[LUTE] Re: cleaning
In a message dated 11/2/2006 3:27:29 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: from Kenneth Be, a conservator at the Cleveland Museum of Fine Arts. They actually use spit to clean the grime of centuries from paintings by the old masters. So he If you eat some licorice before you can make a lot of Rembrandts this way ;-)) BH Of course, there is always the brand Rembrandt toothpaste, but (seriously now) I wouldn't recommend having any residual toothpaste before spit cleaning (microabrasives, whiteners, flouride?) Actually, it isn't a bad idea to clean thoroughly (your mouth that is) and then rinse very very thoroughly! (never thought I'd be contributing dental hygene tips on the Lute List...) - Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Frei body renaissance lute
In a message dated 10/27/2006 6:03:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, anthony.hi [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Jacob Heringman who plays with gut on recordings told me that he prefered 64 or 67 or 71 lengths for better range of tone. He said that, On the Pickeringe, some of the pieces are on a 64-cm lute, and some on a 58-cm lute. And on the Siena, I play four lutes: 2 at 60 cm, 1 at 59, and 1 at 70. Anthony He also told me once that, for him, the longer string lengths allow for the finger positions to stretch out more, actually making it more comfortable to play difficult complex fingerings on pieces where the left hand fingers cramp in a smaller area of the fingerboard. I think he was referring to this when I asked him about his Josquin intabulations recording and choice of lutes. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Buying a Lute
I would recommend staying away from a descant lute as a first instrument. This lute is best when played in an ensemble with other lutes of varying sizes and pitches. My opinion: go for the 6 course Duiffopruchar model! You will be able to play most of the renaissance lute repertoire on this lute and it is a good size to start with , fitting well to the average person's hand and arm size. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: 1528-36 pieces
If the doors of the tower slammed shut in 1536, then Casteliono book of tablatures published in Milan would be appropriate. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: OT: list of visual artists also active as professional or com...
Vasari also mentions Sebastiano del Piombo as an artist who should have devoted more time to his art and less to the lute. Thomas Gainsborough sought out lessons on the 13c lute from Rudolphe Straube. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Instruments in the cooler?
In a message dated 8/24/2006 5:09:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: this time the x-ray lady saw the big nail inside the lute. :-))) This same thing happened to me last year at an airport. The security officials were grouped and conferring around the x-ray monitor looking at the big screw in the neck block. For a moment I was worried that they would only allow the lute onboard if I removed the screw from it! Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Instruments in the cooler?
In a message dated 8/23/2006 8:27:02 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The temperature and pressure problems are greatly exaggerated in the popular imagination. -- Howard: I recall you having the best travel system for transporting lutes as checked luggage: a sizeable metal chest with an excellent cushioning arrangement to fit in more than one lute. Truly a cool lute cooler! Yes you are right. The temperature and pressure in the cargo hold isn't too different than in the passenger cabin. The problem for wooden instruments is the very low relative humidity throughout the plane on long flights, so it is important to seal the lute in a plastic bag before placing it in the case. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Dowland dated
In a message dated 8/19/2006 10:52:42 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Did somebody ever try to date the music by Dowland, or at least make an attempt at an order of composition? --- Paul O'Dette made a rough attempt to make an approximate order. He made a handout of his chronological version at the LSA lutefestival in Columbus around 1998 or so. I think his Dowland CD's follow the same chronology, especially volumes 1-3. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: 8-course lute literature?
In a message dated 8/17/2006 4:38:07 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Dear all, as an amateur lute player studying in Italy I tend to spend most of my time playing Italian lute music from the XVI century. Well, I guess this happens to everybody, anyway... ;-) I own a splendid 8-course lute made by Stephen Barber and Sandi Harris and suddenly started wondering why I *ever* bought an 8 course lute. In fact, I either stumble on pure 6-course lute tablatures or on a Baroque repertoire written evidently for a 10-course lute. I would be very, very, *very* grateful if you could post me some indication regarding 8-course lute music pieces to avoid selling my lute to finally get a 6-course... Thank you in advance, Luca Luca: It is fine to play 6-course tablature repertoire on a 7 or 8 course lute. The earliest source of lute music from Italy is the manuscript in Pesaro from around 1480 to 1495 and it contains a piece or two requiring a 7th course (D)! And the famous Siena Lutebook with mostly 6 course repertoire was compiled during the second half of the 16th C. and contains some works requiring a 7th course. For 7 or 8 courses in Italian repertoire: in addition to Molinaro and the Raimondi manuscript, you can find nice pieces to play by Terzi (1593 and 1599), some works by Kapsberger from 1611 are playable, as well as Piccinini (1623 and 1640). Also Giulio Cesare Barbetta and Santini Garsi di Parma. All of the dance repertoire is nice, too, and you can always add extra basses in yourself: Negri and Caroso. There are also plenty of Italian-based composers to be found in Dowland's Varietie of Lute Lessons 1610 and in Besarde's Thesaurus Harmonicus, as well as the Lord Herbert of Cherbury Lutebook (not available as an edition). I recommend the Lyre Music Publications anthologies of The Art of the Lute in Renaissance Italy (three volumes covering Intabluations, Dances, and Fantasia) to have much of this repertoire bound in convenient editions that fit well on the music stand. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: 8-course lute literature?
The music of Laurencini di Roma is another high point of 7 - 8 course Italian repertoire. Much of his music is in Besarde's Thesaurus Harmonicus, but there is a good modern edition of his music published by the Lute Society: Thirty Pieces for the Lute by Laurencini edited by Tim Crawford. Fantasies and other pieces by one of the leading Italian virtuosi of Dowland=E2=80's time, in French tablature, for 6 to 9-course lutes, 32 pages. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Strings for chittarone
In a message dated 8/5/2006 9:33:08 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have a gig coming, on vihuela, and the weather here is so humid, decided to try nylgut on that instrument, so I put those strings on last night. It sounds terrible in nylgut, so I will re-apply the gut, and suffer tuning problems. I cannot accept bad sound, just because it is in tune. Last night I performed in a little concert using my nylgut strung 10 course lute under conditions which were not excessively humid and was surprised to find that I had great difficulty keeping this lute in tune, compared to the gut strung lutes which I normally play on. Not only this, but I find I can tune gut strung lutes with greater ease and more quickly than lutes strung with nylgut. Yes, gut is the way to go! Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Origami lutenist
In addition to loving the lute, I am a great fan and admirer of origami and want to share this with the list: _http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/_ (http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/) Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Origami lutenist
I post this again more clearly: http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/ (http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/) -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Vihuela vs. Renaissance lute for a beginning lute student
The most important difference for the musician is more in timbre. The vihuela has a more throaty direct, slightly shallower sound and the lute is a rounder, more enveloping sound. Also, if you tune most of the courses in unisons on the vihuela, as opposed to the lute, it makes a different experience in playing the same pieces as you would on the lute. I agree with Ed that you can easily transfer exactly the same right hand technique from the lute to the vihuela. To me, both instruments are beautiful to listen to and play, so I have a hard time deciding between one or the other. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Hollar etching was: lute straps
To all: I had sent to a few members of this list a scanned image of a very interesting 17th C. print etching by the artist Wenceslaus Hollar, a Bohemian artist who worked in London, of a young lutenist sitting very upright holding a double headed lute which is attached by either a single chord passing through two buttons on his jacket, or else two separate chords attached to his buttons. If anyone else would like to see the print, please email me and I will send you the image file. Please specify whether you wish to have a lower resolution (120kb) or higher resolution scan (750kb). Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: HBO Movie Elizabeth I
I recall from a conversation with Hogwood many years ago that he told me that when Munrow was working with the producers of The Six Wives of Henry VIII and told to come up with appropriate soundtrack music, he of course turned to the consort books of pieces attributed to Henry VIII himself, but then they sounded so odd to the producers that they asked him to find something more acceptable to the TV audience. They settled on pieces by Susato instead! Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: pearls falling onto a jade plate
In a message dated 4/7/2006 9:38:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: would anyone care to wax lyrical over the sound of a lute? --- on Francesco da Milano: they remained deprived of all senses save that of hearing, as if the spirit, having abandoned all the seats of the senses, had retired to the ears in order to enjoy the more at its ease so ravishing a harmony; and I believe (said M. de Ventemille) that we would be there still, had he not himself - I know not how - changing his style of playing with a gentle force, returned the spirit and the senses to the place from which he had stolen them, not without leaving as much astonishment in each of us as if we had been elevated by an ecstatic transport of some divine frenzy... Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: pearls falling onto a jade plate
In a message dated 4/7/2006 9:38:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: in this week's economist (apr 1-7) there's an article on a pipa player - wu man, by name - in which the sound of her instrument is likened to pearls falling onto a jade plate. would anyone care to wax lyrical over the sound of a lute? And, speaking of pearls: (from Mary Burwell lute tutor) The Lute is, without Contradiction, the King of instruments... [It] is a Closett Instrument that will suffer the company of but few hearers and such as have a delicate Eare, for the pearles are not to be cast before the Swine; as I answered once to a Gentlewoaman that told me that the Lute was a heavy Musick. I answered that her Eare was heavy and that a Violin was most fitt for her. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: MShepherd
In a message dated 4/3/2006 4:43:36 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Does somebody know what happened to Martin Shepherd's homepage http://www.luteshop.co.uk ? I just called Martin on the phone yesterday to tell him that both his website and his email are not working. He now knows it and is working on getting back online soon. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: righthand technique - plectrum and lute
