tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3409762275555781626.post2522342490991392244..comments2024-03-09T07:12:21.520-08:00Comments on The Poetry Daily Critique: Sonnet 128 — William ShakespeareA.E.M. Baumannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01645522810843138721noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3409762275555781626.post-36014528780057243432018-01-22T12:37:18.214-08:002018-01-22T12:37:18.214-08:00Thanks also for the extra information. (This is be...Thanks also for the extra information. (This is becoming an interesting post.)<br /><br />Though if I may ask, just to be sure I am getting what you meant, do you mean in the first sentence here that written descriptions conform to the artist depictions, so neither are very reliable, or (as I think you intended), while artistic depictions are not very reliable, written depictions tend to be?A.E.M. Baumannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01645522810843138721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3409762275555781626.post-11713616237762596202018-01-20T17:17:50.613-08:002018-01-20T17:17:50.613-08:00Contemporary artists' depictions of women play...Contemporary artists' depictions of women playing virginals are not completely reliable as to the position of the players' hands but on the whole conform to written descriptions. On Renaissance keyboard instruments the thumb was not (or rarely) used, unlike later techniques where the use of the thumb necessitates the hand to be curved and the fingerTIPS to come into contact with the keys. In the earlier technique the fingers were less curved and more of the surface of the fingers came into contact with the keys, which in any case were shorter than the keys of modern keyboards.corc1130https://www.blogger.com/profile/06331358932073419476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3409762275555781626.post-510820942496604372018-01-20T17:07:40.750-08:002018-01-20T17:07:40.750-08:00Unlike harpsichord or piano the inner workings of ...<br />Unlike harpsichord or piano the inner workings of virginals in S's day was quite visible despite the railing above the jacks, primarily b/c the lid of the box-shaped instrument is completely raised during playing. corc1130https://www.blogger.com/profile/06331358932073419476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3409762275555781626.post-72659204996705793312015-04-13T17:16:30.640-07:002015-04-13T17:16:30.640-07:00An excellent piece of information! My thanks for t...An excellent piece of information! My thanks for that.A.E.M. Baumannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01645522810843138721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3409762275555781626.post-12804169662144597472015-04-11T16:53:28.647-07:002015-04-11T16:53:28.647-07:00Thank you for this thoughtful essay!
Has no one w...Thank you for this thoughtful essay!<br /><br />Has no one who knows about harpsichords ever written about this sonnet? The jacks are normally covered by a *jack rail*, which keeps them from popping up so high they get stuck and can't come back down again. During most playing, the jack rail stays on, but in Shakespeare's day players frequently had to replace a broken quill plectrum, which necessitated taking the jack rail off. At such times it is quite feasible to use your palm instead as a temporary way to restrain the jacks. So at least at certain moments, the jacks probably really did "kiss the tender inward" of the Dark Lady's hand. I find this a marvelous image and feel that Sonnet 128 is underrated.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com