[LUTE] Re: cleaning

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 11/2/2006 3:27:29 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

>  from Kenneth Be, a conservator at the Cleveland Museum
> of Fine  Arts.  They actually use spit to clean the grime
> of centuries  from paintings by the old masters.  So he

If you eat some licorice  before you can make a lot of Rembrandts this way 
;-))


BH 
 
Of course, there is always the brand "Rembrandt" toothpaste, but (seriously  
now) I wouldn't recommend having any residual toothpaste before spit  cleaning 
(microabrasives, whiteners, flouride?)
Actually, it isn't a bad idea to clean thoroughly (your mouth that is) and  
then rinse very very thoroughly!  (never thought I'd be contributing dental  
hygene tips on the Lute List...)
 
- Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: cleaning

[KennethBeLute]

 
I see that I have just achieved my long overdue 15 minutes of fame!   Anyway, 
yes, clean saliva is usually perfectly fine, but roll a wad of soft  cotton 
onto a thin swab stick so that it is long and elongate, not short and  stubby, 
and only lightly moisten it.  Then gently roll it over the soiled  area of the 
soundboard.  Warning:  one some lutes it can remove some  of the finish.  I 
recently removed some dirt from one of my Tomlinson lutes  and discovered that 
some of the varnish finish was removed when the area  dried.  However, I 
replaced some varnish into that area and all was ok  afterwards.
 
I am very fastidious with my lutes and also clean the dirt from the  
fingerboards and even on the backside of the neck, as well as the body fret 
area  and 
where the right arm touches the bottom of the lute.
 
There is a "synthetic saliva" formula consisting of triammonium citrate  that 
can also be used, but I still prefer my own mouth moisture.  
 
"Spit" cleanings are commonly and routinely done to clean unvarnished  
paintings (amazing how much dirt accumulates on the surfaces of paintings in  
clean 
museum environments just from the visitor traffic bringing in dirt from  the 
street outside!) and are often done as a preliminary step before varnish  
removal from varnished paintings. These days, however, I use the triammonium  
citrate solution on paintings and sometimes a solution even more potent.
 
Kenneth Be
 
In a message dated 11/1/2006 4:30:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

That  suggestion usually shocks some people.  But it was 
from Kenneth Be, a  conservator at the Cleveland Museum 
of Fine Arts.  They actually use  spit to clean the grime 
of centuries from paintings by the old  masters.  So he 
uses spit also to clean his lutes.  But perhaps  he can 
explain more.

==ajn


 

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[LUTE] Re: Frei body renaissance lute

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 10/27/2006 6:03:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  anthony.hi
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

Jacob  Heringman who plays with gut on recordings told me that he  
prefered  64 or 67 or 71 lengths for better range of tone. He said that,
"On the  Pickeringe, some of the pieces are on a 64-cm lute, and some  
on a  58-cm lute. And on the Siena, I play four lutes: 2 at 60 cm, 1  
at  59, and 1 at 70."
Anthony


He also told me once that, for him,  the longer string lengths allow  for the 
finger positions to "stretch out" more, actually making it more  comfortable 
to play difficult complex fingerings on pieces where the left hand  fingers 
"cramp" in a smaller area of the fingerboard. I think he was referring  to this 
when I asked him about his Josquin intabulations recording and choice of  
lutes.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: Buying a Lute

[KennethBeLute]

I would recommend staying away from a descant lute as a first  instrument.  
This lute is best when played in an ensemble with other lutes  of varying sizes 
and pitches.  My opinion: go for the 6 course  "Duiffopruchar" model!  You 
will be able to play most of the renaissance  lute repertoire on this lute and 
it is a good size to start with , fitting well  to the average person's hand 
and arm size.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: 1528-36 pieces

[KennethBeLute]

If the doors of the tower slammed shut in 1536, then Casteliono book of  
tablatures published in Milan would be appropriate. 
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: OT: list of visual artists also active as professional or com...

[KennethBeLute]

Vasari also mentions Sebastiano del Piombo as an artist who should have  
devoted more time to his art and less to the lute.
 
 
Thomas Gainsborough sought out lessons on the 13c lute from Rudolphe  
Straube.  
 
 
 
Kenneth 

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[LUTE] Re: Instruments in the cooler?

[KennethBeLute]

When the architect Inigo Jones returned to England from Italy with what  must 
be the first recorded entry of a theorbo into Britain he was held up at  
customs while the officials decided whether or not he was bringing in an  
"instrument of destruction" and a threat to national security.  It was a  
strange 
sight to see a giraffe lute for the first time.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: Instruments in the cooler?

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 8/24/2006 5:09:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

this  time the x-ray lady saw the big nail inside the lute. :-)))
 
 

This same thing happened to me last year at an airport.  The security  
officials were grouped and conferring around the x-ray monitor looking at the  
big 
screw in the neck block.  For a moment I was worried that they would  only 
allow the lute onboard if I removed the screw from it!
 
Kenneth






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[LUTE] Re: Instruments in the cooler?

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 8/23/2006 8:27:02 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

The  temperature and pressure problems are greatly exaggerated in the 
popular  imagination.


--
 
Howard:
 
I recall you having the best travel system for transporting lutes as  checked 
luggage:  a sizeable metal chest with an excellent cushioning  arrangement to 
fit in more than one lute.  Truly a cool lute cooler!
 
Yes you are right.  The temperature and pressure in the cargo hold  isn't too 
different than in the passenger cabin.  The problem for wooden  instruments 
is the very low relative humidity throughout the plane on long  flights, so it 
is important to seal the lute in a plastic bag before placing it  in the case.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: Dowland dated

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 8/19/2006 10:52:42 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

Did  somebody ever try to date the music by Dowland, or at least make an  
attempt at an order of composition?


---
Paul O'Dette made a rough attempt to make an approximate order.  He  made a 
handout of his chronological version at the LSA lutefestival in Columbus  
around 1998 or so.  I think his Dowland CD's follow the same chronology,  
especially volumes 1-3.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: 8-course lute literature?

[KennethBeLute]

 
The music of Laurencini di Roma is another high point of 7 - 8 course  
Italian repertoire.  Much of his music is in Besarde's Thesaurus  Harmonicus, 
but 
there is a good modern edition of his music published by the  Lute Society:
 
 
Thirty  Pieces for the Lute by Laurencini 

edited by Tim Crawford. Fantasies and other pieces by one of the  leading 
Italian virtuosi of Dowland=E2=80's time, in French tablature, for 6 to  
9-course 
lutes, 32 pages. 
Kenneth


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[LUTE] Re: 8-course lute literature?

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 8/17/2006 4:38:07 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

Dear all,
as an amateur lute player  studying in Italy I tend to spend most of my time
playing  Italian lute music from the XVI century. Well, I guess this  happens
to everybody, anyway... ;-)
I own a  splendid 8-course lute made by Stephen Barber and Sandi Harris  and
suddenly started wondering why I *ever* bought an 8 course  lute. In fact, I
either stumble on "pure" 6-course lute  tablatures or on a Baroque repertoire
written evidently for a  10-course lute.
I would be very, very, *very* grateful if you  could post me some indication
regarding 8-course lute music  pieces to avoid selling my lute to finally get
a  6-course...
Thank you in advance,
Luca



 
Luca:
 
It is fine to play 6-course tablature repertoire on a 7 or 8 course  lute.  
The earliest source of lute music from Italy is the manuscript in  Pesaro from 
around 1480 to 1495 and it contains a piece or  two requiring a 7th course 
(D)!  And the famous Siena Lutebook  with mostly 6 course repertoire was 
compiled 
during the second half of the  16th C. and contains some works requiring a 
7th course.  
 
For 7 or 8 courses in Italian repertoire: 
 
in addition to Molinaro and the Raimondi manuscript, you can find nice  
pieces to play by Terzi (1593 and 1599), some works by Kapsberger from 1611 are 
 
playable, as well as Piccinini (1623 and 1640).  Also Giulio Cesare  Barbetta 
and Santini Garsi di Parma.  All of the dance repertoire is nice,  too, and you 
can always add extra basses in yourself: Negri and Caroso.
 