In a message dated 3/19/2006 10:07:48 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: apart from the article by joseph baldassare, mentioned earlier, is there any early european documentation relating to how the lute was played prior to the advent of thumb over plucking and strumming: instructions for making plectrum; hand positions, etc.? Here is the text from the last part of the chapter by Vladimir Ivanoff on the Pesaro ms. in Performance Practice on Lute, Guitar, and Vihuela (edited by Victor Coehlo) pp14-15: PLAYING THE CORRECT INSTRUMENT The pieces in Tablature A call for a six-course lute in relative A-tuning. The left-hand fingering of some of the larger chords can be comfortably executed on a lute with a rather short string length (approximately 50=E2=805 cm between bridge and nut). Unfortunately, there is only one extant lute from the first third of the sixteenth century that has come down to us in a presumably original state. This lute was most probably built in Venice and was in the collection of Laurence C. Witten II that is now at the Shrine to Music collection in South Dakota. Friedemann Hellwig has dated this instrument to shortly after 1500.37 Other than the fact that the instrument has only five courses, it is perfectly suited to play the pieces in Tablature A. It has a string length of 50 cm and the ribs are made from ivory. The distance between the lowest and highest strings is 2.6 cm at the nut and 6.8 cm at the bridge. The wide distance between the courses at the bridge is an advantage for plectrum technique, while the narrow span at the nut allows the use of the left-hand thumb for fingering; this technique furthermore makes the fingering of the widely stretched five- and six-note chords in Tablature A a bit easier. In the absence of any relevant European descriptions, information concerning the appropriate lute plectrum is offered by the partly still-living tradition employed by al- 'ud players in the Islamic world. According to tradition, the 'ud player Ziryab (d. 852), introduced a new type of plectrum (midrab al-'ud) made from an eagle's feather. This type of plectrum is still made in the following way: the upper (softer) end of the feather is spliced with a sharp knife to a length of about 8-10 cm; the surface of one half of the spliced piece is then smoothed and cleaned from the spongy substance in the interior part; finally, the tip of the plectrum is rounded and smoothed again. 37 Friedemann Hellwig, 'Lutemaking in the late 15th and 16th Century', LSJ16 (1974), pp. 24-38. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Tinctoris
In a message dated 3/12/2006 6:42:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've often heard that those glued-on high frets are a modern invention. Is that still the prevailing theory? Hello Sean: Yes, I heard a lecture at Lute Society in Feb2002 by Tony Bailes and he said that glued on body frets were not added by makers until maybe the late 17th C. John Johnson, however, was known to have added body frets to his lute. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Tinctoris
In a message dated 3/18/2006 12:31:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: --- Stuart Walsh [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: those very high passages in Spinacino would suddenly go into oud mode? disaster! would sound like the instrument had suddenly lost its voice. even with tie-on frets, plucking an oud produces a mediocre sound - nothing as rich and resonate as when picked. without plectrum, those very early, oudy looking lutes - fret-less or otherwise - must have sounded pretty piano. if tie-on frets were preferred to fixed because they offered variable intonation, presumably, the little stack of frets glued to the face could sometimes be at odds with preceding notes. - bill --- To Bill and Stuart: Actually, this brings up an interesting point. I had my six course lute made by Grant Tomlinson intentionally leaving off the body frets. Very quickly I have become used to fingering the notes by the sense of the location for finger placement (and intonation by ear). By angling my fingertips as perpendicular as possible and also sharply plucking the string closer to the bridge, it is capable of a quite a nice and loud sound production. The difference in sound between fretless on the soundboard and the tied frets (it goes up to the eighth fret on my lute, although one of my other six course lutes has nine tied frets) is quite attractive once you get used to it (for ex. in the Dalza pavana alla venetiana in G major when the melody leaps up an octave you suddenly have to have to land on the invisible fret 12 and it is exciting for both the player and the audience, too). I had my lute radiographed at the neck join area and discovered that a short vertical bar is glued under the soundboard where these notes are fingered. This explains, too, why my lute is loud in this range. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Tinctoris
In a message dated 3/18/2006 2:35:52 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: aren't there chord shapes up there in early books that request L's and K's? For these I wonder if there were bass or long tenor lutes that had, say, 10 frets on the neck. The longer string length would give more room for finger placement as well as more bass notes for general use. -- Hello Sean: If you loosen your grip with your thumb or even release it altogether from the back of the neck you can go anywhere with your fingers down the string. (like modern day cellists). Yes, it is true that you can play in (or out of) tune without the frets, just using your aural sense of pitch. Interestingly, it has been proposed that the lute depicted in the Lorenzo Costa Concert painting in the London National Gallery has body fret positions merely inlaid as markers and as decorations, so strong was the tradition and preference to finger the notes directly on the soundboard. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Your advice, please ...
In a message dated 3/3/2006 2:33:58 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: what would you suggest as a book (a reference, more than one if you like, but in English) about the history of the lute literature? - For sure, I would recommend Douglas Alton Smith's A History of the Lute from Antiquity to the Renaissance, published by the Lute Society of America: _http://www.mclasen.com/LuteHistory/_ (http://www.mclasen.com/LuteHistory/) - Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: A different 6 course question
In a message dated 2/20/2006 11:15:03 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've been away all weekend and have just caught up on the six course discussion. Since we're on this topic I'd like to ask if anyone prefers a six course with a wider neck. I have one of Dan Larson's Ricercare six course lutes. It's a lovely instrument with good sound and response. However I find that I often am hitting the strings in the next course lower course when playing. I have thought it was because the neck very narrow nearer the pegbox and of course I've also thought it might simply be my playing technique. But I got to comparing it to my guitars and wondering if perhaps the neck couldn't be made a tad wider, say half an inch, to alleviate this problem. Then I began to wonder if others ran across this problem and what you did about it. So then, have any of you players wanted a wider necked six course lute? Have any of your luthiers made a wider necked six course lute? How did it work out? Did it accomplish what you (and I) hoped it would? I have always found the narrower neck by the pegbox end to be an advantage when playing six course repertoire. Often very difficult and complex fingerings have to be managed, such as some of the fantasias of Bakfark, and I find it much easier on the six course lute because of both its narrower left hand spacing and also the rounded half circle cross section shape of the neck. I play with my thumb coming to a rest on the upper side of the neck reverse. Of course, one can always determine the spacing on the left hand when the lute is being made or, if possible, by changing the groove spacings on the nut. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: 6 course
For me, it is so much in the quality of the way the six course lute responds, with a simpler bar pattern in the soundboard, a less complicated sound with more emphasis on the fundamental, less in the higher frequencies, and a good volume balance between all the courses, that seem on equal terms in volume and ability to articulate the bass, treble and all the range in between. Using octaves down to the 4th course also helps. I find it much more straightforward to phrase the repertoire for six course ON a six course. In the same way, I find it much easier to articulate the repertoire for the 11 course lute on the 11 course, rather than a 13 course. Kenneth Be In a message dated 2/18/2006 4:40:22 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: On Feb 18, 2006, at 1:15 PM, Daniel Shoskes wrote: So, I'm glad that people who have 6 course lutes are thrilled with their instruments. What I don't fully understand is why the 6 course literature is so much easier to play on a 6 course lute. I have an 8 course that I love: great sound, fits my hands well, guitarists look at it and are freaked out by how many strings there are (until I bring out my 13 course!). My only difficulty in playing early 6 course music is some of the left hand stretches. But wouldn't the solution to that problem be a shorter string length rather than fewer courses? What are the other advantages people find from their 6 course lutes that is missing from their 8 course lutes (of equal quality)? DS -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: POD on iTunes
Yes .iPO'D! Kenneth n a message dated 1/31/2006 5:51:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Gives a whole new meaning to the word iPOD. David For fans of both O'Dette and iTunes, I notice that they have just added 16 POD albums (Harmonia Mundi) to the iTunes store. Of course, most readers of this list probably own them already. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Casanova
I stayed through to the end of the credits and saw that the brief track of a Dalza recercar was from the Early Venetian Naxos CD of Chris Wilson. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Ownership
As for me... lutes: 5 course plectrum (Brown) 6 course (Tomlinson) 6 course (Nurse) 6 course alto (Greenhood) 7 course (Bowers) 10 course (Brown) 11 course (Tomlinson) 14 course archlute (from kit) others: 4 course gitarra latina 4 course ren. guitar 5 course bar. guitar 7 course vihuela cittern two early harps Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Built-in action? Double frets
I have played a six course lute double-fretted, single strand of fret going around the neck twice, with the fretting carefully selected and tied by the lute's maker Ray Nurse, for many years. The gut frets, with all gut strings on the lute, has lasted so well that I have only had to have the instrument refretted once in 12 years of continuous use of the lute. The very slight and gentle fizz on the sound of the fretted notes is attractive to me and characteristic of the sound of this lute. I think Capirola even refers to this effect in his instructions. The key thing seems to be to have a very low action, a low nut, and very thin diameters for the double frets. They grade minimally from down the neck. Double fretting is frequent in depictions in paintings and prints throughout the sixteenth century and well into the seventeenth century. It even occurs in Laurent de la Hyre's Allegory of Music (Metropolitan Museum of Art) theorbe player. I also enjoy single frets which I have on my other two six course lutes. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Mudarra's bordon
In a message dated 5/27/2005 7:10:12 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't know whether any 16th century lute music involves tuning the 6th course down a tone. Perhaps someone on the list can tell us. Plenty of examples, the earliest being several piece in the Capirola lute book. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: lute outreach -tuning..
