Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

:;
SCOEDATURA SCORE 387
the third was shifted as occasion required, and
an additional third or a fifth was introduced
elsewhere, so as to yield on the open strings as
many harmonies as possible ; in old lute music
the proper tuning is indicated at the beginning
of the piece. This practice survives in' the
guitar. The normal tuning being sis at (as),
very striking effects in the key of E major, for
instance, may be produced by tuning the instrument
as at (b). The scordatura was foiTQerly
W, (6), W, W, (e) (/)| (g)
often employed on the violin. (1) the tuning
(c) is extremely favourable to simplicity of
fingering in the key of A. It is employed
by Tartini in one of his solos, and by Castrucci
in a well-known fugue : its efiect is noisy and
monotonous. It is frequently employed by
Scotch reel-players, and in their hands has
a singularly rousing effect. The following
strain from ' Kilrack's Reel ' is to be read by
the player as if tuned in the ordinary way,
so that the first phrase sounds in the key
of A:—
^^^^^^m
The reel called ' Appin House ' and the lively
Strathspey called ' Anthony Murray's Reel ' are
played in the same tuning. (2) The tuning (d)
employed by Biber (see vol. i. p. 324) is a
modification of (c), a fourth being substituted
for a fifth on the first string ; and (3) the tuning
(e), also employed by Biber, is a similar modification
of the normal tuning by fifths. In
these tunings the viol fingering must be used on
the first strings. On Biber's use of the scordatura
in the eleventh sonata of his second
book (reprinted in the Denkm. der Tonk. in
Oesterreich, xii. 2) see the Zeitschr. of the Int.
Mus. Ges. viii. p. 471, and ix. p. 29 (both
1907). (4) The tuning (f),
employed by Nardini
in his Enigmatic Sonata, is the reverse of
the last, being a combination of the common
tuning for the first two strings with the viol
tuning in the lower ones. (5) The tuning {g)
is employed by Barbella in his Serenade and
' '
by Canipagnoli in his Nottumo, ' \ to imitate
the Viola d' amore, from the four middle strings
of which it is copied. Thick first and second
strings should be used, and the mute put on.
The effect is singularly pleasing : but the G
and A on the second string are. flat and dull,
(6) The tuning (A) employed by Lolli, is the
normal tuning except the fourth string, which
is tuned an octave below the third. If a very
stout fourth string is used, a good bass accompaniment
is thus obtainable.
Such are a few of the abnormal tunings
employed by the old violinists. The scordatura
is seldom used by modern players except on the
fom'th string, which is often tuned a tone higher,
as at (i). (De Beriot, Mazas, Prume, etc.)
This device may always be employed where the
composition does not descend below A ; the
tone is much increased, and in some keys,
especially D and A, execution is greatly facilitated.
Paganini tuned his fourth string higher
stiU, as at (,/) and (k), with surprising effect
the Bb tuning was a favourite one with De
Bfriot. Paganini's tuning in flats (J) cannot
« (i), 0), m (0| (m) («),
b*e called scordatura, as it consists in elevating
the violin generally by half a tone for the sake
of brilliancy.
The same device was employed
by Spohr in his duets for harp and violin, the
harp part being written in flats a semitone
higher. The fourth string is rarely lowered
but Baillot sometimes tuned it a semitone lower,
as at (m), to facilitate arpeggios in the sharp
keys.
The scordatura (re) is employed by Bach in
his fifth sonata for the violoncello. It corresponds
to the violin tuning (e). This depression
of the first string, if a thick string be used, is
not unfavourable to sonority. When the scordatura
is used, suitable strings should be obtained.
Thicker ones are necessary where the pitch is
depressed, and thinner ones where it is elevated
and the player will find it best to keep a special
instrument for any tuning which he frequently
employs. e. j. p.
In engraved music of Scottish reels, etc.
the scordatura was m'arked at the commencement
of the piece by the word ' Scordatura ' and the
tuning in notes. In manuscript music, however,
it was frequently more carelessly indicated,
or even left without indication. It must be
remembered that although all notes on the
mistuned strings are affected, yet the notation
throughout the piece always stood as if the
tuning were normal, and consequently allowance
for this must be made in playing on the
piano, etc., and in transcripts. In scordatura
of the lowest string the sound A is represented
by the note G, the sound B by the
note A, and so on. For a curious instance
of the Scottish scordatura see Sir Rogek be
COVEKLY. F. K.
SCORE (L^t. Partitio, Partitura, Partitura
cancellata ; Ital. Partitura, Partizione, Parlitino,
Sparta, Spartita ; Fr. Partition ; Germ. Paiiitur).
A series of staves on which the different
parts of a p^ece of music are written one above
another, so' that the whole may be read at a