Anthony Hind
Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:57:34 -0800
Dear all, There are new photos of unrestored lutes on Mimmo Peruffo's site at http://www.aquilacorde.com/lutes.htm MP says "On a modern lute completely strung with gut at 3.0 Kg tension per string (1-3 courses + octaves plain gut; 4-5 courses Venices; 6-11 basses loaded gut strings) the best performance was achivied when playing closer to the bridge and with the thumb out; as suggested by old lute treatises, and some paintings " The example he chooses is Charles Mouton, so we can compare with the rh position that Rob has also adopted; Rob: http://tinyurl.com/2dlsa3 Charles: http://tinyurl.com/yvlvvq Detail of Charles on MP's site: http://www.aquilacorde.com/mouton5.jpg But more conclusive are actual finger marks on the lute's belly in these unrestored lutes. "the finger- marks that are on some original d- minor 11 course lutes (that had never been restored) of the Kremsm=C31/4nster (Austria):" There are now four photos of unrestored lutes on Mimmo Peruffo's site. They all show the little finger of the rh, near the bridge, which implies thumb out. The first is the Hans Frei in Bologna; Matthias Fux/R=C3=B6m 1683' http://www.aquilacorde.com/kremsmuenster1.JPG The second is a 'Magno dieffopruchar a venetia/1604 Matthias Fux/ R=C3=B6m. Kays. May- / Hoff-Lautenmacher in Wien 1685/ zuegericht' http://www.aquilacorde.com/kremsmuenster2.JPG The third has no label http://www.aquilacorde.com/kremsmuenster3.JPG The fourth is 'Jakob Wei=CE'/Lauthen-und Gei-/17 genmacher in Saltzburg'. 13 course lute with broken bass rider http://www.aquilacorde.com/kremsmuenster4.JPG I have to say that I have been concentrating on Renaissance technique these last few years, so I rather wish this thumb out technique was not so clearly necessary for 11c Baroque. I always beieved there were only two extant Frei lutes, so this comes as a surprise. We can note the lace surrounding the soundboard, as on Mouton's lute. Regards Anthony -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