Let me tell about some interesting lute outreach during which I definitely could NOT keep my gut strings in tune. Several months ago I was crossing over the Atlantic in a B747 cargo jet and couldn't resist giving my first-ever lute outreach performance over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to my fellow passenger/couriers. I played familiar simple tunes like Greensleeves, but eventually gave up because it was impossible to keep the strings tuned in the super-dry air cabin environment, not to mention the competition with the noise from the jet engines! However, at close range my listeners could at least appreciate hearing and seeing a lute for the first time. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Lute Happenings in Rome Italy
Steven: Definitely go to the musical instrument museum (check the hours very carefully first) where they seemed to have no problem with me taking pictures with my digital camera two years ago. Plenty of early plucked instruments there, including the famous Barberini Harp which also depicted in a painting in the Palazzo Barberini. Apart from whatever instruments are on view, or concerts to attend, the best things about traveling to places like Rome is to get a sense of the rooms where musical performances may have likely taken place. I always clap my hands lightly one time in each such room to get a sense of the accoustics. Note the size, the ceiling heights, the decor, etc, to get a sense of the architectural context for original performance settings. Furthermore, the chance to see architecture, sculpture, and paintings in the original environments of Francesco da Milano (I imagine he must have played in Pope Paul III's apartments in the Castel S. Angelo, for example) and Kapsberger is an opportunity not to pass up! Buon viaggio! Kenneth -Original Message- From: - - [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:06:13 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Lute Happenings in Rome Italy Hello, I'm going to be in Rome the first week of May and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what I can do lute related in Rome? Museums with original instruments, luthiers, concerts, etc. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks, Steven To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
Re: lute outreach -tuning..
I know that Mike Peterson and also Ronn McFarlane regularly play lute in airport departure lounges while waiting for their flights. I myself once took out my lute and played during a long and unexpected flight delay in Toronto. I was playing through a book of English popular tunes and suddenly found it humorous to be playing Loth to Depart - it was a new spin on flight delays! Several people, including otherwise bored stewardesses and pilots, stopped by to see what I was playing and asked questions. I overheard one captain exclaim to his co-pilot that's a lute! as they walked by! Kenneth -Original Message- From: Arto Wikla [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Edward Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 22:27:00 +0300 (EEST) Subject: Re: lute outreach -tuning.. Dear all Ed wrote: I have wondered if anyone had ever taken a lute out in flight played for passengers! Good show, Kenneth! Well, not in aeroplane, but a couple of times in train, 10-course and theorbo. Both got good comments, and especially the theorbo aroused lots of interest... And of course they asked the normal questions: How many strings, what does it cost... ;-) Once I had the theorbo sitting on the next seat in an aeroplane, in its case, and they asked what it would like to eat and drink... ;) Arto -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: lute outreach
Michael et al: Roman's website has an extensive section on the history of the Ukrainian torban and examples in museums today. He mentioned that many more recently discovered examples will soon be posted to the site as well. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Blind players and memory
Per all the discussion about playing from memory, I want to mention and highly recommend to anyone in New York City to try to get to the following concert of Matthew Wadsworth, who is both blind and plays programs and vast amounts of repertoire from memory. There is a possibility, too, that he might be teaching a class on the art of playing from memory at the LSA Lute Festival 2006. For the sight impaired lutenists, Matthew has developed a Braille software tablature program. April 13, solo program of Kapsberger free concert at 1:15PM St. Francis of Assisi Church 135 West 31st Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues) http://www.midtownconcerts.org/MidTownIndex.html and then on April 15: Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York: solo concert in the Patrons' Lounge - extracts from 14 Silver Strings - with David McGuinness (harpsichord) http://www.matthewwadsworth.com/diary.htm - Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
lute outreach
Dear folks: I've had a delightful weekend with an out of town visitor here to Cleveland, yes the very Roman Turovsky has been here to present some music to the Ukrainian cultural community played on the 13 course. Yesterday I assisted a little in playing some examples of 6 course and also 11 course repertoire in a brief lecture he gave to a class of banduria students, a discussion which touched as well on the torban. This certainly has peaked my own interest in the fascinating and often-neglected part of musical history! Roman also played some arrangements of Ukrainian folksongs on the 13 course, which I must say is a very suitable instrument for the haunting melodies. To top it off there was an amazing solo vocal performance given last night by Mariana Sadowska of Ukrainian songs she learned from women in small villages during her travels, given inside the setting of a a former Ukrainian church on the west side of Cleveland's downtown. I would be interested to hear about any other interesting lute outreach that others have been doing. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Strap Buttons
Even before you set a strap button into your lute (it is strong enough because there is a wooden reinforcement at that end where all the ribs come together, plus the capping strip on the outside) you might consider any number of material or cushions to help hold your lute in place and grip it: chamois cloth, leather, under-rug foam cushions, neoprene. If that doesn't work, then the strap might the best option. Kenneth -Original Message- From: Ramon Marco de Sevilla [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 12:50:17 -0700 Subject: Strap Buttons Are lutes built strongly enough to handle strap buttons? I have a hard time keeping my lute stable on my lap and am thinking a strap may help (or velcro!). Thanks! Rob To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
Re: Montagna's lutes
Sean: About the lutes depicted in http://www.xs4all.nl/~amarin/Page1-Pages/Image198.html I know for a fact that Ed Greenhood has been making a lute of almost this exact same body design. It occurs also in a painting by Bartolomeo Veneto (on cover of Diana Poulton's Collected Works of Dowland edition) which was the basis for Ed's mold for the body and design of the lute's front. It has an extraordinary sound, very punchy in the melody lines, but also substantial in the mid tones and bass production.Ed's lute uses a longer neck proportionally, with 10 frets on the neck. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Broken Consort
Thomas: This semester Case Western Reserve University here in Cleveland is performing all known music connected with Lord Hayes 1607 masque, directed by David Douglass. I'm playing cittern in the broken consort, although only two works exist originally as broken consort settings (Richard Allison and Phillip Rosseter). The rest is all four or five part instrumental repertoire and we simply make up our own parts. In some parts of the performance the broken consort will accompany other groups like the violin band or recorder quintet or in the tutti sections. The point is, although the amount of actual broken consort literature for violin, flute, viol, bandora, cittern and lute is limited in modern publication and original sources (incomplete or missing parts sometimes), there is plenty of music to arrange once you're familiar with the conventions. The Baltimore Consort, for example, has an almost limitless repertoire for broken consort, even trespassing into Irish and Appalachian! Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Sacred music for baroque lute /Melk
In a message dated 2/27/2005 12:50:23 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: There is a chapel inside the Palace of Queluz, 5 km from Lisboa, with a sort of upper chamber with a beautiful baroque hole with a golden grid, as far as I remember . Musicians used to play upstairs and the royals sat below the hole. Scarlatti played there and the chapel was open for the Mass to the people of the village ( I can't see how, because it's quite small, but the notes I read there said so, maybe they just left the door towards the yard open). They also used to celebrate royal marriages there, if my memory about what I read is not mistaken. Of course it's quite difficult to find this chapel mentioned on a tourist guide, they just mention the gardens, Versailles-like and the mirror room. Should you adventure there, just sit and listen, that's what I did, and the music seemed to be still there. You come to the chapel through a small corridor, considering the palace, and this baroque feast is in front of your eyes. There are also some big windows above, which open on the corridor (and on the yard), as far as I remember, so that the music was probably brought to the nearby room as from a resonance chanber ( is my English correct?) . The room must be like a big instrument itself . And for the Middle Ages, there is a 13th C. castle in the eastern part of Germany in Neuberg in Sachsen with a similar configuration. Musicians playing in the chapel can be heard through a grid in the floor of a circular room above (or the other way around). I heard a solo concert performed by Crawford Young there several years ago, a magical experience in candlelight at midnight. The opening chapter of the book called Music and Silence by Rose Tremaine fictitiously describes a similar situation in the court of Denmark in the early 17th C. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: universal music data exchange format
In a message dated 2/18/2005 2:03:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Just to set the record straight, my tab format was designed to be e-mailable. This was in the days when there was no internet (just a limited arpanet) and mail was sent from computer to computer via telephones, and mailing binaries was frowned upon. Back when there were as many macs as windows boxes, and lots of versions of unix (no linux!) and even VMS. (Boy, does that make me feel old!) Maybe an interesting idea to share, but I have intabulated lute music using Wayne's TAB format with my PDA and folding keyboard on airplane trays on transatlantic flights. Very simple and functional, therefore. Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: AR e-mail?
