This easy-to-read modern tablature should be completely faithful to Francois Campion's original tablature. Let me know of any errors you find. Donald Sauter.

Back to the main page for Francois Campion, with an index of his works for the Baroque guitar in alternate tunings.
When you need a break from the guitar, please consider my page of Scrabble II for word lovers!


Short ID:  FC36.
Title:     Prelude.
Composer:  Francois Campion.
Source:    Nouvelles decouvertes sur la Guitarre.
           Page 19.
Date:      1705.
Facsimile: Minkoff (1977), page 43.

Tuning:    Bb D G C F (tuning 1).
Time sig:  C.

Fixes and modifications and comments (M=measure r=rhythm s=string): 
  M10r4s2 original looks like fret c (=2) corrected to e (=4). Fret 4 presumed 
    correct here.
  M11 original showed 6 beats and is copied here without modification.

Tablature elements to be added by hand:
  Slurs. If only a starting point is given, slur includes all the following 
  uninterrupted notes on the same string.
    M11 r3-5s1, r7-8s1, r8-10s1, r10-12s1 (last 3 slurs connect), r13s2, 
        r17-18s3.
  Take a moment to fill out the 16th-note beams.

Strums: Arrowheads ^ and v indicate strums. Open strings in strummed chords 
  were not shown in the tablature; add as many open strings as sound good. 
  Take a moment to re-draw the ^ arrowhead right at the top of the associated 
  stem.

Explanation of symbols: 
  " = trill (starting on upper neighbor). 
  , = mordent. (None in this piece.)

Octave doublings: To keep certain musical lines intact on the modern guitar, 
  consider adding or substituting the next octave up. For example, see:
  m2r5 and m11r16.

Performance suggestion: straight 8ths, played very freely.

Leading measures in Campion's original tablature:
  1 5 9. Last measure is 12.


*** Download and edit out all material above and below the tablature.
*** See my printing tips in the page, "General comments on the tablature."
*** Print out starting with the title line below.


                                   Prelude.                                 FC36: Page 1 of 1.
  Bb D G C F (tuning 1).  Leading measures: 1 7 11.                          Francois Campion.

   __  ^  __ ___ ___  ___ ___ ___ ___  ___ ___ ___ ___  ___ ___ ___ ___  ___ ___ ___ ___  ___   
    |  |.  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | |   
____v___________________________________________________________________________________________
_____|_____2________|_______0________|_______0___2___7|___4___5___2___4|___0___0________|_______
_____|_________0___0|_____0_____2___0|___4_________0__|________________|___________4___4|___2___
____2|______________|___2_________2__|_0______________|________________|_____0__________|_3_____
____3|_______2______|_3______________|_____3___2______|_3___0___2______|_0___________3__|_______
____2|___________0__|_________0______|________________|_____________2__|_________2______|_______
_____|______________|________________|________________|________________|________________|_______

 ___ ___ ___  ___ ___ ___ ___  ___ ___ ___ ___  ___ ___ ___ ___    _______    _______ _______   
 | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | |-|-|-|  | |-|-|-| |-|-|-|   
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________2|___0___________2|_____________0_4|_____5_______0__|_____0_2_4_"2_2_0_2_4_2_0_______
___2___1____|_____0_2___2____|___4_______0____|___2___4___0___0|_2_4________0_____________4_2___
_____2______|_____________0__|_________2______|_________2______|________________________________
_2_______2__|_0______________|________________|________________|________________________________
____________|_________1______|_2___0_2________|_0______________|_0______________________________
____________|________________|________________|________________|________________________________

 _______  ^                                                                                     
 |-|-|-|  | | | |                                                                               
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________|_________||____________________________________________________________________________
_0______|_________||____________________________________________________________________________
_____2_0|_2_______||____________________________________________________________________________
________|_3_______||____________________________________________________________________________
___0____|_2_______||____________________________________________________________________________
________|_________||____________________________________________________________________________