Dear Martin,
Thanks for your message. See below....
2009/1/10 Martin Shepherd <[1]mar...@luteshop.co.uk>
Dear All,
Just a note on the strings issue: it is a mistake to assume that
just because wound strings were available, lutenists used them.
Some kind of wound string seems to have been available in the 1660s,
yet they are not mentioned by Mace (1676) or Burwell (c.1670). They
are also not seen in lute iconography - Mimmo has the details -
though they are sometimes seen in paintings of bowed instruments. I
don't think Mouton's strings (c.1690?) are wound, either. Even in
the18th C, one has to ask why bother with the "swan-neck" design if
you have wound strings?
Totally agree.
I think the only piece of physical evidence that a wound string of
any sort was ever used on any kind of lute is the string fragment on
the Mest lute, and even then there are the usual doubts about
exactly how old that fragment is, what it was used for, etc.
But presumably wound strings were being used for at least the 12th and
13th courses of the rider lutes? Although, perhaps these were loaded
strings. At any rate, plain gut could not possibly achieve those
pitches at such a short string length.
Best wishes,
Benjamin
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