[EMAIL PROTECTED] - Kenneth -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: dry gut
In a message dated 1/1/2005 10:46:26 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: how about lanolin, olive-oil or even (gak!) lard? I have heard that Hopkinson Smith uses lanolin oil on overspun bass strings to get a more gut-like sound. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: dry gut
To Rob: The Mary Burwell Lute Tutor recommends soaking the gut strings in sweet almond oil. I have used almond oil myself and noticed that it also makes them more stable against damp humid conditions. Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
lute tablatures online
Has anyone compiled a complete, up-to-date listing of all known websites with lute tablature music online for download? This would be very useful. Recently, as the Biber query responses have shown, there have been several excellent sites announced. I am grateful to all those who have put energy and effort into making their versions of tablature easily available! Kenneth Be -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
re: Bakfark
Many thanks to all who responded to my question. Since the time I posted my query about early quotes on Bakfark I made a trip to Poland (Warsaw and Krakow) this past weekend and even performed a lute recital at the Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawa and enjoyed including Bakfark in the program. I left it up to my translating host to tell the audience in Polish about the quotes from the 16th C. poet Kochanowski and I still don't know exactly what she told the audience, but they did seem to enjoy what was said! I performed Fantasia I and Czarna Krowa, in addition to another Polish piece. The first part of the program was early Venetian lute music. I hope to come back and perform more lute programs there at some future point. Regards, Kenneth Be To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Bakfark
There is a quote that goes something like: nobody should play the lute after Bakfark Can someone tell me 1) the source of this quote 2) the interpretation: does it mean that that Bakfark had no equal and that his skill couldn't be matched by anyone else? or does it mean that no one could match the WAY Bakfark played the lute (his performance style, for example)? Thanks, Kenneth
new Ronn McFarlane website
To all: Please check out Ronn McFarlane's new website! www.ronnmcfarlane.com There are some nice images and quotations, a complete list of his recordings, his concert appearances schedule, a bit about his teaching and his personal views on playing the lute. All of his new articles on The Art and Science of Playing the Lute are online, too, and downloadable and more will be added regularly as he writes more. I especially recommend going straight to Original Compositions and clicking on the music files (three of them: Dowland's Midnight, Denali, and Cathedral Cave), so you will have some nice background music to listen to while you explore this new site. Enjoy, Kenneth Be [artistic agent representing Ronn McFarlane]
LuteFest 2004: final note!
Please note the following note made about registration on the LuteFest 2004=20 webpage (@ www.lutesocietyofamerica.org). If you wish, you may visit our secure registration site ...until 23 June=20 only). Late registrations will still be accepted on site at CWRU in Cleveland. =A0C= ome=20 to Wade Commons (Juniper Rd. and 115th St.) between noon and 2:30 PM on=20 Sunday, 27 June, to sign in. =A0No one will be turned away! For those interested in just seeing the schedule of concerts, it is=20 downloadable on the website, too. =20 Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: Heringman CD
Dear Art and everyone else: FYI, Jacob is bringing at least 50 copies for sale to the Lute Festival! Kenneth
Re: _L_ute (on topic)
Ooops! I typed L by accident! Oh well, at least I'm back ON topic Kenneth Be
Re: Mute (Re: Off topic)
In a message dated 5/31/04 7:20:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: There is an old Corsican saying: Keep you mouth shut, and Flies won't nest there. And the saying You have two ears and one mouth, therefore you should listen twice as much as you speak can also translate into two eyes and one mouth for the internet. In any case, I enjoy getting reading some points of view (on lute matters) and learning new information on repertoire and sources and interpretation - even if I have to skim the huge flood of messages for just a few postings of current interest to me. I've stayed on this list long enough to know that, given some time, the interesting threads come back. Plus, I don't necessarily have to open up and read every messsage on the list! not leaving here, Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: LSA and current airline policy
In a message dated 5/27/04 10:37:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: With the imminent convergence of lutes on Cleveland, I was wondering what the current practices were for flying with lutes--especially if anyone has been on Continental Airlines. With Cleveland being one of Continental's hub airports, I tend to fly Continental more than any other airline, plus I ALWAYS travel with a lute, even when traveling for work. I have never had trouble convincing airline officials to let me carry my six course lute with me on board (Kingham case with a soft cover). Usually they know that a musical instrument is a special case, even if it doesn't fit the maximum carry-on measurements restriction. It is extremely helpful to be upfront and to courteous at the ticket counter to ask for your lute to travel on board. Open up the case and show the lute to them if necessary. The same goes for when you are on board and trying to stow it. Flight attendants have been helpful and also very curious about the lute when I've flown! I have never even tried to take two lutes as carry-on luggage. Instead, I put my efforts in doing a careful packing job for the second, larger lute (see below). For those on this list, this is an excerpt of some practical information I have sent to the registered attendees of the Lute Festival: TIPS FOR FLYING WITH YOUR LUTE(s): Carry on baggage is limited to one smaller lute that fits in the overhead and a laptop or very small handbag. Otherwise, you can check two items in. If the flight is crowded, I recommend reserving a seat towards the rear so you can board earlier and get a better chance of finding overhead compartment space before it gets filled up. If you must check your lute, remove any contents from the case that might arouse security suspicion, then pack it very snugly within the case so there is no movement of the lute when jolted. Especially pack the body tightly in the case and be sure that the pegs and pegbox cannot bang against the inside of the case. Then add some foam rubber blocks 2 inches in thickness as bumpers to the most vulnerable outside surfaces of the case: the bottom side and the front especially. Wrap the case with heavy plastic and tape it up firmly, leaving the lute's handle exposed for the baggage tag (cut out the plastic to expose the handle). This more or less assures that the lute will be in one orientation through most of it's transit. The bumpers help reduce shock if or when the lutecase is knocked about, Mars Rover style! You may wish to print up your own FRAGILE signs to tape to the plastic. BE SURE to arrive early enough so you can have the lute clear security (talk to an airline official if necessary) on the departure concourse level BEFORE it descends to the behind the scenes security. This more or less guarantees that the case and wrapping do not get reopened by airport security once the lute is pre-cleared. Note: all airlines except Southwest Airlines restrict you to two checked items. Southwest allows you to exceed that number. For those connecting to or taking commuter/small planes: this is GOOD. You can carry your lute to the gate and give it to the baggage handlers who stow it onboard. Just after you exit the plane upon arrival, your lute is handed back to you before you enter the arrivals terminal! Note: I usually leave my lutes at normal string tension during flights, but it isn't a bad idea to slacken the strings either. Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
translation of Moulinie air de cour needed
Please, if anyone can help translate, I need this song text in English: Cessez amants de servier Ang=E9lique, Amarillis se peut dire l'unique, A qui la Cour doit offrir des voeux. Tous les plus grands appas d'Aminthe et de Silvie,=20 Ne valent pas un des cheveux De celle qui tient ma vie. Amarillis est un ang=E9 visible, Qui ne la sert a le coeur insensible A la douceur des plaisirs d'amour. Les divinies clairt=E9s que sa beaut=E9 nous montre, Font que le gand flambeau du jour Est honteux de leur rencontre. With grateful thanks in advance, Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Bray lutebook inquirer
Will the individual (from Germany) who asked me about Yale's Bray Lutebook please reach me again at the following address?: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I seem to have lost your address (and name!) from your previous correspondence with me. Thanks, Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
LuteFest 2004: cheap flights to Cleveland
I receive postings of discount fares from Continental Airlines (Cleveland is one of the hub airports for Continental) and just received a notice that the following cities have one way summer fares of $68 to Cleveland, perhaps relevant to some LuteFest attendees. You would need to check on their site for more details: Albany, Baltimore, Columbus (OH), Grand Rapids, Hartford, Indianapolis, Nashville, New York (both LaGuardia and Newark airports), Norfolk (VA), Raleigh/Durham, Richmond (VA), and Kansas City. - Kenneth Be LuteFest 2004 Director
Re: Stupid query from beginner
