In had in mind Adlung's (Musica mechanica organoedi) specific comment
in which he recalls:
" having seen and heard a 'Lautenclavicymbel' in Leipzig in about 1740,
designed by Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach and made by Mr. Zacharias
Hildebrand, which was smaller in size than a normal harpsichord but in
all other respects similar. It had two choirs of gut strings, and a
so-called little octave of brass strings. It is true that in its normal
setting (that is, when only one stop was drawn) it sounded more like a
theorbo than a lute. But if one drew the lute-stop (such as is found on
a harpsichord) together with the cornet stop, one could almost
deceive professional lutenists."
The lute (or theorbo stop as it was sometimes called) on a harpsichord
operates an extra row of jacks closer to the nut - hence why producing
an 'edgy' nasal sound. I've previously speculated that this perhaps
points towards of the sort of timbre the Old Ones preferred (if not
Nigel North!).
rgds
M
--- On Wed, 19/10/11, Rob MacKillop <robmackil...@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Rob MacKillop <robmackil...@gmail.com>
Subject: [LUTE] Re: More on the lute-harpsichord (was Re: BWV 998
To: "Martyn Hodgson" <hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk>
Cc: "Lute Dmth" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Date: Wednesday, 19 October, 2011, 11:24
On 19 October 2011 11:12, Martyn Hodgson
<[1][1]hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:
. Notice that by
drawing the lute stop (ie a row of jacks closer to the bridge)
the
writer says the instruments sounds more lute like - perhaps even
more
evidence for us to play our lutes very close to the bridge to
give
a
more edgy sound?
Yet J.N. Bach went out of his way to provide three plucking
positions
along the length of the string. Something Nigel North does
effortlessly
and fairly continuously.
Rob
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