There are also plenty of Italian-based composers to be found in Dowland's  
Varietie of Lute Lessons 1610 and in Besarde's Thesaurus Harmonicus, as well as 
 
the Lord Herbert of Cherbury Lutebook (not available as an edition).
 
I recommend the Lyre Music Publications anthologies of "The Art of the Lute  
in Renaissance Italy" (three volumes covering Intabluations, Dances, and  
Fantasia) to have much of this repertoire bound in convenient editions that fit 
 
well on the music stand.
 
Kenneth Be


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[LUTE] Re: Strings for chittarone

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 8/5/2006 9:33:08 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

I have a  gig coming, on 
vihuela, and the weather here is so humid, decided to try  nylgut on that 
instrument, so I put those strings on last night.  It  sounds terrible in 
nylgut, so I will re-apply the gut, and suffer tuning  problems.  I cannot 
accept bad sound, just because it is in  tune.



Last night I performed in a little concert using my nylgut  strung 10 course 
lute under conditions which were not excessively humid and was  surprised to 
find that I had great difficulty keeping this lute in tune,  compared to the 
gut strung lutes which I normally play on.  Not only this,  but I find I can 
tune gut strung lutes with greater ease and more  quickly than lutes strung 
with 
nylgut.
 
Yes, gut is the way to go!
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: Origami lutenist

[KennethBeLute]

I post this again more clearly:
 
 
http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/ 
(http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/) 

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[LUTE] Origami lutenist

[KennethBeLute]

In addition to loving the lute, I am a great fan and admirer of origami and  
want to share this with the list:  
_http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/_ 
(http://flickr.com/photos/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/92027309/) 
 
Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: Vihuela vs. Renaissance lute for a beginning lute student

[KennethBeLute]

The most important difference for the musician is more in timbre.  The  
vihuela has a more "throaty" direct, slightly "shallower" sound and the lute  
is a 
rounder, more "enveloping" sound.  Also, if you tune most of the  courses in 
unisons on the vihuela, as opposed to the lute, it makes a different  
experience in playing the same pieces as you would on the lute.
 
I agree with Ed that you can easily transfer exactly the same right hand  
technique from the lute to the vihuela.  
 
To me, both instruments are beautiful to listen to and play, so I have a  
hard time deciding between one or the other.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: Hollar etching was: lute straps

[KennethBeLute]

To all:
 
I had sent to a few members of this list a scanned image of a very  
interesting 17th C. print etching by the artist Wenceslaus Hollar, a Bohemian  
artist 
who worked in London, of a young lutenist sitting very upright holding a  
"double headed" lute which is attached by either a single chord passing through 
 
two buttons on his jacket, or else two separate chords attached to his  
buttons. 
 
 
If anyone else would like to see the print, please email me and I will send  
you the image file.  Please specify whether you wish to have a lower  
resolution (120kb) or higher resolution scan (750kb).
 
Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: HBO Movie Elizabeth I

[KennethBeLute]

I recall from a conversation with Hogwood many years ago that he told me  
that when Munrow was working with the producers of "The Six Wives of Henry 
VIII"  
and told to come up with appropriate soundtrack music, he of course turned to 
 the consort books of pieces attributed to Henry VIII himself, but then they  
sounded so odd to the producers that they asked him to find something more  
"acceptable" to the TV audience.  They settled on pieces by Susato  instead!
 
 
Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: pearls falling onto a jade plate

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 4/7/2006 9:38:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

in this week's  economist (apr 1-7) there's an article
on a pipa player - wu man, by name -  in which the
sound of her instrument is likened to "pearls falling
onto  a jade plate."

would anyone care to wax lyrical over the sound of  a
lute?




 
And, speaking of pearls: (from Mary Burwell lute tutor)
 
 
"The Lute  is, without Contradiction, the King of instruments... [It] is a 
Closett  Instrument that will suffer the company of but few hearers and such as 
have a  delicate Eare, for the pearles are not to be cast before the Swine; as 
I  answered once to a Gentlewoaman that told me that the Lute was a heavy  
Musick.  I answered that her Eare  was heavy and that a Violin was most fitt 
for 
her." 
Kenneth  Be

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[LUTE] Re: pearls falling onto a jade plate

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 4/7/2006 9:38:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

would  anyone care to wax lyrical over the sound of  a
lute?


---
 
on Francesco da Milano:
 
they remained deprived of all senses save that  of hearing, as if the spirit, 
having abandoned all the seats of the senses, had  retired to the ears in 
order to enjoy the more at its ease so ravishing a  harmony; and I believe 
(said 
M. de Ventemille) that we would be there still, had  he not himself - I know 
not how - changing his style of playing with a gentle  force, returned the 
spirit and the senses to the place from which he had stolen  them, not without 
leaving as much astonishment in each of us as if we had been  elevated by an 
ecstatic transport of some divine frenzy... 
 
 
Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: MShepherd

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 4/3/2006 4:43:36 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

Does  somebody know what happened to Martin Shepherd's  homepage
http://www.luteshop.co.uk ?




 
 
I just called Martin on the phone yesterday to tell him that both his  
website and his email are not working.  He now knows it and is working on  
getting 
back online soon.
 
Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: righthand technique - plectrum and lute

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 3/19/2006 10:07:48 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

apart  from the article by joseph baldassare, mentioned
earlier, is there any  early european documentation
relating to how the lute was played prior to  the
advent of thumb over plucking and strumming: 
instructions for  making plectrum; hand positions,
etc.?



 
Here is the text from the last part of the chapter by Vladimir Ivanoff on  
the "Pesaro" ms. in "Performance Practice on Lute, Guitar, and  Vihuela" 
(edited 
by Victor Coehlo)  pp14-15:
 
PLAYING THE  CORRECT INSTRUMENT
The pieces in Tablature A call for  a six-course lute in relative A-tuning. 
The left-hand fingering of some of the  larger chords can be comfortably 
executed on a lute with a rather short string  length (approximately 50=E2=80"5 
cm between 
bridge and nut). Unfortunately, there is  only one extant lute from the first 
third of the sixteenth century that has come  down to us in a presumably 
original state. This lute was most probably built in  Venice and was in the 
collection of Laurence C. Witten II that is now at the  Shrine to Music 
collection 
in South Dakota. Friedemann Hellwig has dated this  instrument to shortly after 
1500.37 Other than the fact that the instrument has  only five courses, it is 
perfectly suited to play the pieces in Tablature A. It  has a string length 
of 50 cm and the ribs are made from ivory. The distance  between the lowest and 
highest strings is 2.6 cm at the nut and 6.8 cm at the  bridge. The wide 
distance between the courses at the bridge is an advantage for  plectrum 
technique, while the narrow span at the nut allows the use of the  left-hand 
thumb for 
fingering; this technique furthermore makes the fingering of  the widely 
stretched five- and six-note chords in Tablature A a bit  easier.
In the absence of any relevant European descriptions, information  concerning 
the appropriate lute plectrum is offered by the partly still-living  
tradition employed by al- 'ud players in the Islamic world. According to  
tradition, 
the 'ud player Ziryab (d. 852), introduced a new type of plectrum  (midrab 
al-'ud) made from an eagle's feather. This type of plectrum is still  made in 
the 
following way: the upper (softer) end of the feather is spliced with  a sharp 
knife to a length of about 8-10 cm; the surface of one half of the  spliced 
piece is then smoothed and cleaned from the spongy substance in the  interior 
part; finally, the tip of the plectrum is rounded and smoothed  again.
 
37   Friedemann Hellwig, 'Lutemaking in the late 15th and 16th  Century', 
LSJ16 (1974), pp. 24-38.
 
 
Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: Tinctoris

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 3/18/2006 2:35:52 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

aren't  there chord shapes up 
there in early books that request L's and K's? For  these I wonder if 
there were bass or long tenor lutes that had, say, 10  frets on the 
neck. The longer string length would give more room for  finger 
placement as well as more bass notes for general  use.


--
Hello Sean:
 
If you loosen your grip with your thumb or even release it altogether from  
the back of the neck you can go anywhere with your fingers down the  string. 
(like modern day cellists).
 
Yes, it is true that you can play in (or out of) tune without the frets,  
just using your aural sense of pitch.
 
