Dear Stewart: I agree. I would like to point out that Lundberg, in his book about historical Lute Construction, theorizes that the probable departure from the doubled first course was due in part to latter conversions of six and seven course Lutes to instruments with more courses. This practice made it easier to add an extra course to an instrument by putting the Chanterelle on a rider and utilizing the available two holes in the peg box for the extra course by backing down each course one position in the peg box 6 becomes 5, 5 becomes 4 etc. and of course the old 6 becomes 7. At this point all that is necessary is to adjust the holes in the bridge add one for the Chanterelle and a new nut.
>From my own experience I would suggest another reason the doubled first course may have been abandoned. I have played a Lute with a doubled first course for many years and occasionally one of the two strings will become false. This demands that the string be replaced, and probably the entire course, there is no way to adjust the difference in the two strings, the falseness becomes pronounced within two frets. Vance Wood. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Lute Net" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2004 12:29 PM Subject: new pictures > Dear Arne, > > Martin is absolutely right. > > 1) In _The Schoole of Musicke_ (London, 1603) Thomas Robinson gives > instructions on how to tune the lute. He begins with the 1st course, > which, as far as he is concerned, clearly consists of two strings: > > "Now you shall learne to tune your Lute, and for a generall rule, > first set up the _Treble_ so high as you dare venter [=venture] for > breaking, setting them both in one tune or sound called an unison > .." > > That's pretty unequivocal. "Treble" is singular, because it refers > to the first course, but the rest of the quotation shows that it is > a double course. > > 2) In his "Other Necessary Observations belonging to the Lute" in > Robert Dowland's _Varietie_ (London, 1610) John Dowland refers to > "Trebles" (plural) for the 1st course: > > "... first set on your Trebles, which must be strayned neither too > stiffe nor too slacke, but of such a reasonable height that they may > deliver a pleasant sound ..." > > Again, it is quite clear that Dowland has in mind a lute with a > double first course. > > 3) On page 41 of _Musick's Monument_ (London, 1676) Thomas Mace > writes: > > "And here you must take notice, that when we say a Lute of 12 > Strings, there are but 6; and likewise a Lute of 24 Strings, there > are but 12, (as to substantial Use)." > > I don't think for a minute that any of these three gentlemen would > have denied the existence of lutes with a single first course, but, > from what they say, it would seem that lutes with a double first > course were perhaps not as unusual as we might have thought. > > Best wishes, > > Stewart. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Arne Keller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Martin Shepherd" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2004 5:00 PM > Subject: Re: new pictures > > > > At 14:59 03-01-2004 -0000, Martin Shepherd wrote: > > > > <snip> > > > > " when lutenists decide to take another step towards historical > stringing. > > Most of us, most of the time, conveniently overlook the fact that > Thomas > > Robinson, John Dowland, and even Thomas Mace used a double first." > > > > Please pardon my ignorance, but where is the evidence of this? > > > > Regards, > > > > Arne. > > >
