Hey all,
Interesting discussion. I have to say, I'm with Sterling & Roman et al
on this one. I started on renaissance lute (actually, guitar before
that), and D minor baroque lute is still a secondary instrument for me.
But if you can find the basses (most of us can with some patient
work), there is a vast repertoire that is available, and much easier
than most of Dowland, for instance.
From my perspective, the hardest lute music is Italian, c. 1580-1620.
Piccinini's music, straddling the two epochs, is unrelentingly
difficult. The bass work isn't too bad (even Toccata XX from his 1623
print doesn't demand too much of one's "thumb radar"), but the left
hand work is brutal.
Zamboni's music for archlute doesn't spend a lot of time below the 9th
or 10th course (I think most of it you could play on a veil ton 10c
lute), but even as his textures are leaner than Weiss', the left hand
work is considerably more demanding. D minor works!
Cheers,
Tom Walker, Jr.
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