Thank you for your comments, and explanations. I think the thrust of
your argument again is fair, particularly if we consider the original
date fo the Rauwolf (c;. 1590) and its long history; thus indeed
"Weiss wasn't even born for
> "nearly a _hundred_ years after this Rauwolf was made!".
However, it probably had its present neck added in 1715.
"My instrument is from c 1590 and was originally a 7 or 8 course
lute. Inside there is a repair label by Leonard Mausiel, dated
Nuremberg 1715 and the present neck, which allows for ten or eleven
courses, is probably made by him." Lindberg.
At that moment, Weiss, I think was in activity, and presumably this
lute in use (although not necessarily for that type of music); but I
agree that the program at the English lute society was perhaps more
representative of the lute's history (than this Weiss record); but
whether the program of late Weiss was completely historically
implausible, considering the fairly late date of the neck
("upgrade"), I do not feel competent to discuss; you may also be
right on that account.
You will be pleased, in this case, to know that the Rauwolf can be
either set up as a 10c or 11c lute, and this should do justice to its
long history. Indeed, I have just learnt, in the Lute News N°82 P.7,
that J.L. played a program from the late 16th and early 17th
centuries (including pieces by Johnson and Dowland) with that set-up.
It is almost as though he was thinking, as you do.
I did not hear this concert, but it was said "The performance was
beautifully musical, as one would expect, notable qualities of the
historic lute are a very good sense of balance across the courses,
with the possibility of bringing out different voices in the music
vert distinctly".
Of course this could be as much due to the gut stringing and the
interpret than the lute.
"It has a lovely timbre with perhaps more of the oboe than the flute
about it."
I dare say, Lindberg will be recording such music with it, and this
may better satisfy your expectations. I for one will be ready to
purchase such a program, as well as a program of French Baroque music
on it.
Incidentally, I nevertheless, think I prefer Weiss on an 11c lute,
for the greater clarity it affords; but this is just my taste.
Just a thought about anachronism and transformed lutes; it is
generally held that Frei and Maler lute models were adapted in France
for Baroque French music, and these instruments were from at least a
hundred years before the French Baroque era.
So now, I suppose we agree, that if we discovered a Frei transformed
with an 11c neck, we would want to play French Baroque music on it,
rather than music from 1550 or so.
When we make copies of such instruments, then, of course we do have
to consider whether we reconstruct the original model, or the
transformed model.
If I was to purchase a copy of the Rauwolf (as I said, I am
hesitating between a Frei copy and this model) I would hope to have
the model with this 10c/11c possibility. However, it might be even
more historically interesting, but more difficult to do in any
certain way, to reconstruct the copy in its original state, as
perhaps a 7c lute.
I would be glad of any other comments on the suitability or otherwise
of the Rauwolf versus the Frei for French Baroque music. Edward
already, kindly, gave me his comments in favour of the Frei, for
which I thank him.
On a completely different issue, I happen to know that some lute
specialists are completely against restoring such historic lutes to
playability for fear of losing any clues to its original state.
Fortunately, I believe that the restorers took many photos and
detailed notes, that would allow a fair idea of what the original
lute could have been.
Best regards
Anthony
Le 23 août 07 à 20:52, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> a écrit :
> Anthony,
>
> --- Anthony Hind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> That is a fair point. However, at least some
>> of Weiss, I
>> believe, was composed on 11c lute, and some of it I
>> think was later
>> transposed for 13c lute.
>
> Yes, this is definately true. Lindberg makes this
> point with "L'infidele," saying that he suspects that
> the piece was originally written with 11 courses in
> mind even though it exists in 13-course versions in
> both London and Dresden. Weiss certainly began his
> career on the 11-course. And much of the French
> baroque style and repertoire stayed current for a
> while. There's 11-course music next to Hagen in
> Augsberg. And Kellner - fairly late - is for
> 11-courses. However, we often have this vague idea of
> history being made up of things that happened "a long
> time ago." Consider that Weiss wasn't even born for
> nearly a _hundred_ years after this Rauwolf was made!
>
> As much as a like the recording, this repertoire
> doesn't strike me as the starting point for the
> instrument. Its a bit like discovering an original,
> un-converted Stradivarius and recording an all-Brahms
> CD with it. Or doing Hans Werner Henze on a Stauffer.
> Well, yes... I suppose you can... but...
>
> Having said all that, I'll say again that I
> really like the Lindberg recording and understand why
> it is what it is.
>
>
> Chris
>
>
>
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