Interestingly, it has been proposed that the lute depicted in  the Lorenzo 
Costa "Concert" painting in the London National Gallery has  body fret 
positions 
merely inlaid as markers and as decorations, so strong was  the tradition and 
preference to finger the notes directly on the  soundboard.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: Tinctoris

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 3/18/2006 12:31:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

--- Stuart Walsh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> those  very high passages in  Spinacino would
> suddenly go into oud  mode?

disaster!  would sound like the instrument had
suddenly  lost its voice. even with tie-on frets,
"plucking" an oud produces a  mediocre  sound - nothing
as rich and resonate as when picked.   without
plectrum, those very early, "oudy" looking lutes -
fret-less or  otherwise - must have sounded pretty
piano.

if tie-on frets were  preferred to fixed because they
offered variable intonation, presumably,  the little
"stack" of frets glued to the face could sometimes be
at odds  with preceding notes.

- bill 

---
 
To Bill and Stuart:
 
Actually, this brings up an interesting point.  I had my six course  lute 
made by Grant Tomlinson intentionally leaving off the body frets.   Very 
quickly 
I have become used to fingering the notes by the sense of the  location for 
finger placement (and intonation by ear).  By angling my  fingertips as 
perpendicular as possible and also sharply plucking the string  closer to the 
bridge, 
it is capable of a quite a nice and loud sound  production.  The difference in 
sound between fretless on the soundboard  and the tied frets (it goes up to 
the eighth fret on my lute, although one of  my other six course lutes has nine 
tied frets) is quite attractive once you  get used to it (for ex. in the 
Dalza pavana alla venetiana in "G major" when  the melody leaps up an octave 
you 
suddenly have to have to land on the  invisible fret 12 and it is exciting for 
both the player and the audience,  too).
 
I had my lute radiographed at the neck join area and discovered that a  short 
vertical bar is glued under the soundboard where these notes are  fingered.  
This explains, too, why my lute is loud in this range.
 
Kenneth Be








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[LUTE] Re: Tinctoris

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 3/12/2006 6:42:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

I've  often heard that those glued-on high frets are a modern invention. 
Is that  still the prevailing theory?


Hello Sean:
 
Yes, I heard a lecture at Lute Society in Feb2002 by Tony Bailes and he  said 
that glued on body frets were not added by makers until maybe the late 17th  
C.  John Johnson, however, was known to have added body frets to his  lute.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: Your advice, please ...

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 3/3/2006 2:33:58 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

what  would you suggest as a book 
(a reference, more than one if you like, but  in English) about the 
history of the lute  literature?



-
 
For sure, I would recommend Douglas Alton Smith's A History of the Lute  
from Antiquity to the Renaissance, published by the Lute Society of  America:
 
_http://www.mclasen.com/LuteHistory/_ (http://www.mclasen.com/LuteHistory/) 
 
- Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: Flight Case Update

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 2/22/2006 3:41:13 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

And with bubble wrap around your 
normal case. It's another trick I  learned from Toyohiko, and a good one. 
Wrap your normal case with several  layers of good quality bubble wrap. If 
you'r carefull in wrapping and  unwrapping you can use it again. Leave the 
handle free. It's light and  offers very good protection.
 
---
 
my 2 cents:
 
Something that I've done is to add two inch thick blocks of ethafoam  around 
the sides, bottom end, top end, and bottom surface of the lute case  BEFORE 
wrapping it tightly with heavy plastic.  Just the top side is not  padded, with 
the handle and and the checked baggage tag and ID tag are  sticking out of a 
hole cut in the plastic.  This way, the lute case more  or less remains with 
the handle side up and all other sides are protected for  "bouncing" around.  
 
I thought of this after watching a TV documentary about the solution  at NASA 
in designing the way the Mars Rover could land successfully by  dropping to 
the surface and bouncing around before coming to a rest.  It  uses a 
configuration of inflatable balloons.
 
Kenneth Be



 

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[LUTE] Re: A different 6 course question

[KennethBeLute]

 
In a message dated 2/20/2006 11:15:03 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

I've  been away all weekend and have just caught up on the six course  
discussion. Since we're on this topic I'd like to ask if anyone  
prefers a six course with a wider neck. I have one of Dan Larson's  
Ricercare six course lutes. It's a lovely instrument with good sound  
and response. However I find that I often am hitting the strings in  
the next course lower course when playing. I have thought it was  
because the neck very narrow nearer the pegbox and of course I've 
also  thought it might simply be my playing technique. But I got to 
comparing it  to my guitars and wondering if perhaps the neck couldn't 
be made a tad  wider, say half an inch, to alleviate this problem. 
Then I began to wonder  if others ran across this problem and what you 
did about it. So then, have  any of you players wanted a wider necked 
six course lute? Have any of your  luthiers made a wider necked six 
course lute? How did it work out? Did it  accomplish what you (and I) 
hoped it would?



 
I have always found the narrower neck by the pegbox end to be an advantage  
when playing six course repertoire.  Often very difficult and complex  
fingerings have to be managed, such as some of the fantasias of Bakfark, and I  
find 
it much easier on the six course lute because of both its narrower left  hand 
spacing and also the rounded "half circle" cross section shape of the  neck.  I 
play with my thumb coming to a rest on the upper side of the neck  reverse.
 
Of course, one can always determine the spacing on the left hand when the  
lute is being made or, if possible, by changing the groove spacings on the  nut.
 
Kenneth

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[LUTE] Re: POD on iTunes

[KennethBeLute]

 
Yes  .iPO'D!
 
Kenneth
 
 
n a message dated 1/31/2006 5:51:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

Gives a  whole new meaning to the word iPOD.

David

> For fans of both  O'Dette and iTunes, I notice that they have just added 16 
> POD albums  (Harmonia Mundi) to the iTunes store. Of course, most readers 
> of this  list probably own them already.





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[LUTE] Re: 6 course

[KennethBeLute]

 
For me, it is so much in the quality of the way the six course lute  
responds, with a simpler bar pattern in the soundboard, a less "complicated"  
sound 
with more emphasis on the fundamental, less in the higher frequencies, and  a 
good  volume balance between all the courses, that seem on equal terms in  
volume and ability to articulate the bass, treble and all the range in  
between. 
Using octaves down to the 4th course also helps.  I find it  much more 
straightforward to phrase the repertoire for six course ON a six  course.
 
In the same way, I find it much easier to articulate the repertoire for the  
11 course lute on the 11 course, rather than a 13 course.
 
Kenneth Be
 
 
 
In a message dated 2/18/2006 4:40:22 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

On Feb  18, 2006, at 1:15 PM, Daniel Shoskes wrote:

> So, I'm glad that  people who have 6 course lutes are thrilled with
> their instruments.  What I don't fully understand is why the 6 course
> literature is "so  much easier" to play on a 6 course lute. I have an
> 8 course that I  love: great sound, fits my hands well, guitarists
> look at it and are  freaked out by how many strings there are (until I
> bring out my 13  course!). My only difficulty in playing early 6
> course music is some  of the left hand stretches. But wouldn't the
> solution to that problem  be a shorter string length rather than fewer
> courses? What are the  other advantages people find from their 6
> course lutes that is missing  from their 8 course lutes (of equal
> quality)?
>
>  DS


 

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[LUTE] Re: Casanova

[KennethBeLute]

I stayed through to the end of the credits and  saw that the brief  track of 
a Dalza recercar was from the Early Venetian Naxos CD of Chris  Wilson.
 
Kenneth Be

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[LUTE] Re: Ownership

[KennethBeLute]

As for me...
 
lutes:
5 course plectrum (Brown)
6 course   (Tomlinson)
6 course (Nurse)
6 course alto (Greenhood)
7 course (Bowers)
10 course (Brown)
11 course (Tomlinson)
14 course archlute (from kit)
 
others:
4 course gitarra latina
4 course ren. guitar
5 course bar. guitar
7 course vihuela
cittern
two early harps
 
Kenneth Be

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Re: pipa

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 7/12/2005 8:51:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
In lieu of doing makeup work in my academic lecture class at Saitama 
University yesterday, a Chinese student agreed to give a 
demonstration of the pipa.
I like this "in lieu of doing makeup work" idea!  If I were in such a 
situation, I would offer to give a lute concert.

