As retirement, and subsequent reduction of money to spend on luxuries,
approaches, my wife (or 'wifu', David, but never again 'her indoors') has
informed me that it should be possible for me to buy one last instrument.
Realistically, though, I couldn't really go much beyond £2000( plus whatever
I can get for my 1979 nine-course orpharion, which my slightly arthritic
wrists, elbows & shoulders cannot manage to play now)
At present, I have (in addition to the orpharion) a six-course G lute, a
six-course G viola da mano, and a seven-course G lute that I built some 30
years ago from the Harwood & Isaacs lute kit - no prizes for guessing the
repertoire that I have been playing.
But now I find myself totally unsure what to choose. For many years I have
dreamed of one day owning a baroque lute. Would that be a sensible choice
for a man whose fingers are slowing down (to say nothing of his brain!). And
if it were a sensible choice, then how many courses? The only baroque
repertoire that I am at all familiar with is Weiss (thanks to Robert Barto)
and Bach (thanks to Walter Gerwig) - almost certainly too demanding for me
to contemplate trying to learn. I know nothing of the French 17th century
styles, is there scope there for an aging novice?
Should I stick to the 'Golden Age', simply moving from mostly pre-1550 to
focus more on 1600? And then, once more the question arises, how many
courses? I know this was discussed a few months ago & I can go and look in
the archives...
Or, should I stick with what I am accustomed to and buy an instrument of
different character - a vihuela in A, for example, of a lower pitched lute
in E or F?
Or... should I simply tell my wife, 'No, dear, I really don't need any more
instruments - I think you should buy yourself a bigger greenhouse'?
I would seriously welcome suggestions and advice.
Alan
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