Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Question about rosette for vihuela de mano

  1. #1

    Question about rosette for vihuela de mano

    I completed my last build a few weeks ago (a Greek Tzouras - thanks to all of you who answered my questions as I was getting started!), and have started my new build, which will be an (almost) flat backed vihuela de mano, modeled after a picture of a modern one that was modeled after a sixteenth century Spanish instrument.

    I've never actually seen one of these "in the flesh" - only YouTube videos and pictures on the web, and some articles here and there. But there don't seem to be a lot of resources. I know some of you have made historical instruments, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind answering some questions. The one I have right now is about the rosette.

    The vihuelas I've seen pictures of have carved (often multi-layered) roses, like a lute or an oud, but different in the sense that they're seemingly built up and glued into the instrument - not carved into the soundboard. Many of them seem to have a black background behind the filligree work, that seems to block all the holes. Do these instruments effectively have no soundholes? What's the way these non-integral-to-the-soundboard rosettes are attached to the soundboard? I know that layers were sometimes carved from parchment, or from veneers separated by parchment - is that black background a sheet of black parchment?

    I'm sorry if these questions seem really naive, but the rest of the construction seems pretty straightforward (especially if I don't insist on perfect historical accuracy "under the hood" - I figure I can build it pretty much like a guitar...). But the rosette is puzzling me...

    Thanks for any replies!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    New Hampshire, USA
    Posts
    240
    I haven't ever handled one of these original instruments, but I know a builder who built one of the layered parchment rosettes for what amounted to a small Spanish style guitar. The parchment partially blocked the sound hole, but there was no black layer behind it that sealed it off. It just looked like a black background because of all the blockage from the parchment. Not sure if that helps

  3. #3
    The "parchment rose" on these is made of parchment paper. They are made up of many layers of finely cut parchment pieces. Kinda like 100 layers of the fancy paper Christmas tree ornaments.

    If you Google up "parchment rose" - you will find lots of
    these.

    They are "pierced". They do provide an actual sound hole...

  4. #4
    Thanks so much for the responses. I've looked at some of the rose sites, and looked at pictures (did that before posting my question), but probably need to make my search for "parchment rose". This will be a very challenging build for me. The back will be glued up "stripes" of maple and walnut, and I'm still playing with the idea of making the sides up of staves as well (though not creating a completely vaulted instrument). I've been experimenting with bending after glueing, and it's working out so far. It'll be my first try at tapered pegs as well. And the rosette just adds to the challenge. This could take a while...

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •