It's interesting that these two discussions should be going on
simultaneously, since both could be regarded as "fake lutes": they
deviate from "historical authenticity." As Pat O'Brien tells it,
people's hands, like their bodies, were smaller in the 16th and 17th
centuries, so were more able to play cleanly on lutes with tighter
spacing. Lutenists with small hands, like Paul O'Dette, have an
advantage over the rest of us. Widening the string spacing levels the
playing field, though it deviates from historic accuracy.
Although I have no interest in owning or playing a liuto forte, I
applaud the people experimenting with new instrument designs like this.
This will help to make our beloved instrument and its music more
accessible in the 21st century, another topic we have been discussing.
It used to be joked about early 20th century harpsichord maker Pleyel
that if he experimented enough, eventually he would invent the piano!
Geoff
--
Geoff Gaherty
Foxmead Observatory
Coldwater, Ontario, Canada
http://www.gaherty.ca
http://starrynightskyevents.blogspot.com/
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