In a message dated 5/3/2004 5:53:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The only other thing that helps is to jam the thing against a cigarette packet in my trouser pocket and I'm planning to give up soon. according to the spam i get, there are pills that will help you replace that cigarette bulge with something more organic. welcome to the list - bill H! Seems to me that this would only work for 50% of the population, though. - Kenneth Be
McFarlane/Be lute duets today and tomorrow
If anyone in the southern half of Ohio is interested in hearing lute duets of Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, 17th C. France and Germany, plus a suite by Baron, a solo suite by Weiss and contemporary compositions by Ronn McFarlane, we have three more concerts to do today and tomorrow on our 16 concert tour that we started last Sunday. All the presentations are free and open to the public. Saturday, May 1: Lute Duets! 7PM Burke Art Gallery Denison University 236 W. Broadway Granville, OH 43023-1120 Tel: 740.587.6255 Sunday, May 2: Lute Duets! 12:30PM Music Hall Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 Powerpoint talk (Kenneth Be) on art of the 16th and 17th Centuries 3PM Art Building, Ohio University Ronn McFarlane: Original Compositions 6PM Music Hall Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 - Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
top two courses single on baroque lute
Can anybody give an explanation why the the top two courses are single on the baroque lute? Certainly converting renaissance lutes into baroque configurations by adding an additional top course (and additional diapason courses) seems logical enough, but I'm wondering why keeping the top two courses single remained a feature on all baroque lutes thereafter. Thanks, Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
LSA LuteFest 2004: an update on lutemaking class
There is now a link posting by Dan Larson for his LSA LuteFest class Accelerated Lute Making with an outline of the daily topics covered: http://www.daniellarson.com/class.htm - Kenneth Be www.lutesocietyofamerica.org to register
Cleveland Rocks!
Cleveland is the place to be this month if you like to hear the lute - in=20 case you happen to be passing through or maybe know someone who lives here.=20= =20 Starting on April18th, there will be no less than fifteen performances invol= ving=20 lute. Ronn and I are playing a number of recitals, but preceded by two=20 concerts given by others. These, of course, precede some 11 individual conc= erts=20 given during the Cleveland LSA Lute Festival in June. - Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio I. Music in England, c. 1700 =20 When: Sunday, April 18 2004 at 7:30 PM=20 Location: Harkness Chapel=20 Description: Ensemble Lautenkonzert (Lisa Rainsong, soprano, Tina Dreisbach= ,=20 baroque flute, Janet Winzenburger, viols, Stephen Toombs, lutes).=20 Tickets: Free Admission. II. Shakespeare's Songbook Early Music at Harkness: Paul O'Dette, Ellen Hargis, William Hite, David=20 Douglass III. Lute Duet Recitals in Ohio April 25-May 2, 2004 Ronn McFarlane and Kenneth Be Sunday =E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D, 7PM (free, by invitation) Sunday, April 25, 2004 Tregoning Fine Arts Stepnorth 100 N. Main Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 Contact: Bill Tregoning Monday =E2=80=9CLutes for All People=E2=80=9D, 11 AM - 12:30 PM (free) Monday, April 26, 2004 Art on Wheels, Inc. studios 1284 Riverbed St (Flats West, next door to Stonebridge Apts) Cleveland, OH 44113 Tel: 216.702.4808 See: http://aowinc.com/concerts/lute_duet.html Contact: Quinn Martin =E2=80=9CGalileo=E2=80=99s Lute=E2=80=9D 6:30 PM $10 nonmembers, $8 members Monday, April 26, 2004 Shafran Planetarium Cleveland Museum of Natural History Wade Oval, University Circle Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (216)231-4600 Contact: Jason Davis =E2=80=9CGalileo=E2=80=99s Lute=E2=80=9D 7:30 PM $10 nonmembers, $8 members Monday, April 26, 2004 Shafran Planetarium Cleveland Museum of Natural History Wade Oval, University Circle Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (216)231-4600 Contact: Jason Davis Tuesday =E2=80=9CRenaissance Lute Duets!=E2=80=9D (16th C. duets only), 4 PM free Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Meeting Room Mayfield Regional Library, 6080 Wilson Mills Rd, Mayfield Village, OH 44143 440-473-0350 Contact: Erica Bartik =E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D 8 PM Freewill offering ($5 suggested) Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Gallery at Trinity Commons Trinity Cathedral 2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2489 Tel: 216-579-9745 Contact: Michael Telin Wednesday =E2=80=9CRenaissance Lute Duets!=E2=80=9D (16th C. duets only) 12:10 PM Freewill offering Wednesday, April 28, 2004 Trinity Cathedral 2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2489 Tel: 216 - 579 - 9745 see: http://www.mandpa.org/brownbag/brownbag.html Contact: Michael Telin =E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D, 7PM Recital Hall, $10 nonmembers, $7 members Wednesday, April 28, 2004 The Cleveland Museum of Art 11150 East Blvd Cleveland, Ohio 44106 216.421.7340 PDF download of Art Encounters brochure:=20 www.clevelandart.org/educatn/ArtEnc.pdf=20 Contact: Joellen DeOreo Thursday Presentation on the lute to students, Thursday morning Lakeridge Academy 7501 Center Ridge Road=20 North Ridgeville, OH 44039 (440) 777-9434 / 327-1175=20 contact: Cindy Bush [=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D, 3PM Recital Hall, $10 nonmembers, $7 members Thursday, April 29, 2004 The Cleveland Museum of Art 11150 East Blvd Cleveland, Ohio 44106 216.421.7340 PDF download of Art Encounters brochure:=20 www.clevelandart.org/educatn/ArtEnc.pdf=20 Contact: Joellen DeOreo] NOTE: This is an unlisted concert which will be offered and performed if th= e=20 CMA concert on Wednesday sells out Dinnertime lute duet music: Karma Indian Restaurant 1791 Coventry Rd Cleveland Hts, OH 44118 Tel: 216-932-3201 Thursday, April 29, 2004, evening Contact: Ravi Friday Lute Duets! 7:30PM, $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors Friday, April 30, 2004 Solon Center for the Arts 6315 SOM Center Rd Solon, Ohio 44139 440.337.1400 Contact: Karen Prasser Saturday =E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D Private concert by invitation, 2 PM Residence of Douglas Morgan Gambier, OH Contact: Douglas Morgan =E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D 7PM Burke Art Gallery Denison University 236 W. Broadway Granville, OH 43023-1120 Tel: 740.587.6255 Contact: Lee Hanford Sunday Presentation on the lute and art of the 16th and 17th Centuries (Powerpoint=20 talk) =E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D 12PM Music Hall Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 Contact: Marilyn Bradshaw --
LSA Lute Festival 2004 - discount until end of April
I just want to remind all those who are interested in attending the LuteFest and have not signed up yet: The deadline is April 30th to register and receive the $25 early bird discount on the tuition fee. Two weeks left! Thanks, Kenneth Be Director, LSA Lute Festival 2004 Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: passionate gut
In a message dated 4/12/2004 11:34:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time, JEdwardsMusic writes: I agree, gut is the best sound overall; but depending on who made the instrument and who is playing it, nylgut can sound quite good. This is so true. Paul O'Dette can string a lute with a ball of yarn, as far as I'm concerned, and he'd still sound godly. Ronn McFarlane almost invariably plays lutes with all synthetic strings. I've heard lots of amateur players with great lutes and the best gut strings who still have far to go in terms of sound productions. By the way, an upcoming LSA Quarterly will feature an article by Ronn McFarlane on tone production in his new column series on the Art and Science of Playing the Lute. Kenneth
Re: LSA Seminar fret question
In a message dated 4/10/04 4:33:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Would there be an authority there who really has the know-how tying double frets? I mean, who's done it before and ends up w/ minimum buzzing. It is a presentation I certainly wouldn't want to miss. To Sean and anyone else with an interest in double frets: Grant Tomlinson is planning to attend the LSA LuteFest, at least the last time I talked with him. He gives a very good show-and-tell demo on how to tie double frets and to set up your lute for it, so I hope he'll do the same this summer as he did last summer in Vancouver for anyone interested. I think, for instance, that it might require a slight adjustment in the way you set up the action on the string nut. He learned about double fretting techniques from Ray Nurse. By the way, my own Ray Nurse lute with double frets tied on by Grant under Ray's tutorage, will be on hand at the seminar. Regards, Kenneth --
Re: LSA Seminar fret question
In a message dated 4/11/04 4:04:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: i had always assumed that double frets were a no-no. what's the advantage of having them? Bill: On the contrary, and as Sean has pointed out, there are many examples in art iconography already starting in the 14th C. One of the last examples I know of is the 1649 depiction of a theorbo player by Laurent de la Hyre in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/view1zoom.asp?dep=11zoom=0full=1mark=1item=50%2E189 (this image is too small to reproduce the double frets, but I have studied the painting many times during visits to the museum). Double frets are also described in several instruction books. Double frets give a sort of flatter platform upon which to depress the strings. Not only do they feel very secure for the left hand fingering, they also last quite long. I had a set of double frets on one of my most-used lutes for over a decade before they needed replacing! Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: passionate gut