Kenneth

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Re: Built-in action? Double frets

[KennethBeLute]

I have played a six course lute double-fretted, single strand of fret going 
around the neck twice, with the fretting carefully selected and tied by the 
lute's maker Ray Nurse, for many years.  The gut frets, with all gut strings on 
the lute, has lasted so well that I have only had to have the instrument 
refretted once in 12 years of continuous use of the lute.  The very slight and 
gentle "fizz" on the sound of the fretted notes is attractive to me and 
characteristic of the sound of this lute.  I think Capirola even refers to this 
effect in 
his instructions.

The key thing seems to be to have a very low action, a low nut, and very thin 
diameters for the double frets.  They grade minimally from down the neck.

Double fretting is frequent in depictions in paintings and prints throughout 
the sixteenth century and well into the seventeenth century.  It even occurs 
in Laurent de la Hyre's Allegory of Music (Metropolitan Museum of Art) theorbe 
player.

I also enjoy single frets which I have on my other two six course lutes.

Kenneth Be

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Re: Mudarra's bordon

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 5/27/2005 7:10:12 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
I don't know whether any 16th century lute music involves tuning the 6th
course  down a tone.  Perhaps someone on the list can tell us.

Plenty of examples, the earliest being several piece in the Capirola lute 
book.

Kenneth Be

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Re: lute outreach -tuning..

[kennethbelute]

 
 I know that Mike Peterson and also Ronn McFarlane regularly play lute in 
airport departure lounges while waiting for their flights.  I myself once took 
out my lute and played during a long and unexpected flight delay in Toronto.  I 
was playing through a book of English popular tunes and suddenly found it 
humorous to be playing "Loth to Depart" - it was a new spin on flight delays!
 
Several people, including otherwise bored stewardesses and pilots, stopped by 
to see what I was playing and asked questions.  I overheard one captain exclaim 
to his co-pilot "that's a lute!" as they walked by!
 
Kenneth
 
 

-Original Message-
From: Arto Wikla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Edward Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 22:27:00 +0300 (EEST)
Subject: Re: lute outreach -tuning..



Dear all

Ed wrote:

> I have wondered if anyone had ever taken a lute out in flight & played for 
> passengers!  Good show, Kenneth!

Well, not in aeroplane, but a couple of times in train, 10-course and 
theorbo. Both got good comments, and especially the theorbo aroused lots
of interest...

And of course they asked the normal questions: How many strings, what does
it cost...  ;-)

Once I had the theorbo sitting on the next seat in an aeroplane, in its 
case, and they asked what it would like to eat and drink...  ;)

Arto

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Re: Lute Happenings in Rome Italy

[kennethbelute]

Steven:
 
Definitely go to the musical instrument museum (check the hours very carefully 
first) where they seemed to have no problem with me taking pictures with my 
digital camera two years ago.  Plenty of early plucked instruments there, 
including the famous "Barberini Harp" which also depicted in a painting in the 
Palazzo Barberini.
 
Apart from whatever instruments are on view, or concerts to attend, the best 
things about traveling to places like Rome is to get a sense of the rooms where 
musical performances may have likely taken place.  I always clap my hands 
lightly one time in each such room to get a sense of the accoustics.  Note the 
size, the ceiling heights, the decor, etc, to get a sense of the "architectural 
context" for original performance settings.  Furthermore, the chance to see 
architecture, sculpture, and paintings in the original environments of 
Francesco da Milano (I imagine he must have played in Pope Paul III's 
apartments in the Castel S. Angelo, for example) and Kapsberger is an 
opportunity not to pass up!
 
Buon viaggio!
 
Kenneth 
 
-Original Message-
From: - - <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:06:13 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Lute Happenings in Rome Italy


Hello,

I'm going to be in Rome the first week of May and was wondering if anyone
has any suggestions as to what I can do "lute related" in Rome?  Museums
with original instruments, luthiers, concerts, etc.
Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Steven




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Re: lute outreach -tuning..

[kennethbelute]

Let me tell about some interesting lute outreach during which I definitely 
could NOT keep my gut strings in tune.  Several months ago I was crossing over 
the Atlantic in a B747 cargo jet and couldn't resist giving my first-ever lute 
outreach performance over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to my fellow 
passenger/couriers.  I played familiar simple tunes like Greensleeves, but 
eventually gave up because it was impossible to keep the strings tuned in the 
super-dry air cabin environment, not to mention the competition with the noise 
from the jet engines!  However, at close range my listeners could at least 
appreciate hearing and seeing a lute for the first time.
 
Kenneth

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Re: lute outreach

[kennethbelute]

 
 
-Original Message-
From: Roman Turovsky <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Michael Thames <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; LUTE-LIST 
Sent: Tue, 12 Apr 2005 14:30:05 -0400
Subject: Re: lute outreach


>> 1. Carbon strings held tuning throughout the 10-hour >overnight ride to
>> Cleveland. 11th course octave was a little flat in the >morning. I didn't
>> touch a peg for the rest of the weekend
> 
> So let me get this straight, your saying over a three day period from NY.
> In different rooms, hotel, houses, concert hall etc. you didn't touch a peg
> other than your 11th course.  You are either "pitch challenged", or prone to
> spinning  tall tales, most likely both!
> Michael Thames
1. Our main vocalist Julian Kytasty has perfect pitch, so he would have
mentioned it if I were out of tune.
2. I am "pitch challenged" so I use devices. My Korg-AT1 didn't say anything
either.
3. I guess I have to thank Larry Brown for a really stable intrument. Maybe
you should apprentice to him.
4. One other possibility is that Ken Be' tuned my axe when I wasn't looking,
on Saturday, but it is not very likely.
RT

Yes, not likely that I tuned it, I can attest.  
By the way, Roman's lute DID seem well in tune after all it's travels 
(so did my all-gut strung 11 course after coming out of its case for the 1st in 
two months!)
Kenneth

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Re: Blind players and memory

[KennethBeLute]

Per all the discussion about playing from memory, I want to mention and 
highly recommend to anyone in New York City to try to get to the following 
concert 
of Matthew Wadsworth, who is both blind and plays programs and vast amounts of 
repertoire from memory.  There is a possibility, too, that he might be 
teaching  a class on the art of playing from memory at the LSA Lute Festival 
2006.

For the sight impaired lutenists, Matthew has developed a Braille software 
tablature program. 


April 13, solo program of Kapsberger 
free concert at 1:15PM
St. Francis of Assisi Church
135 West 31st Street
(between 6th and 7th Avenues)

http://www.midtownconcerts.org/MidTownIndex.html


and then on April 15:

Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York: solo concert in the Patrons' 
Lounge - extracts from "14 Silver Strings" - with David McGuinness (harpsichord)

http://www.matthewwadsworth.com/diary.htm



- Kenneth Be
 

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Re: lute outreach

[KennethBeLute]

Michael et al:

Roman's website has an extensive section on the history of the Ukrainian 
torban and examples in museums today.  He mentioned that many more recently 
discovered examples will soon be posted to the site as well.

Kenneth

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lute outreach

[KennethBeLute]

Dear folks:

I've had a delightful weekend with an out of town visitor here to Cleveland, 
yes the very Roman Turovsky has been here to present some music to the 
Ukrainian cultural community played on the 13 course.  Yesterday I assisted a 
little 
in playing some examples of 6 course and also 11 course repertoire in a brief 
lecture he gave to a class of banduria students, a discussion which touched as 
well on the torban.  This certainly has peaked my own interest in the 
fascinating and often-neglected part of musical history!  Roman also played 
some 
arrangements of Ukrainian folksongs on the 13 course, which I must say is a 
very 
suitable instrument for the haunting melodies.  

To top it off there was an amazing solo vocal performance given last night by 
Mariana Sadowska of Ukrainian songs she learned from women in small villages 
during her travels, given inside the setting of a a former Ukrainian church on 
the west side of Cleveland's downtown.

I would be interested to hear about any other interesting lute outreach that 
others have been doing.

Kenneth Be

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Re: Strap Buttons

[kennethbelute]

 Even before you set a strap button into your lute (it is strong enough because 
there is a wooden reinforcement at that end where all the ribs come together, 
plus the capping strip on the outside) you might consider any number of 
material or cushions to help hold your lute in place and grip it:  chamois 
cloth, leather, under-rug foam cushions, neoprene.  If that doesn't work, then 
the strap might the best option.
 
