Cordedrago produces natural lamb gut strings in a strictly artisan manner, according to traditional methods and raw materials, thanks to an in-depth analysis of ancient documents and continuous direct experimentation.

The strings made with historical rigor not only satisfy a philological need, but they sound much better because they are softer and more elastic, allowing the performer to obtain greater expressiveness and a great wealth of harmonics from his instrument.

CORDEDRAGO: not humble work, but noble art, that of the stringmaker ...

For the most daring physicists, in fact, the strings are at the base of the very structure of the universe, because from the vibration of the strings, that is essentially from the music - as Pythagoras already claimed - the whole cosmos draws harmony: it would therefore not be incorrect to define the Great Architect a Great Stringmaker!

Chordes autem dictas a corde: the strings are so called from the heart, as Isidoro of Seville argued, because as the heart beats in the chest, so the strings resound struck by the musician on the zither, magically capturing the soul.

The dragon is then an alchemical animal, as is the alchemical red cinnabar - similar to dragon's blood - with which the strings for baroque lutes were loaded, like the sulfur used to whiten them and make elastic and resonant, like the salt used to preserve the gut, or the alum used to tan it in order to make the cantini more resistant.

And alchemical and witchcraft magic is even more to mix unclean and vile ingredients, such as guts of sheep and wine dregs, thanks to which tender lambs, innocent victims, miraculously reborn, emit a very sweet and spiritual song.

Davide Longhi

 

 

Il Set Forquerais intende riproporre la montatura raffigurata in un presunto ritratto di Forquerais, in cui la viola appare incordata con due corde filate piene in argento (La e Re) e due corde Demi-filée (Sol e Do). In una sua lettera il Forquerais in realtà suggerisce l'uso del solo Do demi-filée, ma dato che anche Stradivari suggerisce l'uso di un Sol Demi-filée per la viola da gamba da lui realizzata, si è ritenuto di proporre un set costituito da due filate piene e due demi-filée.

La caratteristica delle demi-filée è principalmente quella di avere una grande suonabilità, che le rende molto adatte al Do del Basso barocco, soprattutto per repertori che richiedono all'esecutore di suonare in maniera virtuosistica nella parte bassa della tastiera. Ovviamente la demi-filée ha come caratteristica anche quella di mantenere il timbro molto simile a quello del budello nudo, senza rinunciare ad avere una corda dotata di grande agilità.

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