In a message dated 4/11/04 9:57:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have found gut to be more stable than synthetic strings. I think the quality processing has improved, but I also think we are learning how to use it, and how to tune it keep it in tune. True! In fact, because gut is very predictable in a sense (it is less elastic than nylon) I find it MUCH easier to tune a lute even in the middle of a concert than the adjustments up and down that a nylon strung lute requires. Kenneth --
LSA LuteFest in Cleveland: an added event
If you're considering coming to the Lute Festival, I have scheduled in a special pre-workshop concert for those who arrive a day earlier: - Kenneth NEWLY ADDED TO THE LSA LUTE FESTIVAL 2004:A SPECIAL PRE-FESTIVAL CONCERT!!! June 26, 2004 7:30PMHoly Rosary Church, on Mayfield Rd in Cleveland's Little Italy (10 minute walk from the LSA campus dormitories) The ensemble Ciaramella will performKomm Heiliger Geist - German music for winds and voices, c.1500 - (Adam Gilbert, Debra Nagy, Greg Ingles, Anna Levenstein, Doug Milliken, and Rotem Gilbert) Special admission price for LSA attendees and students: $5.00General admission: $12.00 Ciaramella: Ciaramella takes its name from the Italian word for shawm and from a girl in a 15th-century song. Like the instrument, her clothes are full of holes, and when she opens her mouth, she knocks men flat. The ensemble brings to life late Medieval and early Renaissance music from historical events and manuscripts. The members combine performing careers with historical research as doctoral students and professional musicologists. Ciaramella began in the ruins of an 11th-century Crusader castle in Israel with a staged Commedia dell'Arte production, and has participated in a reconstruction of the baptism of Emperor Charles V with Capilla Flamenca in Ghent's St. Bravo Cathedral. In Italy, Ciaramella has collaborated with musicologist Gioia Filocamo to perform music from the MS. Panciatichi 27, much of which has not been heard for centuries. Ciaramella was a finalist in the 2003 Flanders Festival International Young Artist's Presentation. As first runner-up in the 2003 Ear! ly Music America competition, Ciaramella will record its debut CD in Toronto on the Naxos label in June 2004 (just after this concert is performed)
LSA Lute Festival 2004: added event!
For anyone planning to arrive early in Clevland, I have just scheduled in a pre-festival concert event for June 26th evening. The church venue is surrounded by any number of fine Italian restaurants for after the concert. Below is the special invitation from the co-director of the new ensemble, Ciaramella. - Kenneth Be Dear LSA Lute Festival 2004 Participant: You are invited to Ciaramella's concert on Saturday, June 26th at 7:30PM in Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy (a 10 minute walk from the LSA dorms). We would love to see you there as this is our warm up concert to a debut CD recording for Naxos label. Ciaramella, ( see: ciaramella.org ) is an ensemble for 15th-century music, presents Komm Heiliger Geist, a concert of devotional music from manuscripts at the crossroads of Europe around 1500. Compositions by Paulus de Roda, Heinrich Isaac and Adam von Fulda, performed on shawms, trumpets, recorders, organ and high voices. Adam Gilbert, Rotem Gilbert, Debra Nagy, Doug Milliken, recorder, shawm, bagpipes; Greg Ingles, Erik Schmalz, slide trumpet and sackbut; Kris Ingles, trumpet; Mahan Esfahani, organ; Anna Levenstein, Brooke Randolph, Gail West, voice. _ Saturday, June 26th, 7:30PM Holy Rosary Church, 12021 Mayfield Road (Little Italy), Cleveland, OH 44106. Tickets: Suggested Donation: $12 General/$5 LSA participants and Students Ciaramella takes its name from the Italian word for ³shawm² and from a girl of fifteenth-century song. Like the instrument, her clothes are full of holes, and when she opens her mouth, she knocks men flat. The ensemble brings to life late medieval and early Renaissance music from historical events and manuscripts. The members combine performing careers with historical research as doctoral students and professional musicologists. Ciaramella began in the ruins of a crusader castle in Israel with a staged commedia dell¹ arte production, and has participated in a reconstruction of the baptism of Emperor Charles V with Capilla Flamenca in Ghent’s St. Bravo Cathedral. In Spoleto, Italy, Ciaramella has collaborated with musicologist Gioia Filocamo to perform music from the manuscript Panciatichi 27, much of which has not been heard for centuries. In March 2004, the group participated in a fully staged production of the first Hebrew play A Comedy of Betrothal by Leone de Sommi (c.1550), at The Cleveland Art Museum under the direction of Anna Levenstein. Ciaramella was finalist in the 2003 Flanders Festival International Young Artist’s Presentation. As first runner-up in the Early Music America competition, Ciaramella will record its début CD on the Naxos label following this concert. Ciaramella Contact: Rotem Gilbert 90 Centre St., Mountain View, CA 94041 650-625-0635 ciaramella.org
LSA Lute Festival 2004 update: Renaissance Dance!
Yet another feature has been added to the LSA Lute Festival in Cleveland (June 27 - July 2, 2004): The New York Historical Dance Company, consisting of Dorothy Olsson (New York) and Kaspar Mainz (from the Leipzig vicinity) will join in the Lute Festival to perform early dance: A special afternoon workshop on Renaissance dance and evening performance in the all-faculty concert Pastime in Good Company will take place on Wednesday June 30th at the Cleveland Museum of Art (Gartner Auditorium). Accompanied by the Venere Lute Quartet, they will be dancing choreographies from the Negri and Caroso dance treatises in authentic costume.In addition, on Tuesday afternoon the day before, they will conduct a family-oriented workshop on early dance in conjunction with the museum's education department. A reminder to all: Early registration makes you eligible for the $25 discount on tuition and gives you a greater choice of teachers for your two included private lessons! www.lutesocietyofamerica.org Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: Birthdays
Without naming any particular names, it should be noted that a number of well-known lute players have turned 50 this year. Kenneth
LSA Lute Festival 2004 in Cleveland announcement
Better to pre-register for the Lute Fest sooner than later! Private lessons (two half-hour lessons included in the tuition) teachers are chosen and assigned first come/first serve based on the order in which pre-registrations are received. For online registration: www.lutesocietyofamerica.org If you have any questions, feel free to write to me at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Regards, Kenneth Be Director, LSA Lute Festival 2004 (June 27-July 2, 2004)
Re: Fingerpicks
In a message dated 2/27/04 6:41:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: By the way Jessie has published a fascinating book _Composers at Work: The Craft of Musical Composition, 1450-1600_ (OUP, 1997). It includes some remarks about how the lute was sometimes used as a means for composing. That is, Palestrina may have composed at the lute, and he even previewed the mass for a patron by playing it on the lute. She also tracked down some pieces if lute music that may be compositional sketches. There is not too much material like that because it is thought composers first wrote a piece oin a wax slate, and then when the composition was complete, ink it into a manuscript (or intabulate it?). At the LSA LuteFest in Cleveland this coming June, the Venere Lute Quartet will perform a program of their arrangements of Palestrina for lutes. Kenneth Be --
Re: why paintings but no lutes
As a professional conservator of paintings(and also an enthusiastic follower of the lute!) I suppose I should address this thread topic. Paintings, of course, are much more to the beholder than mere physical objects. From past ages, even from our own age, they carry a artistic vision: an illusionistic representation of color, space, and form in the formal sense, but specifically, a representation of appearances, whether a place real (landscape, interior) or otherworldly (renditions of mythological scenes or hell or paradise, for examples), or else images of people (portraits). As painted images they may change meaning or value to a culture over time, but generally paintings have remained valuable over time, whether as status symbols or objects of great and historical beauty (in museums nowadays). Lutes, on the other hand, fell out of general use to the musical world by the later 18thC., if not even earlier. But in physical terms, the odds are always against a thinly-constructed glued wooden fragile object like a lute, under immense string tension its whole life. When its fall from fashion is added in as a factor, then it is miraculous that we have as many lutes in museums as there are today! Paintings, however, have been more or less well cared for over time. Although earlier methods of cleaning and restoration have certainly left their irreversible damage on countless works of art, paintings have generally fared quite well, even in comparison to many other forms of art (furniture, drawings, buildings, textiles, for ex). Their materials are also much more durable than a lute's: mineral pigments embedded in dried (oxidized) vegetable oils usually beneath a protective varnish coating, over an inert ground material which coats a supporting layer of canvas, wood panel, glass, or metal. Often, the supports have themselves been reinforced by additional material such as lining canvases or, in the case of wood panels, glued on or dove-tail inserted batons or cradle structures. In addition, the relatively simple flat format of paintings, often protected within a frame, their ease of transport (in the case of flooding or fires) - and again, their higher value - compared to all the vulnerable constructional aspects of a lute, makes it quite obvious why lutes are so rare and paintings are so abundant. Hope this helps! Kenneth (Cleveland Museum of Art)
Re: Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, 20 June - 3 July 2004 (and LSA!)
