64 is a bit long in the tooth for 440. You can get the gut up to pitch barely but it is a stretch. But if you want it for Dowland, F is very good both singer and solo wise. The tessatura of the songs is such that a significant number phonate better at 392, although some of the nice ones lie low, eg Can she excuse, In Darkness I usually use two lutes for the songs a tone apart, so as to include Flow not so fast, Weep you no more, and a few of the low ones, Shepherd in a shade, etc.For a soprano you can go 392/440 For a mezzo or alto/countertenor 370/415
dt At 12:38 PM 4/1/2008, you wrote: >I'm thinking of getting a 7c in G at 440 - is 64cms the longest length >possible? I have big hands and find small lutes uncomfortable. I'm thinking >of it principally for Dowland's chromatic fantasies but also accompanying a >singer in songs from Dowland's first three books (all for seven-course), and >need to be at 440. How stable will be the pitch at 440? Gut strings would be >preferable, but might well opt for nylgut for the first course if it keeps >breaking. What diameters and tensions would you suggest? > >Also on relatively small lutes (not baroque) such as a 7c, what difference >in tone might one expect from a multi-ribbed back as opposed to wide ribs? > >Rob MacKillop > >-- > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
