the in tune continuo... -Reply

[Steve Pearson]

Richard and anyone else interested in this wierd stuff...
Contiunuo is the chordal accompaniment to almost everything written for
an ensemble during the baroque era, consisting of a bass instrument
-cello, bass, violone(like a bass) bass viol da gamba, or bassoon,
etc....which doubles the bass line of...a keyboard, such as organ,
harpsichord or fretted instrument like lute.  Typically, one would have
left the tuning as it was, each key being imparted the "color" resulting
from the enequal tuning.  If it got too far out, or the music involved  going
from many sharps to many flats, for instance, it is probable that the
performers may have paused while a few screamers were re-tuned. 
As far as fretted instruments were concerned, Lutes had tied gut frets,
which  could be moved if one desired.  There is an old saying that a
person who has played the lute for 30 years, has spent 20 of them
tuning the lute. Guitar frets are mathematically derived, & set to a scale
stick, and intonation is marginally affected by string diameter.   I guess
the one thing which could apply to all of this stuff is that tuning was on
an "as needed" basis, and rather flexible.  I have heard that the fretted
instruments were a form of equal temp, but it is a strange kind of
equality and it isn't likely the first.    Most players tune to adjacent frets,
and then adjust according to what sounds good.  Back to the color.  Get
that guitar set up to sound deep blue in "C", and "D" sounds a little
chartreuse.  It has been argued that this coloration is the princlpal loss in
equal tuning.  
Hope this makes sense...it's all so subjective.
Steve