> "Schalenhalslaute" and "Kastenhalslaute" - that's the terminology of Curt 
> Sachs

Sachs's terminology was still kept e. g. by Dieter Klöckner, art.
zupfinstrumentenbau (construction of plucked instruments) / A Einführung
(introduction), B Gitarren- und Lautenbau (construction of lutes and
guitars) in MGG 14, pp. 1453-78. It was written in the late sixties, I
think.

> and as his approach was purely based on the morphology of instruments

Firstly, Klöckner distinguishes plucked from bowed string instruments in
general. That should be called a distinction according to _use_. When he
comes to lutes, the main distinction of lutes is based on the
_construction_ of the neck, i. e. whether A) a rod or stick (Spiesz)
runs through the body of the lute (Spieszlaute, stick-lute?), or B) the
neck is fixed to the body like a neck (Halslaute, neck-lute). Neck-lutes
can furthermore be distinguished according to the construction of their
respective bodies, i .e. whether the body is of the shape of a box
(Kasten, Kastenhalslaute) or of a shell or bowl (Schale,
Schalenhalslaute).

Would you say this kind of a mixed distinction, based on use as well as
on constructio, is obsolete or inappropiate?

> (not on their use, the way one produces sounds on them [e.g. by plucking 
> strings or bowing them]

well, any distinction like chordophones--plucked instruments speaks for
itself, doesn't it.

> or their position in the culture to which they belong) he consequently calls 
> any instrument with strings attached to a body and something like a neck a 
> "lute". Guitars are "Kastenhalslauten" and the Kemence is a 
> "Schalenhalslaute" ...

well, yes, what's wrong with that? Lutes are a numerous family, aren't
they. I for one should say that gitterns, guitars, citole, vihuelas,
chitarroni, theorboes, archlutes, renaissance lutes from 6c to 10c,
baroque lutes, are lutes just as well as idan (hi Danyel), tar, saz,
baglama, pipa and so on, are lutes. Or would you prefer to call them
plucked neck-chordophones?

Best,


Mathias
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