[Schlumberger 1525/32]

"Jo. Schlumberger. Cythare germanice tabulature."

This book was once in the collection of Ferdinand Columbus, son of the explorer Christopher. Ferdinand purchased it around 1536, when both title and author cards were made, but there is no further record of its existence. Unfortunately, the title card lists the date as 1532, while the author card has 1525. Since the latter is just a cross reference, perhaps the date on the card with the most information is the more likely (1532).

Another issue involving this lost work is the instrument for which it was intended. "Cythare" could be a general term for any instrument of the lute family, but Tyler (see the bibliography below) is convinced that it would have been for the cittern. If so, it precedes by at least two decades the earliest extant cittern tablature.

Chapman, Catherine Weeks. "Printed Collections of Polyphonic Music Owned by Ferdinand Columbus." Journal of the American Musicological Society XXI (Spring 1968): pp. 34-84.

Tyler, James. "A Checklist for the Cittern." Early Music 2 (1974): pp. 25-29.

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