In a message dated 2/27/04 11:55:09 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Note that the Lute Society of America seminar (27 June - 3 July) will=20 overlap with the second week of BPI and is less than an hour away at Case=20 Western Reserve University in Cleveland. An enterprising lutenist with two= =20 weeks to spend away from home this summer could attend the first week of=20 BPI and then continue on to the LSA seminar! Please note, too, that an enterprising _singer_ with two weeks to spend away from home this summer could attend the first week of BPI and then continue on to the LSA seminar (Ellen Hargis is the vocal coach teach a class on lute song with Jacob Heringman and a class on interpreting ballads). Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: Do pegs get smooth and begin slipping?
In a message dated 2/17/2004 11:20:42 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: ah, I've had a complicated career. I'm not only a physicist, but I also used to teach petrology. The PhD is actually in Geophysics and I did much of my research work in what is basically mineralogy (Fe-Ti oxides)... And, as for me, I did my Master's thesis on thermal histories of sedimentary basins with regard to using a technique called Argon-40/argon-39 stepwise heating geochronological dating (of detrital potassium felspars). Now, I work as a paintings conservator in an art museum - but my first passion is the lute! Kenneth
Re: lute photography
Hi Martin: I just wandered to my mailbox here for the first time in a while and found your message. You've probably seen me in action alot with my little Pentax Optio330 (about 2 yrs old now) with 3.34 megapixel capacity, using Flashcard media for storage (lots of my photos are on the LSA seminar webpages). I also have a remote for it which I bought separately. It is apparently very similar to the Canon powershot and digital Elph cameras. Anyway, I use mine all the time without the flash - indoors, too, and for lots of lute photography. A tripod can be helpful, but also somewhere between tripod and a steady hand, you can also consider using a monopod. I'm about as attached to my digital camera as I am to my lutes! Kenneth
Re: Regia Pietas
In a message dated 1/13/04 4:14:51 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Does anyone have experience with the Nicolas Vallet's Psalms = published in Regia Pietas? I've got the facsimile edition, but as I've never had any experience = with this particular repertoire, I was wondering if any of you have done = a transcription of some of the pieces, that a normal singer would = manage to understand. Ariel: Some of these Vallet psalm settings appear in Sacred for the Music, an edition done by Catherine Liddell and published by Lyre Music Editions in 2000. Kenneth --
Re: Girl with the Pearl Earing
In a message dated 1/7/04 10:09:06 AM Eastern Standard Time,=20 [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Certainly the rosette looks rather odd - but this may be=A0 something to d= o with the state of the painting.=A0 I seem to recall that many of his paint= ings survive in a poor state or have been badly restored because they were all sold off on his death.=A0 I must go and have another look at the original. =20 This painting, The Guitar Player, in the Iveagh Bequest in Kenwood House, in= =20 Hampstead Heath, is the finest preserved Vermeer in existence.=A0 For one th= ing,=20 it is not even lined (that is, it does not have a typical later-added canvas= =20 adhered to the back of the original one) and the detail and paint textures a= re=20 perfectly preserved on this painting.=A0 The original wooden strainer to whi= ch=20 the painting is attached is, in fact, even the one the artist used.=A0 For t= hese=20 reasons, the painting is very fragile and therefore not even lent out to=20 exhibitions. I have seen The Music Lesson (Buckingham Palace) up close and, although=20 lined, it is also in superb condition.=A0=20 The guitar in the painting, by the way, was probably after one from the=20 Voboam firm in Paris.=A0=20 Interestingly, the woman has her right hand in a position as if plucking a=20 cittern with a plectrum, so it is possible that Vermeer simply borrowed the=20= hand=20 position from that or else posed the model in that way.=A0 Certainly, he had= =20 done such depictions earlier (such as in The Letter, in the Rijksmuseum,=20 Amsterdam). Two of the most damaged Vermeers are: The Lute Player, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Girl Interrupted at her Music Lesson, The Frick Collection, New York. (both are badly abraded from overcleaning) Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
re: Girl with a Pearl Earring
My apologies to the list for sending out yet another message just now full of =20s (I can't seem to figure out how this AOL mail works correctly with [EMAIL PROTECTED]) Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: Girl with the Pearl Earing
I saw the film in early December where I work at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Our film program director somehow managed to negotiate a screening prior to its public release. Simply stated, the movie is visually and cinematographically one of the most stunning I have ever seen. The subtle, natural lighting, the compositions, the authentic settings and costumes and the very fine acting do great justice to the quiet, delicate art of Johannes Vermeer. Several of the outdoor scenes are filmed in Delft. For a lutenist, the movie gives a great impression of Holland in the 17th Century. Alas, there is little actual 17th C. music, except for a scene where one of Vermeer's patron's plays on a genuine harpsichord (Lachrimae tune - perhaps Sweelinck?). There is no lute or cittern music (too bad, considering especially that the cittern is the most frequently depicted instrument by the artist). However, in one scene there is a renaissance lute propped on a chair which quickly caught my eye. This being said, however, I found the rather minimal synthesized contemporary music which sounds throughout the film at choice moments to be VERY appropriate and fine! At all other times, the film uses no score and instead relies on the everyday types of sounds that would be heard in a crowded household in Delft in those years (children, domestic noises, dogs barking, bird calls). I recommend this movie very highly to all to see soon! Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: Ukulele and chitarrino?
I attended James Tyler's class on the early guitar at the Lute Society of America summer seminar of 1993 in Rochester, New York, in which he made a point of telling us that the little chitarrino (renaissance four course guitar) was spread to many corners of the world through Jesuit missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries and, although long extinct in its original form, survives in various living fossil types: the ukulele in Hawaii, the charango in South America, and similar forms and sizes in other locations (such as the Canary Islands and in Mexico), often with re-entrant tuning, and sometimes using tablature notations. Can anybody else name these current day types in their respective countries? Kenneth
Re: OT, but maybe interesting
In a message dated 12/31/03 6:41 am, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: So, if you are ever in Yemen, and invited to a wedding, make sure you go because you may hear some very interesting music being played on the 'oud. Thanks for the tip, Titan. I will have to remember this next time I'm in Yemen and invited to a wedding! (In the meantime, though, I have to settle for a New Year's Eve party here in Ohio) With best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year from me to all of you on this list, Kenneth
Re: Lewd, not lute music
In a message dated 12/25/03 7:52:53 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Our job is to make music that moves the audience, because we are musicians, not museum curators. Yours, Jim Hey, Jim! Some of us try to be both museum curators AND musicians! Best wishes this Christmas, Kenneth [Cleveland Museum of Art] --
Re: Waiter, I'd like my lute grilled please.
