Dear Anthony,
I really didn't want to rehash the old discussion (just wanted to share an
interesting picture), but in a way I am beeing forced to reply, by your
claims that finaly we found the satisfactory and historicaly correct answer
for lute stringing. Not that I am doing it reluctantly - I always like
chatting with you, which is very stimulating - however it really seams that
at this particular moment declaring victory would be a little bit premature.
Personally, I am not particularly interested in the colour question,
but I see that many people would like to touch and see the original
loaded strings, and wont believe they existed unless they actually
see one; and thus the facination with paintings which are somehow
felt to be the next best thing.
If we ignore paintings and scorn "excentric" Mace, than what evidence are we
left with? Some old Italian recepies for treating a leather with some metal
salts and the mesurements made on some old lutes in museums. Recepies are
fine, but do you have any manuscript saying that the strings were commonly
treated by "loading", not "dyeing"? No. How many lutes were mesured for
bridge hole's diameter? 10, 20 or 30? What percentage of all lutes that were
build beetwen 16 - 18 century does it constitute? Something like 0,0000001%
? Is this really irrefutable evidence?
I agree, there is a problem with string gauges for short lutes and some
small bridge holes, but sometimes the solution can occure very easy and
unexpected. For example, recently it happend that I ran out of some long,
thick gut strings for my theorbo and didn't have enough time to order the
new ones. So I just mooved all the courses by one towards bass and added a
thiner 8c and 1c. The effect was surprising. My instrument sounded better
with very fine projection, easy to play, no buzzing, clear tone (not so dull
as with thick ones). And I didn't need to change my RH technique - just as
usual TO. Frankly speeking I haven't changed them since then just because I
like it very much! I am also sure that all my strings would fit any bridge
holes of the same dimention old theorbos. This doesn't proove anything yet,
but as I say, we can't outrule any possibilities.
Meanwhile I'd like to study as much evidence as possible. Including
paintings and potty Mace! I think Stuart is absolutely right saying:
>Mace was a player of the lute, viol
and theorbo, a composer, an enthusiast, and he certainly knew what he
was writing about. He could see that the music he had loved all his life
- English music - was going out of fashion, and wanted to preserve as
much useful, practical information as he could, for future generations,
i.e. for us. We should read the book, and be grateful.
Mace was trying to instruct a lute amateur in choosing the best strings. We
don't know meanings of some terms he uses, but his description is very
clear. If we don't understand something we can't claim he was insane.
As for loaded strings, I'll say again, it can be a good solution, but mainly
for musical reasons at the moment. If we have all the research done and the
results will confirm the string loading hypothesis than we can enjoy them
for two reasons.
But, even without any further findings Mimmo does the great job for us.
Musicians need the choice, diversity.
The whole discussion reminds me of the yachting world. In the beginning of
XX century most of the yachts were of traditional construction - wooden
hulls and masts, cotton sails and elegant narrow silhouettes guaranting good
seaworthiness. Later, fiberglass boatbuilding became a standard with wider
and wider decks, bigger cockpits and shallower shapes that don't guaranty
the same level of safety as the old ones, but are much faster. Obviously the
masts and sails are synthetic as well. Is this the end of yachting? No.
Yachting is better than ever, and it is so, because of enormous diversity of
constructions and equipment at our disposal.
Relating it to our lute world, I'd say, the bigger diversity of strings we
have the better. Just look how many people use Mimmo's nylgut strings
(knowing they aren't historical - so what?). I hope Mimmo will find some
other interesting materials even better for making perfect lute strings. And
it's great we already have the loaded strings. However to claim they are
historical we still have to wait, as David Tayler rightly posted:
But to know what
strings they used, we need to do some basic
research. We have to measure every hole in every
lute bridge, allowing for all the changes that
might have been made. That gives us one data
set--and will of course tell us a HUGE piece of
information on reentrant stringing. Second, we
need to do a chemical analysis of any pieces of
original strings, with some layer X-rays.
Until we do that, we are just guessing. Guessing
is good, but it would be nice to get some basic
data like we have on paper watermarks, paint composition and so on.
Also, if we do the basic research twenty years
from now, it is pretty much guaranteed that it
will invalidate most of what we are doing now.
But meanwhile we can spend wonderfull time with our chosen "dream lute" and
the strings we like most!
Have a fantastic playing session on your loaded strings Anthony!
Best wishes
Jaroslaw
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