The Guitar in Tudor London - Professor Christopher Page

TL;DR

The guitar in Tudor London was a widely played instrument that combined accessible music-making with fashion, social distinction, and political intrigue. In the winter of 1553–54, courtier Edward Courtenay reportedly used a cipher carved on a guitar to communicate secretly while Queen Mary’s agents watched for Protestant plots. Its players ranged from high courtiers to apprentices and alehouse wastrels. Read on to discover how one instrument crossed those social boundaries.

Transcript

well good afternoon ladies and gentlemen welcome to the first in my fourth and last series as aggression professor of music I think really as I've only just started but nonetheless it's coming to an end welcome back I recognize as I have had cause to say before I recognized many of you it's good to see you again I hope you had a good summer and tho... Read More

Key Insights

• 😒 The use of ciphers and codes on guitars helped individuals keep their correspondence secret during the 16th century in England.
• 🙂 The guitar in Tudor England was associated with both light and beautiful music and historical significance.
• 😘 Players of the guitar in Tudor England included individuals from various social statuses, from high courtiers to lower-class individuals.
• 🎸 The guitar in Tudor England was smaller and had a different tuning than the modern classical guitar, resembling a miniature lute.
• 🖐️ Our understanding of the music played on the guitar during this time is limited, but much of it was influenced by French compositions.
• 🖐️ The guitar played a role in social distinction, as those who played it were considered part of the "best sort" in society.
• 🏤 The guitar in Tudor England was ultimately a European instrument, with influences from Spain, France, and Germany.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the role of the guitar in Tudor London?

The guitar served as a musical instrument, fashionable possession, and object of social and political interest. It could accompany simple chord-strumming or more demanding music, and it appeared in the hands of people ranging from high courtiers to apprentices and alehouse wastrels.

Q: Why was a cipher carved on a guitar in Tudor England?

In the winter of 1553–54, the courtier Edward Courtenay had a guitar inscribed with a cipher known only to an associate while he was under suspicion during Queen Mary’s reign. The concealed message is unknown, but the lecturer suggests it may have concerned a clandestine meeting or warned that royal agents were becoming suspicious.

Q: How did the authorities discover Edward Courtenay’s ciphered guitar?

An imperial spy or ambassador learned about the device and reported it to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The surviving report, copied from archives in Brussels, describes a cipher carved on a guitar.

Q: Why was a guitar suitable for hiding a secret message in plain sight?

Guitars were familiar enough among high courtiers that one could pass between associates without automatically attracting unusual attention. The scheme depended on the instrument not being so rare or novel that observers would immediately pick it up and examine it closely.

Q: Was inscribing a guitar unusual in the 16th century?

No, decorated or inscribed guitars were not inherently unusual at the time. The lecture cites a 16th-century French poem celebrating a guitar marked in cipher with the names of the poet and his lady.

Q: Who played the guitar in Tudor England?

Players included people of exalted rank, gentlemen of middling status, apprentices fleeing their masters, impoverished tricksters, and alehouse wastrels. Its associations therefore combined the polite with the disreputable and the sophisticated with the simple.

Q: Was Tudor guitar music simple or sophisticated?

It could be either. The instrument readily served players who wanted only to strum chords, but it could also accommodate musicians seeking a more demanding repertoire of surprising interest and complexity.

Q: How did the Tudor guitar differ from a modern classical guitar?

The Tudor instrument was smaller than a modern classical guitar and resembled a miniature lute. Its tuning differed from the classical guitar and was identical to that of a modern baritone ukulele.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The guitar in Tudor England was a widely played instrument associated with both light and beautiful music and historical significance.

• The use of ciphers and codes on guitars was not uncommon during the 16th century, as people tried to keep their letters and messages secret from government spies.

• High courtiers, gentlemen, and individuals of various social statuses played the guitar during this time, with the instrument having a range of associations and appeal.