Kenneth
 
-Original Message-
From: Ramon Marco de Sevilla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 12:50:17 -0700
Subject: Strap Buttons


Are lutes built strongly enough to handle strap buttons?

I have a hard time keeping my lute stable on my lap and am thinking a
strap may help (or velcro!).

Thanks!
Rob



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Re: Montagna's lutes

[KennethBeLute]

Sean:

About the lutes depicted in 
http://www.xs4all.nl/~amarin/Page1-Pages/Image198.html

 
I know for a fact that Ed Greenhood has been making a lute of almost this 
exact same body design.  It occurs also in a painting by Bartolomeo Veneto (on 
cover of Diana Poulton's Collected Works of Dowland edition) which was the 
basis 
for Ed's mold for the body and design of the lute's front.   It has an 
extraordinary sound, very punchy in the melody lines, but also substantial in 
the 
mid tones and bass production.Ed's lute uses a longer neck proportionally, 
with 10 frets on the neck.

Kenneth Be

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Re: Broken Consort

[KennethBeLute]

Thomas:

This semester Case Western Reserve University here in Cleveland is performing 
all known music connected with Lord Hayes 1607 masque, directed by David 
Douglass.  I'm playing cittern in the broken consort, although only two works 
exist originally as broken consort settings (Richard Allison and Phillip 
Rosseter).  The rest is all four or five part instrumental repertoire and we 
simply 
make up our own parts.  In some parts of the performance the broken consort 
will 
accompany other groups like the violin band or recorder quintet or in the 
tutti sections.

The point is, although the amount of actual broken consort literature for 
violin, flute, viol, bandora, cittern and lute is limited in modern publication 
and original sources (incomplete or missing parts sometimes), there is plenty 
of music to arrange once you're familiar with the conventions.  The Baltimore 
Consort, for example, has an almost limitless repertoire for broken consort, 
even trespassing into Irish and Appalachian!

Kenneth

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Re: Sacred music for baroque lute /Melk

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 2/27/2005 12:50:23 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
There is a chapel inside the Palace of Queluz, 5 km from Lisboa, with a sort
of upper chamber with a beautiful baroque hole with a golden grid, as far as
I remember . Musicians used to play upstairs and the royals sat below the
hole. Scarlatti played there and the chapel was open for the Mass to the
people of the village ( I can't see how, because it's quite small, but the
notes I read there said so, maybe they just left the door towards the yard
open). They also used to celebrate royal marriages there, if my memory about
what I read is not mistaken. Of course it's quite difficult to find this
chapel mentioned on a tourist guide, they just mention the gardens,
Versailles-like and the "mirror room". Should you adventure there, just sit
and listen, that's what I did, and the music seemed to be still there. You
come to the chapel through a small corridor, considering the palace, and
this baroque feast is in front of your eyes. There are also some big windows
above, which open on the corridor (and on the yard), as far as I remember,
so that the music was probably brought to the nearby room as from a
resonance chanber ( is my English correct?) . The room must be like a big
instrument itself .
And for the Middle Ages, there is a 13th C. castle in the eastern part of 
Germany in Neuberg in Sachsen with a similar configuration.  Musicians playing 
in 
the chapel can be heard through a grid in the floor of a circular room above 
(or the other way around).  I heard a solo concert performed by Crawford Young 
there several years ago, a magical experience in candlelight at midnight.

The opening chapter of the book called Music and Silence by Rose Tremaine 
fictitiously describes a similar situation in the court of Denmark in the early 
17th C.

Kenneth Be

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Re: universal music data exchange format

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 2/18/2005 2:03:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Just to set the record straight, my tab format was designed to 
be e-mailable.  This was in the days when there was no internet
(just a limited arpanet) and mail was sent from computer to
computer via telephones, and mailing binaries was frowned 
upon.  Back when there were as many macs as windows boxes, 
and lots of versions of unix (no linux!) and even VMS. 
(Boy, does that make me feel old!) 

Maybe an interesting idea to share, but I have intabulated lute music using 
Wayne's TAB format with my PDA and folding keyboard on airplane trays on 
transatlantic flights.  Very simple and functional, therefore.

Kenneth

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Re: AR e-mail?

[KennethBeLute]

[EMAIL PROTECTED]


- Kenneth

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Re: shipping a lute

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 1/19/2005 10:16:11 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
However, when I wrap the body in bubble wrap, and then put it in the =
Kingham case, I can barely
get the case shut. Will this be a problem in shipping?


It is always best to have a snug fit and since your snug fit is done with 
bubble wrap, then I think you've packed your lute correctly.  Having loose play 
and therefore allowing the lute to move around within the case is always the 
most dangerous situation.  But maybe you shouldn't pack it in too tightly, 
either.  Can you put your case into a larger box and pad it around with more 
bubble 
wrap or just crumpled newspaper?

Kenneth

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Re: Top three lute pieces

[KennethBeLute]

My top three pieces currently are:

1. Cuthbert Hely: Fantasia (recorded on O'Dette's Cherbury CD), the one which 
is followed by the fast tempo saraband.  Stately, but always with a 
psychological sense of tension stemming from the brooding chromatic passages in 
the 
polyphony.  Very likely drawn in style from viol consort repertoire and very 
like 
William Lawes in feeling.

2. Anonymous fantasia in Siena Lute Book: the first piece on Jacob 
Heringman's recording,  virtuosic ear-catching toccata-like opening, wonderful 
intertwining of imitative passages and a nice surprise cross-relation 
dissonance in the 
middle.

3. (I'm cheating here):  All nine of the Bakfark fantasias.  Very difficult 
to play for the left hand, but full of musical rewards, unexpected harmonies, 
surprising rhythmic and cadential passages.  

A close contender would be Spinacino's recercar primo for its improvisational 
qualities.

These are just some of my renaissance favorites, but I would have to draw up 
a separate list of my top three baroque pieces (all in the 11 course 
repertoire).

Kenneth Be

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Re: Tombeau de Mezangeau

[KennethBeLute]

To whoever is on this thread:

I just emailed Wayne a jpg scan of the facsimile of the Tombeau de Mezangeau.

Kenneth

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Re: dry gut

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 1/2/2005 8:29:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Does anyone know exactly what he does?  Does he soak
them for any amount of time or simply rub the lanolin
oil on the strings?
The oil should just be applied to the finger tips and then you run your 
fingertips with the string between along the length of the string.  Just use a 
small amount and try to apply it evenly along the length.  This is especially 
effective to take the bright edge of sound that brand new strings (Pyramids) 
have. 
 

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Re: dry gut

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 1/1/2005 10:46:26 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
how about lanolin, olive-oil or even (gak!) lard?

I have heard that Hopkinson Smith uses lanolin oil on overspun bass strings 
to get a more gut-like sound.

Kenneth Be

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Re: dry gut

[KennethBeLute]

To Rob:

The Mary Burwell Lute Tutor recommends soaking the gut strings in sweet 
almond oil.  I have used almond oil myself and noticed that it also makes them 
more 
stable against damp humid conditions.

Kenneth Be

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lute tablatures online

[KennethBeLute]

Has anyone compiled a complete, up-to-date listing of all known websites with 
lute tablature music online for download?  This would be very useful.  
Recently, as the Biber query responses have shown, there have been several 
excellent 
sites announced.  

I am grateful to all those who have put energy and effort into making their 
versions of tablature easily available!

Kenneth Be

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re: Bakfark

[KennethBeLute]

Many thanks to all who responded to my question.

Since the time I posted my query about early quotes on Bakfark I made a trip to Poland 
(Warsaw and Krakow) this past weekend and even performed a lute recital at the Muzeum 
Narodowe w Warszawa and enjoyed including Bakfark in the program.  I left it up to my 
translating host to tell the audience in Polish about the quotes from the 16th C. poet 
Kochanowski and I still don't know exactly what she told the audience, but they did 
seem to enjoy what was said!

I performed Fantasia I and Czarna Krowa, in addition to another Polish piece.  The 
first part of the program was early Venetian lute music.  I hope to come back and 
perform more lute programs there at some future point.

