Dear Damian, please do send answers to the list, too, so that other may get to know your opinion directly instead of reading it from my quotes.
"damian dlugolecki" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> schrieb: > It is unfortunate that Mimmo made that grand leap of illogic. His analysis > is normally quite sound. > But in this instance he is stretching the facts to fit his hypothesis. Pls elaborate. > You haven't answered my point about lute construction. The advent of wound > strings had an > effect on the construction of bowed instruments, thrust pitch levels down, > and even made possible > instruments like the viola bastarda or the cello piccolo da spalla. But > during the twilight of the era of the > lute they were still making extended necked lutes. This is firm evidence > that the lute was for all time > strung with gut. The invention of theorbating (if that is a word) lutes was explained as solution of problems with bass strings. Players wanted to have extended bass registers, so thicker gut strings were needed. However, there's a technical limit to making thicker gut strings. So, extended necks with second pegboxes were invented so that longer gut strings could be used instead of thicker gut strings for the basses. Does that mean lute players rejected overspun gut strings once they were invented in, say, 1660? Simple answer is, no. And why should they. Did you try Mimmo's démi-file´´s on a swan neck? Not bad, eh? > Don't get me wrong. I'm not here to evangelize about gut strings. That's okay with me. I'm into frsh nylgut strings >8) > telling the truth about the history of the lute, and if you are serious > about discovering the sound world > of the lute, you have to explore the possibilities of gut strings. Well, telling the truth is a tall order, to tell the truth (sorry, couldn't resist), when evidence is lacking. At least, we have that Mest beast with its filthy overspun red-handed strings still in the bridge... Mathias > ----- Original Message ----- > From: ""Mathias Rösel"" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Lutelist" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Cc: "damian dlugolecki" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 1:58 PM > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Double headed 12c > > > > "damian dlugolecki" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> schrieb: > >> >> The fact that it had overspun basses on it at one > >> >> time is not evidence that this is how it was strung during the 17th > >> >> century. > > > > The easiest way would be finding out from when the strings date. > > > >> Overspun strings begin to be used in the late 17th century, but I don't > >> believe that the lute in any of it's forms > >> was ever strung with wound or demi filee strings. > > > > Well, it must have been. That's how the loose ends were to be found, > > sticking in the bridge holes of the Mest lute. > > > >> Everything we know about > >> lute construction right up to the > >> end of the era of the lute points to stringing with gut. Why continue to > >> design extended necked lutes of overspun strings were readily available > >> that > >> met the musical requirments? > >> Those remnants of wire are not evidence of anything. > > > > Perhaps you take what Mimmo has to say about them: > > "How do we know that open wound strings were really used in the 18th > > century lutes? One piece of evidence and several probative elements > > point in that direction: a) The direct evidence comes from the > > pieces of strings on a Lute by Raphael Mest. Half wound strings were in > > use only in the 18th century and it is hard to imagine a later addition > > of this particular kind of string on an instrument that had already > > fallen into disuse." (Source: http://www.aquilacorde.com/lutes.htm , > > scroll down almost to the bottom). > > -- > > Mathias > > > >> >> >> > Dear Collected Wisdom, > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > is there someone on the list who is willing to share their > >> >> >> > experiences > >> >> >> > with double headed 12c lutes and related repertoire? I'm just > >> >> >> > about > >> >> >> > to > >> >> >> > enter that flowery meadow. > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > What I'm interested in is > >> >> >> > - choice: What made you choose that type of lute (that luthier)? > >> >> >> > - measurements: Am I right in assuming that small mensur (about > >> >> >> > 55 > >> >> >> > cm > >> >> >> > VSL) works better? > >> >> >> > - inferentially, luthiers: Who built your instrument and when? > >> >> >> > - tunings: which one do you prefer? > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > Any comments appreciated! > >> >> >> > -- > >> >> >> > Mathias To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