In a message dated 12/16/03 3:18:42 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I heard this has acoustical reasons, together with a thicker soundboard around the hole the inlay influences the sound. At least I think this is what I read about Torres' guitars. Hi Stephan: Actually, the area of the lute soundboard around the rose is the THINNEST zone, down to approximately 0.8 mm compare to 1.2-1.3 mm closer to the margins. Kenneth --
Re: Goodbye cruel lute
In a message dated 12/14/03 9:18:56 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have quicktime .avi files of RF and Pat O'Brien demonstrating thumb under RH technique As was posted recently, there are also some silent video files showing showing videos of several professional lute players from recently LSA seminars at A HREF=www.lutesocietyofamerica.org www.lutesocietyofamerica.org/A Kenneth Be (I was the camera person!) --
Re: # 1 lute question
Actually, James, in all seriousness I've noticed that it is much easier to tune and keep the tuning stable in lutes with bent back pegboxes than lutes with extended pegboxes and certainly more than baroque and renaissance guitars and vihuelas. Kenneth --
Re: # 2 lute question
In a message dated 12/9/03 8:56:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: How does the carved rosette affect the tone? Several lute makers have mentioned to me that it does not affect the tone. Certainly, I have not noticed the difference between baroque guitars with and without ornamental roses, for example. However, I would suspect that there IS a slight difference, even an improvement, in tone with a carved rosette since it requires some small bars to be glued underneath the super thin rosette part of the lute's soundboard which must affect the sound. Kenneth --
Re: Size of the lute world
In a message dated 12/9/03 11:26:06 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I love it! Left handed no less. The picture is not reversed because the music is the right way. I can just imagine the artist telling the model how to place his fingers. It may take me a while to incorporate this new hand position. :-) Dear Ed: It is common that print artists will render their models from life, only to have the images reversed when printed from a plate. The music on the other hand WOULD have to read correctly to the viewer, so the artist would be careful to engrave that in mirror image on the original plate. Kenneth --
meeting fellow lutenists
Earlier this week I spent three days for work in Germany. My brand new lute= =20 and I had some enjoyable meetings with some fellow lute player colleagues fr= om=20 this lute forum.=A0 First, on Saturday night I had a delightful dinner (thi= rd=20 time this year!) with Thomas Schall who is becoming like an old friend to=20 me.=A0=A0 So much to talk about and to share in our enthusiasm for the lute.= =A0 But this=20 time we drove south of Frankfurt to Aschaffenburg in northern Bavaria to din= e=20 in a baroque (17th C.) castle with his friend Meinhard Gerlach, a very fine=20 lutenist (and guitarist) and a composer of new works for the 13 course lute=20= and=20 for lute and soprano as attested by his marvelous CD called Silence=20 (available from A HREF=3Dwww.lautenist.de)www.lautenist.de)/A. I even= took out my lute after dinner and played=20 it briefly in an empty arched-ceilinged room, so tempted was I by the=20 accoustics and the setting, exotic for any American! Then, the next day I met lutelisters Stephan Olbertz and Rainer aus dem=20 Spring for a wonderful read-through of the Vallet lute quartets at the flat=20= of Mark=20 Wheeler.=A0 I met all three for the first time and the dinner conversation=20 afterwards was inspirational and mind-opening.=A0=A0 Hats off, too, to Marti= n Shepard=20 who made several of the exquisite lutes we played on that evening! I encourage all to pay attention to Mark Wheeler=B4s new renaissance trio=20 called Pantagruel, too!=A0 (www.pantagruel.de) who will perform in London Ap= ril 17th. I understand, too, that they will soon release their first CD, but for now=20 there are mp3 files to listen to on their website. Mark is a great musician= =20 with many original ideas at his fingertips. He is a wonderful improviser on= the=20 lute. The power of the Internet to share and exchange ideas and information on thi= s=20 list is, at times, unsurpassable, but never a true replacement for meeting=20 (and playing music with!) others in person.=A0 This list is a great way to e= nable=20 such meetings when one is fortunate enough to be in the right place at the=20 right time.=A0=A0 It is fascinating to see and hear other players on differe= nt=20 continents dealing with the same issues in lutes, music, technical matters,=20 interpretation, and repertoire. The same goes for the times over the last y= ear and a=20 half when I've been priviledged to meet fellow lutelisters Ed Durbrow, David= e=20 Rebuffa, Stewart McCoy, Martin Shepard, and David van Edwards in their=20 respective countries. - Kenneth Be (Cleveland) --
meeting other lutenists
[I apologize for the font codes in my previous message posting!=A0 Here it i= s=20 again, cleaned up]: Earlier this week I spent three days for work in Germany. My brand new lute and I had some enjoyable meetings with some fellow lute player colleagues=20 from this lute forum First, on Saturday night I had a delightful dinner (third time this year!) with Thomas Schall who is becoming like an old friend to=20 me.=A0=20 So much to talk about and to share in our enthusiasm for the lute. But this time we drove south of Frankfurt to Aschaffenburg in northern Bavaria to din= e in a baroque (17th C.) castle with his friend Meinhard Gerlach, a very fine lutenist (and guitarist) and a composer of new works for the 13 course lute=20 and for lute and soprano as attested by his marvelous CD called Silence=20 (available from www.lautenist.de). I even took out my lute after dinner and=20 played it briefly in an empty arched-ceilinged room, so tempted was I by the accoustics and the setting, exotic for any American! Then, the next day I met lutelisters Stephan Olbertz and Rainer aus dem=20 Spring=20 for a wonderful read-through of the Vallet lute quartets at the flat of Mark= =20 Wheeler.=20 I met all three for the first time and the dinner conversation afterwards wa= s=20 inspirational and mind-opening Hats off, too, to Martin Shepard who made=20 several of the exquisite lutes we played on that evening! I encourage all to pay attention to Mark Wheeler's new renaissance trio called Pantagruel, too! (www.pantagruel.de) who will perform in London April= =20 17th. I understand, too, that they will soon release their first CD, but for now there are mp3 files to listen to on their website. Mark is a great musician=20 with many original ideas at his fingertips. He is a wonderful improviser on the lute. The power of the Internet to share and exchange ideas and information on thi= s list is, at times, unsurpassable, but never a true replacement for meeting (and playing music with!) others in person This list is a great way to enabl= e such meetings when one is fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time It is fascinating to see and hear other players on different continents dealing with the same issues in lutes, music, technical matters, interpretation, and repertoire. The same goes for the times over the last=20 year and a half when I've been priviledged to meet fellow lutelisters Ed Durbrow, David= e Rebuffa, Stewart McCoy, Martin Shepard, and David van Edwards in their respective countries. - Kenneth Be (Cleveland) --
Re: ivory in lutes
For those interested in knowing about mammoth ivory: It is typically brownish in color, in cross section it has a chevron grain pattern in contrast to present elephant ivory which has engine turning patterns (really, better described by the eye from what you see than this terminology/note: there is a difference in this latter grain pattern between African and Indian elephants), and occurs in vast amounts by carcasses of mammoth's preserved in the frozen tundra of Siberia. I've heard that hunters' dogs sometimes feed on preserved mammoth meat and that there is a project to someday recreate an offspring which will be around 60% mammoth genetically (and 40% modern elephant) using cloned DNA from specimens. It is considered entirely legal, since it is considered fossil material from an extinct species. For those interested, there is an old book entirely about ivory and its use in art which I can look up at work and post the reference. (I work as a paintings conservator at an art museum). Back to the lute, at the time of his death Robert Lundberg was making a lute that had mammoth ivory spacers between the rosewood ribs. Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: The Right Hand Revisited
In a message dated 11/17/03 10:08:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: You can see an animation of Jacob Heringman's right hand playing with 'thumb under' technique on the home page of his website www.heringman.com. You can also find video clips (no sound!) showing thumb-under right technique for Jacob and for Ronn McFarlane and Andrea Damiani on the LSA website at: A HREF=http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~lsa/download/index.html;http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~lsa/download/index.html/A (go down the page to Instructional Materials) Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: cleaning the lute soundboard
In a message dated 10/24/03 7:56:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: As Ken Be has pointed out a number of times, the solvent of choice among museum conservators (at least for a first try) is saliva. Yes, this is actually true. As a paintings conservator, I can testify that I have spit cleaned many an old master pictures, and some modern ones including a Matisse this way. Any application of moisture of any type, though, should be applied sparingly to a wood surface such as a lute belly and can also mar some finishes. Always test in a microscopic area on the edge first! - Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
Re: fret diameters
In a message dated 10/18/03 5:26:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: is there any chance that you might send me the pic or make it available on the web? I have just looked at the reproductions of the ambassadors picture within my reach and was pretty convinced that the frets were single. However, closer scutiny reveals that the resolution is possibly not good enough The National Gallery (London) has a full size poster of just the lute detail from Holbein's Ambassadors. Highly recommended! Actually, the lute ends up being slightly larger than actual size compared to the actual painting. Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