Regards,

Kenneth Be



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Bakfark

[KennethBeLute]

There is a quote that goes something like:

"nobody should play the lute after Bakfark"

Can someone tell me  1) the source of this quote  2) the interpretation:  does it mean 
that that Bakfark had no equal and that his skill couldn't be matched by anyone else?  
or does it mean that no one could match the WAY Bakfark played the lute (his 
performance style, for example)?

Thanks,

Kenneth

new Ronn McFarlane website

[KennethBeLute]

To all:

Please check out Ronn McFarlane's new website!  

www.ronnmcfarlane.com

There are some nice images and quotations, a complete list of his recordings, his 
concert appearances schedule, a bit about his teaching and his personal views on 
playing the lute.  All of his new articles on "The Art and Science of Playing the 
Lute" are online, too, and downloadable and more will be added regularly as he writes 
more.

I especially recommend going straight to "Original Compositions" and clicking on the 
music files (three of them: Dowland's Midnight, Denali, and Cathedral Cave), so you 
will have some nice background music to listen to while you explore this new site.

Enjoy,

Kenneth Be
[artistic agent representing Ronn McFarlane]

LuteFest 2004: final note!

[KennethBeLute]

Please note the following note made about registration on the LuteFest 2004=20
webpage (@ www.lutesocietyofamerica.org).

"If you wish, you may visit our secure registration site ...until 23 June=20
only).

Late registrations will still be accepted on site at CWRU in Cleveland. =A0C=
ome=20
to Wade Commons (Juniper Rd. and 115th St.) between noon and 2:30 PM on=20
Sunday, 27 June, to sign in. =A0No one will be turned away! "

For those interested in just seeing the schedule of concerts, it is=20
downloadable on the website, too.
   =20

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Re: Heringman CD

[KennethBeLute]

Dear Art and everyone else:

FYI, Jacob is bringing at least 50 copies for sale to the Lute Festival!

Kenneth

Re: _L_ute (on topic)

[KennethBeLute]

Ooops!  I typed "L" by accident!  Oh well, at least I'm back ON topic

Kenneth Be

Re: Mute (Re: Off topic)

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 5/31/04 7:20:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> There is an old Corsican saying: "Keep you mouth shut, and Flies won't nest
> there".
> 
 And the saying "You have two ears and one mouth, therefore you should listen 
twice as much as you speak" can also translate into "two eyes and one mouth" 
for the internet.

In any case, I enjoy getting reading some points of view (on lute matters) 
and learning new information on repertoire and sources and interpretation - even 
if I have to skim the huge flood of messages for just a few postings of 
current interest to me.  I've stayed on this list long enough to know that, given 
some time, the interesting threads come back.  Plus, I don't necessarily have 
to open up and read every messsage on the list!

not leaving here,

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

translation of Moulinie air de cour needed

[KennethBeLute]

Please, if anyone can help translate, I need this song text in English:

Cessez amants de servier Ang=E9lique,
Amarillis se peut dire l'unique,
A qui la Cour doit offrir des voeux.
Tous les plus grands appas d'Aminthe et de Silvie,=20
Ne valent pas un des cheveux
De celle qui tient ma vie.

Amarillis est un ang=E9 visible,
Qui ne la sert a le coeur insensible
A la douceur des plaisirs d'amour.
Les divinies clairt=E9s que sa beaut=E9  nous montre,
Font que le gand flambeau du jour
Est honteux de leur rencontre.

With grateful thanks in advance,

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Re: LSA and current airline policy

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 5/27/04 10:37:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> With the imminent convergence of lutes on Cleveland, I was wondering 
> what the current practices were for flying with lutes--especially if 
> anyone has been on Continental Airlines.

With Cleveland being one of Continental's hub airports, I tend to fly 
Continental more than any other airline, plus I ALWAYS travel with a lute, even when 
traveling for work.  I have never had trouble convincing airline officials to 
let me carry my six course lute with me on board (Kingham case with a soft 
cover).  Usually they know that a musical instrument is a special case, even if 
it doesn't fit the maximum carry-on measurements restriction.  It is extremely 
helpful to be upfront and to courteous at the ticket counter to ask for your 
lute to travel on board.  Open up the case and show the lute to them if 
necessary.  The same goes for when you are on board and trying to stow it.  Flight 
attendants have been helpful and also very curious about the lute when I've 
flown!

I have never even tried to take two lutes as carry-on luggage.  Instead, I 
put my efforts in doing a careful packing job for the second, larger lute (see 
below).

For those on this list, this is an excerpt of some practical information I 
have sent to the registered attendees of the Lute Festival:

TIPS FOR FLYING WITH YOUR LUTE(s): Carry on baggage is limited to one smaller 
lute that fits in the overhead and a laptop or very small handbag.  
Otherwise, you can check two items in.  If the flight is crowded, I recommend 
reserving 
a seat towards the rear so you can board earlier and get a better chance of 
finding overhead compartment space before it gets filled up.  

If you must check your lute, remove any contents from the case that might 
arouse security suspicion, then pack it very snugly within the case so there is 
no movement of the lute when jolted.  Especially pack the body tightly in the 
case and be sure that the pegs and pegbox cannot bang against the inside of the 
case.  Then add some foam rubber blocks 2 inches in thickness as bumpers to 
the most vulnerable outside surfaces of the case: the bottom side and the front 
especially.  Wrap the case with heavy plastic and tape it up firmly, leaving 
the lute's handle exposed for the baggage tag (cut out the plastic to expose 
the handle). This more or less assures that the lute will be in one 
orientation through most of it's transit.  The bumpers help reduce shock if or when 
the lutecase is knocked about, Mars Rover style!  You may wish to print up your 
own FRAGILE signs to tape to the plastic.
BE SURE to arrive early enough so you can have the lute clear security (talk 
to an airline official if necessary) on the departure concourse level BEFORE 
it descends to the behind the scenes security.  This more or less guarantees 
that the case and wrapping do not get reopened by airport security once the lute 
is pre-cleared. Note:  all airlines except Southwest Airlines restrict you to 
two checked items.  Southwest allows you to exceed that number.

For those connecting to or taking commuter/small planes:  this is GOOD.  You 
can carry your lute to the gate and give it to the baggage handlers who stow 
it onboard.  Just after you exit the plane upon arrival, your lute is handed 
back to you before you enter the arrivals terminal!

Note:  I usually leave my lutes at normal string tension during flights, but 
it isn't a bad idea to slacken the strings either.



Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Bray lutebook inquirer

[KennethBeLute]

Will the individual (from Germany) who asked me about Yale's Bray Lutebook 
please reach me again at the following address?:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I seem to have lost your address (and name!) from your previous 
correspondence with me.

Thanks,
Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Re: Stupid query from beginner

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 5/3/2004 5:53:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> > The only other thing that helps is to jam the thing
> > against a cigarette packet in my trouser pocket and
> > I'm planning to give up soon.
> 
> according to the spam i get, there are pills that will help 
> you replace
> that cigarette bulge with something more organic.
> 
> welcome to the list - bill


H!  Seems to me that this would only work for 50% of the population, though.
- Kenneth Be

LuteFest 2004: cheap flights to Cleveland

[KennethBeLute]

I receive postings of discount fares from Continental Airlines (Cleveland is one of 
the hub airports for Continental) and just received a notice that the following cities 
have one way summer fares of $68 to Cleveland, perhaps relevant to some LuteFest 
attendees.  You would need to check on their site for more details:

Albany, Baltimore, Columbus (OH), Grand Rapids, Hartford, Indianapolis, Nashville, New 
York (both LaGuardia and Newark airports), Norfolk (VA), Raleigh/Durham, Richmond 
(VA), and Kansas City.

- Kenneth Be
LuteFest 2004 Director

top two courses single on baroque lute

[KennethBeLute]

Can anybody give an explanation why the the top two courses are single on the 
baroque lute?  Certainly converting renaissance lutes into baroque 
configurations by adding an additional top course (and additional diapason courses) 
seems logical enough, but I'm wondering why keeping the top two courses single 
remained a feature on all baroque lutes thereafter.

Thanks,

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

McFarlane/Be lute duets today and tomorrow

[KennethBeLute]

If anyone in the southern half of Ohio is interested in hearing lute duets of 
Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, 17th C. France and Germany, plus a 
suite by Baron, a solo suite by Weiss and contemporary compositions by Ronn 
McFarlane, we have three more concerts to do today and tomorrow on our 16 concert 
tour that we started last Sunday.

