David, The body of the lute/theorbo - particularly the t'bo - affects the sound profile immensely. By body shape we actually mean the shape and volume of the air cavity within the body and how its volume and distribution affect the propagation of the vibrations of the sound board. Likewise, the size and placement of the rosette, the barring of the board and location and mass of the bridge pose their own effects not to mention the MOL (modulus of elasticity) and directional stiffness characteristics of the soundboard material itself.
For instance, comparing three bodies with which I have some experience, the Frei body, the "big" Dieffopruchar and the "little" Dieffopruchar. The big Dieff has a "rounder" and more mellow sound in which the basses can become muddy if the sustain is too great. The soundboard must therefore be carefully barred to preclude this. It seems to provide adequate projection if sufficient string length and tension are used and certainly provides a stunning visual effect if the traditional 86/160cm lengths are used. The Frei, in contrast, tends to have a more complex tonal profile with a strong "core" tone reminiscent of a good guitar but with a coppery, bright overtone floating over the core. This slightly imposing brightness gives the little Frei a presence that belies its physical size and t'bos of 74/140cm are quite loud and useful in ensemble (not to mention much easier to transport). The little Dieffopruchar fall somewhere in between. The popular Hoffmann, in my observation, is too deep so as to provide sufficient brightness for penetration without silver overspuns in the bass and all the way up to the 4th crs. Again, there is a risk of the basses becoming muddy if the instrument is not barred for a shorter sustain in these "grand piano" basses. All that's the long way around saying that size does matter, particularly in the body cavity. Each body seems to have a tonal profile and a Frei is a Frei regardless of whether it's an 11crs or a t'bo. Best, Rob Dorsey http://RobDorsey.com -----Original Message----- From: David Rastall [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 1:14 AM To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE] theorbo question Dear collective wisdom. I'm finding out about some of the size variants available in theorboes. For example, I've been looking at one which is 79 cm playing length on the fingerboard, and 159 cm on the diapasons. That seems quite a long neck extension since, with 10 frets on the fingerboard, the body is not exactly huge. I've also seen theorboes with larger bodies with eight or nine frets on the fingerboard and around 120 cm.diapasons: large body, short neck extension. So my question is: which is more important to the production of a full, substantial theorbo sound...long playing length, or a large body? Or is it a combination of both? Another continuo question: is it appropriate to ornament the bass line? Either in basso continuo situations, or as part of the bass part of a Baroque lute piece? Thanks for your thoughts on this, David R [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.rastallmusic.com -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
