No possible conclusion, I'm afraid...! Each one makes what he deems best na d that's it : Now, the music coming out of the box, what it says and how it says it, is what really counts, isn't it?
All the best, Jean-Marie ================================= == En réponse au message du 07-04-2012, 18:15:47 == > > That sounds really exciting...please let me know what was the > conclusion... [24.gif] > > Caius > --- On Sat, 4/7/12, Jean-Marie Poirier <[email protected]> wrote: > > From: Jean-Marie Poirier <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: What makes a good lute? > To: "hera caius" <[email protected]> > Date: Saturday, April 7, 2012, 7:08 PM > > No problem Caius (I finally unserstood that Caiusmust be your fist > name, sorry about that !) > Anyway, we can discuss that with Luca (but not only) in Vicenza next > week :-) ! > Best, > Jean-Marie > ================================= > > == En reponse au message du 07-04-2012, 17:49:47 == > > > > > > Sorry for the "p". > > > > Maybe i forgot to say: "IN MY OPINION..." > > --- On Sat, 4/7/12, Jean-Marie Poirier <[1][email protected]> > wrote: > > > > From: Jean-Marie Poirier <[2][email protected]> > > Subject: [LUTE] Re: What makes a good lute? > > To: "Lute List" <[3][email protected]> > > Date: Saturday, April 7, 2012, 6:24 PM > > > > Not a very easy question to answer and by the way not a very > relevant > > question. The very notion of "good" applied to a lute or anything > is > > obviously subjective. The few potentially objective criteria are > > evident : craftsmanship, woods, string action and price. All the > rest > > is open to debate. > > I do not quite agree with Hera to say that Paul Thomson (no "p" by > the > > way ;-) and Joel Van Lennep are the best makers to date, however > good > > they may be, ans they are good ! > > There are, thank God, several other excellent makers, who produce > > excellent lutes as well, not to name them : Martin Haycock, David > Van > > Edwards, Alexander Batov in England, Andy Rutherford in the US, > Julien > > Stryjak or Stephen Murphy in France, Hendryk Hasenfuess in Germany > and > > the list could be made much, much longer... > > All these people ARE excellent makers too. > > Now the problem is aesthetics, what you are after in your mind, > your > > "ideal" of sound; and the price may be another good reason to go to > > this or that maker rather than the supposed top brass ! If you want > the > > same lute as say Paul O'Dette, ok, go to the other Paul (Thomson) > but > > if you have; if you hope to emulate Hoppy, then go to Joel in > Boston. > > But if you have a precise idea of the lute you would like, the > sound > > you would like for such or such repertoire, I am sure it will be > easier > > to discuss details, and to experiment with makers who are not > reputed > > to be simply the best... > > I know people who have sold their Thomson's lute because the sound > > eventually did not correspond to what they were after. > > My twopence anyway ! > > All the best, > > Jean-Marie > > ================================= > > > > == En reponse au message du 07-04-2012, 16:39:34 == > > > Hi, > > > very nice list. Let me put them in a slightly different order: > > > 1. sound (very subjective, but when you hear it, you know you > found > > it) > > > 2. playability (again very subjective. Most of present > lutemakers > > > dogmata are rather funny, especially when supported by > arguments > > like > > > "this respects the original instrument in the collection ABC". > > Fine, > > > what if that istrument had been built for an 11 years old > girl?) > > > 3. Aesthetic. A lute si suppose to be beautiful. Sometimes it > > happens > > > to see really ugly instruments. With all the research involved > in > > XVI > > > and XVII (and XVIII) century lutemaking, an ugly instrument is > > > "unauthentic" ;-) > > > 3. quality of craftmanship (it's sad when you get a nice sound > out > > of a > > > lute a bit too toughly built, if you get what I mean...) > > > 4. authenticity of design / construction (again we need to be > very > > > careful: there are TWO 6 course lutes survived which tells us > not > > much > > > about the variety of 6 course instruments available to XVI > century > > > players) > > > 5. materials (I'd dare say that if it's nicely playable and > have a > > good > > > sound and looks beautiful, well, materials must have been > selected > > the > > > right way...) > > > I don't care about the maker's reputation. If it's an > investment, > > OK. > > > If it's a music instrument, then the maker is not the first > point > > on my > > > list either. > > > Very exciting conversation: I look forward to read other > opinions > > :-) > > > Thanks! > > > Luca > > > William Samson on 07/04/12 15.25 wrote: > > > > > > I haven't really got much to add to the subject line. I've > been > > > chatting with Rob about this and various points have emerged > I'd > > be > > > interested in hearing what priorities you might put on the > various > > > characteristics of a lute in deciding if it's 'good' or > otherwise. > > > > > > The kinds of things that have come up are (in no particular > order): > > > > > > * playability (action, string spacing etc) > > > * sound (which I can't easily define) > > > * authenticity of design/construction > > > * materials used > > > * quality of craftsmanship > > > * reputation of maker > > > > > > > > > Of course these are rather broad headings and might easily be > > refined, > > > clarified or broken down. > > > > > > Thoughts, please? > > > > > > Bill > > > > > > -- > > > > > > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at > > >[1][1][4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > >References > > > > > > 1. [2][5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > ======================================== > > > > -- > > > >References > > > > 1. [6]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > 2. [7]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > ======================================== > > -- > >References > > 1. file://localhost/mc/[email protected] > 2. file://localhost/mc/[email protected] > 3. file://localhost/mc/[email protected] > 4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > 6. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > 7. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > ========================================