All the presentations are free and open to the public.

Saturday, May 1:

Lute Duets! 7PM
Burke Art Gallery
Denison University
236 W. Broadway
Granville, OH 43023-1120
Tel: 740.587.6255
 

Sunday, May 2:

Lute Duets! 12:30PM
Music Hall
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
 
Powerpoint talk (Kenneth Be) on art of the 16th and 17th Centuries  3PM
Art Building, Ohio University

Ronn McFarlane:  Original Compositions 6PM
Music Hall
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701


- Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

LSA LuteFest 2004: an update on lutemaking class

[KennethBeLute]

There is now a link posting by Dan Larson for his LSA LuteFest class "Accelerated Lute 
Making" with an outline of the daily topics covered:

http://www.daniellarson.com/class.htm

- Kenneth Be

www.lutesocietyofamerica.org
to register

LSA LuteFest 2004: a reminder

[KennethBeLute]

This is a reminder that there is exactly one week left to register for a discounted 
tuition.  

However, LSA will still be taking registrations continuously right up to the start of 
the LuteFest!

- Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

LSA Lute Festival 2004 - discount until end of April

[KennethBeLute]

I just want to remind all those who are interested in attending the LuteFest 
and have not signed up yet:  

The deadline is April 30th to register and receive the $25 early bird 
discount on the tuition fee.

Two weeks left!

Thanks,

Kenneth Be
Director, LSA Lute Festival 2004
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Cleveland Rocks!

[KennethBeLute]

Cleveland is the place to be this month if you like to hear the lute - in=20
case you happen to be passing through or maybe know someone who lives here.=20=
=20
Starting on April18th, there will be no less than fifteen performances invol=
ving=20
lute.  Ronn and I are playing a number of recitals, but preceded by two=20
concerts given by others.  These, of course, precede some 11 individual conc=
erts=20
given during the Cleveland LSA Lute Festival in June.

- Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

I.
"Music in England, c. 1700" =20
When:  Sunday, April 18 2004 at 7:30 PM=20
Location:  Harkness Chapel=20
Description:  Ensemble Lautenkonzert (Lisa Rainsong, soprano, Tina Dreisbach=
,=20
baroque flute, Janet Winzenburger, viols, Stephen Toombs, lutes).=20
Tickets:  Free Admission.

II.
"Shakespeare's Songbook"
Early Music at Harkness: Paul O'Dette, Ellen Hargis, William Hite, David=20
Douglass

III.
Lute Duet Recitals in Ohio
April 25-May 2, 2004
Ronn McFarlane and Kenneth Be

Sunday

=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D, 7PM (free, by invitation)
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Tregoning Fine Arts
Stepnorth
100 N. Main Street
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022
Contact:  Bill Tregoning

Monday

=E2=80=9CLutes for All People=E2=80=9D, 11 AM - 12:30 PM (free)
Monday, April 26, 2004
Art on Wheels, Inc. studios
1284 Riverbed St (Flats West, next door to Stonebridge Apts)
Cleveland, OH  44113
Tel: 216.702.4808
See: 
Contact: Quinn Martin

=E2=80=9CGalileo=E2=80=99s Lute=E2=80=9D
6:30 PM  $10 nonmembers, $8 members
Monday, April 26, 2004
Shafran Planetarium
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Wade Oval, University Circle
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
(216)231-4600
Contact: Jason Davis

=E2=80=9CGalileo=E2=80=99s Lute=E2=80=9D
7:30 PM  $10 nonmembers, $8 members
Monday, April 26, 2004
Shafran Planetarium
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Wade Oval, University Circle
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
(216)231-4600
Contact: Jason Davis






Tuesday

=E2=80=9CRenaissance Lute Duets!=E2=80=9D (16th C. duets only),  4 PM free
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Meeting Room
Mayfield Regional Library, 6080 Wilson Mills Rd,
Mayfield Village, OH 44143
440-473-0350
Contact: Erica Bartik


=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D
8 PM Freewill offering ($5 suggested)
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Gallery at Trinity Commons
Trinity Cathedral
2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2489
Tel: 216-579-9745
Contact:  Michael Telin


Wednesday

=E2=80=9CRenaissance Lute Duets!=E2=80=9D (16th C. duets only)
12:10 PM Freewill offering
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Trinity Cathedral
2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2489
Tel: 216 - 579 - 9745
see: http://www.mandpa.org/brownbag/brownbag.html
Contact:  Michael Telin

=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D, 7PM Recital Hall, $10 nonmembers, $7 members
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Blvd
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
216.421.7340
PDF download of Art Encounters brochure:=20
www.clevelandart.org/educatn/ArtEnc.pdf=20
Contact: Joellen DeOreo

Thursday

Presentation on the lute to students, Thursday morning
Lakeridge Academy
7501 Center Ridge Road=20
North Ridgeville, OH 44039
(440) 777-9434 / 327-1175=20
contact: Cindy Bush


[=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D, 3PM Recital Hall, $10 nonmembers, $7 members
Thursday, April 29, 2004
The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Blvd
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
216.421.7340
PDF download of Art Encounters brochure:=20
www.clevelandart.org/educatn/ArtEnc.pdf=20
Contact: Joellen DeOreo]
NOTE:  This is an unlisted concert which will be offered and performed if th=
e=20
CMA concert on Wednesday sells out


Dinnertime lute duet music:
Karma Indian Restaurant
1791 Coventry Rd
Cleveland Hts, OH  44118
Tel: 216-932-3201
Thursday, April 29, 2004, evening
Contact: Ravi


Friday

Lute Duets!  7:30PM, $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors
Friday, April 30, 2004
Solon Center for the Arts
6315 SOM Center Rd
Solon, Ohio 44139
440.337.1400
Contact: Karen Prasser








Saturday

=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D
Private concert by invitation, 2 PM
Residence of Douglas Morgan
Gambier, OH
Contact: Douglas Morgan


=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D 7PM
Burke Art Gallery
Denison University
236 W. Broadway
Granville, OH 43023-1120
Tel: 740.587.6255
Contact: Lee Hanford

Sunday

Presentation on the lute and art of the 16th and 17th Centuries (Powerpoint=20
talk)
=E2=80=9CLute Duets!=E2=80=9D 12PM
Music Hall
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
Contact: Marilyn Bradshaw



--

Re: passionate gut

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 4/12/2004 11:34:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time, JEdwardsMusic writes:

> I agree, gut is the best sound overall; but depending on who made the 
> instrument and who is playing it, nylgut can sound quite 
> good.

This is so true.  Paul O'Dette can string a lute with a ball of yarn, as far as I'm 
concerned, and he'd still sound godly.  Ronn McFarlane almost invariably plays lutes 
with all synthetic strings.  I've heard lots of amateur players with great lutes and 
the best gut strings who still have far to go in terms of sound productions.

By the way, an upcoming LSA Quarterly will feature an article by Ronn McFarlane on 
tone production in his new column series on the Art and Science of Playing the Lute.

Kenneth

Re: plectrum and lute

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 4/12/2004 9:15:24 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
writes:

> mostly because it's a holiday and it's raining and i'm 
> running out of 
> excuses to not do my scales...
> 

Bill:  don't feel bad!  It was nice and sunny here in Cleveland yesterday, Easter 
Sunday, and I spent much of it indoors doing my last minute tax forms!

> i'm curious to know if any of you play lute with a plectrum.
> if so:
> 
> - how many courses does your instrument have?

I play a five course lute after the Arnault of Zwolle, c.1450 drawing in the B.N. 
Paris.  Zwolle was the astrologer and physician to Philip the Good of Burgundy.  His 
drawing contains some interesting views on the geometry of the lute plan which results 
in a round, apple-shaped lute with a longer thin neck.  My lute has 10 frets with a 
parabolic curve neck cross section by the pegbox, grading towards more of a half 
circle by the neck join, 9 ribs of cherry and a single rose.  Its five double courses 
are spaced far apart by the bridge and extremely close together by the nut.  It really 
rips along for fast single line passages and has a good solid sounding of the 
fundamental with reduced amounts of overtones.  It was made by Lawrence K. Brown in 
1987 (can be heard on the Newberry Consort's recording of 14th C. Florentine music, 
played by Kevin Mason when he borrowed it from me for it)
 
> - what kind of strings to you use?

