is
named Mustek's Recreation an the Viol Lyraway.
The work consists of ' lessons ' and
instructions besides anumber of popular melodies
all in viol tablature. Copies are dated 1651 (in
Musteall Banquet), 1652-53, 1661, 1669, and