> This whole discussion begins to approach the (almost ZEN) question of: "What is > the "pure" lute sound?"
Seems a religious approach, indeed. And answers given from this perspective will always smell of the _religion_ of Music. > Look at how a lute will sound in different environments. Out in the open nature > (bird song and all), or confined within larger or smaller spaces (warm tapestried > wooden rooms versus cathedrals). The sound will vary immensely. Not to mention the musical environment which predisposes our perception, comprising muzak in supermarkets, pop in the radio, internet and tele, musical and opera through mass media, and, not least, recordings on CD. What a sound is like, much depends on what you've just listened to before. > The stringing may vary, the construction of the lute may vary, etc. etc. You may take what you like. The choice is rather confined, however, when it comes to HIP. > So should we persue this quest for the "perfect" lute sound, and can we? I for one prefer leaving this to others. IMO there is no man-made thing that qualifies as perfect. After all, perfection is a matter of (your own) idea(s). There are luthiers who build lutes notwithstanding surviving models, according to their notion of a perfect lute, or what it should be. The Liuto Forte has resulted from such thinking. > But as I see it, human ears just love diversity. Yes, and that is the point IMO. Ears are crucial to sound. Instruments, strings, environments and resulting sounds are irrelevant unless there's an ear that listens. And you will never know what a certain sound, that you hear, will sound like to your neighbour. I do not seek for certain historical sounds as such. I have no idea how lutes sounded to 17th century people because I cannot imagine a musical world where sounds and music, that I have heard so far, do not yet exist. As long as I can remember, I cannot pretend not to know. > A piece by f. ex. Bach or Weiss, > played on multiple instruments or if plucked on: an authentic gut strung 13 > course German baroque lute, a harp, an 11-14 string alto guitar, a lautenwerck > etc. may be equally moving as well as equally JUSTIFIED. Notwithstanding that e. g. the alto guitar will hardly do justice to Bach's music in terms of HIP. Any instrument of our colourful modern world is justified to be played upon. You may try a transcription of Judenkünig's Niederlendisch Tantz on a grand Steinway, you may try Bach's toccata and fugue in D minor on an archlute, you may try a Chopin waltz on the e-guitar, and what not. Anything goes because the judgment is ours and of those who listen. Best, Mathias To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
