Ooops,
Just a further clarification:
I've never seen an 11 or 13c lute with a double first. Mace is the only
late source for it, and perhaps it was just him being old-fashioned.
It seems likely that a single 2nd was the result of converting a 10c
lute into 11c. The easy way to do the conversion is to add a treble
rider to get an extra peg and make the second course single, so you
don't have to rebuild the pegbox. All you have to do then is extend the
bridge and nut by one more course on the bass side; you end up with an
overhanging 11th course but that's OK because you don't want to finger
it anyway.
When 11c lutes were made anew there would have been no reason to have a
single second, though once it had become common in converted lutes it
may have persisted thereafter.
Best wishes,
Martin
David van Ooijen wrote:
On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 12:24 AM, Martin Shepherd <mar...@luteshop.co.uk> wrote:
Dear Anthony and All,
The double top course is found on everything from 6c lutes to Mace's 12c
lute, and everything inbetween.
..
iconographic evidence suggests
that a double 2nd was also quite common on 11c lutes.
I had no idea. Can you point us to some? And are there 11-course
instruments left with a double second, or even double first course? Or
converted-to-13-course lutes that show that there has been originally
a double second?
David
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