For what it is worth, the recital at the Lute Society last saturday was on a swan neck instrument strung entirely with gut and played by Richard Sweeney (if my memory is correct) and it sounded wonderful, and there was no problem with over ringing bases nick gravestock
Dear all, > I know this subject has been discussed before, and I have recently > followed > the interesting discussions on the d minor continuo lute > the last week. However, regarding the choice of rider vs. swan necked > instruments for solo work, I have checked the archives, but I still > have some doubts about the =8Cgeneral consensus' re: one or the other for > late > works such as Weiss, Bach and others. > A number of modern players have dropped using the 13 course swan necked > instruments (like R. Barto) to the rider type for several musical and > technical reasons. O'Dette has also chosen a rider type for his Bach works > Vol. 1 (so far at least!) and there is a general feeling that the swan > neck > variety > is more a continuo type instrument. > But my gut feeling (no pun intended!) is that the swan neck type was > primarily popular because it could use plain gut strings instead of any > overwinding > (of whatever type). I really see the smaller, circa 70cm (stopped) swan > necked instruments as really fitting that role. > To put it differently: could it be that the use of more modern stringing > has > given an impression of =8Ctoo much sustain' and other such difficulties > with the 13 course swan necked instruments? > As yet I have never had a chance to hear one entirely strung in good gut. > Any comments insights on this point by the experts among you here would be > greatly appreciated. > Cheers, > Theo > > -- > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