All the strings, including the double chanterelle, are of gut.

> - what is your plectrum made of?

My plectrum is cut from the top 5 inches of an ostrich quill (a feather duster = many 
many, in fact a lifetime's worth of, plectra!).  After cutting away ALL the feathery 
parts except for just the end tip (mostly left for decoration and so I can visually 
locate the quill if I drop it!), I sand away the left over stubs until it is a smooth 
spine left.  Then I carefully round out the tip and use fine sandpaper or a file to 
polish it.  Ostrich can resiliantly bend in all 360 degree directions.  If held about 
1/2" from the tip it gives a sharper attack.  If held about 3/4" away and plucked 
lightly it gives a much softer, sometimes even a velvety tone.

> 
> ..
> 
> - from what period is the music you play?

Good question.  Although my lute is technically a 15th C. model, I have used it for 
14th C. repertoire.  The Faenza Codex decorated parts are often ideal and I then 
utilize the plectrum WITH my ring finger to play two parts.  The same is true with the 
Buxheimer Organ book repertoire.  You can also learn to improvise over bassa danza 
lines and improvising in general is the most useful use of the lute.

> 
> ..
> 
> - if you prefer using plectrum, why?

I actually prefer playing thumb under by the time I get to the "late" stuff - like 
Pesaro ms, Thibault ms of c.1505, Spinacino and Dalza!  However, I must say:

plectrum playing has helped shape my thoughts on and technique of thumb under playing 
(in a parallel way, baroque guitar strumming technique has offered clues to the way I 
approach 
chordal "sweeps" in 17th C. French lute music).

Re: passionate gut

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 4/11/04 9:57:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> I have found gut to be more stable than synthetic strings.  I think 
> the quality &processing has improved, but I also think we are learning how 
> to use it, and how to tune it &keep it in tune.
> 

True!  In fact, because gut is very predictable in a sense (it is less 
elastic than nylon) I find it MUCH easier to tune a lute even in the middle of a 
concert than the adjustments up and down that a nylon strung lute requires.

Kenneth

--

Re: LSA Seminar fret question

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 4/11/04 4:04:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> i had always assumed that double frets were a no-no.  what's the 
> advantage of having them?

Bill:

On the contrary, and as Sean has pointed out, there are many examples in art 
iconography already starting in the 14th C.  One of the last examples I know 
of is the 1649 depiction of a theorbo player by Laurent de la Hyre in the 
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/view1zoom.asp?dep=11&zoom=0&full=1&mark=1&item=50%2E189
 (this image is too small to reproduce 
the double frets, but I have studied the painting many times during visits to 
the museum).  Double frets are also described in several instruction books.

Double frets give a sort of flatter "platform" upon which to depress the 
strings.  Not only do they feel very secure for the left hand fingering, they also 
last quite long.  I had a set of double frets on one of my most-used lutes 
for over a decade before they needed replacing!

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Re: LSA Seminar fret question

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 4/10/04 4:33:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> Would there be an authority there who really has the know-how tying double 
> frets? I mean, who's done it before and ends up w/ minimum buzzing. It is a 
> presentation I certainly wouldn't want to miss.

To Sean and anyone else with an interest in double frets:

Grant Tomlinson is planning to attend the LSA LuteFest, at least the last 
time I talked with him.  He gives a very good show-and-tell demo on how to tie 
double frets and to set up your lute for it, so I hope he'll do the same this 
summer as he did last summer in Vancouver for anyone interested.  I think, for 
instance, that it might require a slight adjustment in the way you set up the 
action on the string nut.  He learned about double fretting techniques from Ray 
Nurse.  By the way, my own Ray Nurse lute with double frets tied on by Grant 
under Ray's tutorage, will be on hand at the seminar.

Regards,
Kenneth

--

LSA LuteFest in Cleveland: an added event

[KennethBeLute]

If you're considering coming to the Lute Festival, I have scheduled in a special 
pre-workshop concert for those who arrive a day earlier:
- Kenneth
NEWLY ADDED TO THE LSA LUTE FESTIVAL 2004:A SPECIAL PRE-FESTIVAL CONCERT!!!
June 26, 2004 7:30PMHoly Rosary Church, on Mayfield Rd in Cleveland's Little Italy (10 
minute walk from the LSA campus dormitories)
The ensemble "Ciaramella" will perform"Komm Heiliger Geist"
- German music for winds and voices, c.1500 -
(Adam Gilbert, Debra Nagy, Greg Ingles, Anna Levenstein, Doug Milliken, and Rotem 
Gilbert)

Special admission price for LSA attendees and students: $5.00General admission: $12.00

Ciaramella:
Ciaramella takes its name from the Italian word for "shawm" and from a girl in a 
15th-century song.  Like the instrument, her clothes are full of holes, and when she 
opens her mouth, she knocks men flat.  The ensemble brings to life late Medieval and 
early Renaissance music from historical events and manuscripts.   The members combine 
performing careers with historical research as doctoral students and professional 
musicologists.  Ciaramella began in the ruins of an 11th-century Crusader castle in 
Israel with a staged Commedia dell'Arte production, and has participated in a 
reconstruction of the baptism of Emperor Charles V with Capilla Flamenca in Ghent's 
St. Bravo Cathedral.   In Italy, Ciaramella has collaborated with musicologist Gioia 
Filocamo to perform music from the MS. Panciatichi 27, much of which has not been 
heard for centuries.  Ciaramella was a finalist in the 2003 Flanders Festival 
International Young Artist's Presentation.   As first runner-up in the 2003 Ear!
ly Music America competition, Ciaramella will record its debut CD in Toronto on the 
Naxos label in June 2004 (just after this concert is performed)

close call! lutes and fire

[KennethBeLute]

If you look at David van Edwards site

http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/fire.htm

you will will see that he recently had a very close brush with a fire that nearly 
spread over to his shop from an adjacent building.  His local fire brigade acted 
quickly and thankfully saved what would have been a disastrous loss of a workshop, 
lutes, moulds, and tools.  

One wonders how many lutes have been lost to fires and floods (and insects!) 
throughout history.

Kenneth

LSA Lute Festival 2004: added event!

[KennethBeLute]

For anyone planning to arrive early in Clevland, I have just scheduled in a 
pre-festival concert event for June 26th evening.  The church venue is surrounded by 
any number of fine Italian restaurants for after the concert.  Below is the special 
invitation from the co-director of the new ensemble, Ciaramella.

- Kenneth Be


Dear LSA Lute Festival 2004 Participant:

You are invited to Ciaramella's concert on Saturday, June 26th at 7:30PM in
Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy (a 10 minute walk from the LSA dorms). We would 
love to see you there as this is our warm up concert to a debut CD recording for Naxos 
label.

Ciaramella, ( see: ciaramella.org ) is an ensemble for 15th-century music, presents 
"Komm Heiliger Geist," a concert of devotional music from manuscripts at the 
crossroads of
Europe around 1500. Compositions by Paulus de Roda, Heinrich Isaac and Adam
von Fulda, performed on shawms, trumpets, recorders, organ and high voices.

Adam Gilbert, Rotem Gilbert, Debra Nagy, Doug Milliken, recorder, shawm,
bagpipes; Greg Ingles, Erik Schmalz, slide trumpet and sackbut; Kris Ingles,
trumpet; Mahan Esfahani, organ; Anna Levenstein, Brooke Randolph, Gail West,
voice.
_

Saturday, June 26th, 7:30PM
Holy Rosary Church, 12021 Mayfield Road (Little Italy), Cleveland, OH 44106.
Tickets: Suggested Donation: $12 General/$5 LSA participants and Students

Ciaramella takes its name from the Italian word for ³shawm² and from a girl
of fifteenth-century song. Like the instrument, her clothes are full of
holes, and when she opens her mouth, she knocks men flat. The ensemble
brings to life late medieval and early Renaissance music from historical
events and manuscripts. The members combine performing careers with
historical research as doctoral students and professional musicologists.
Ciaramella began in the ruins of a crusader castle in Israel with a staged
commedia dell¹ arte production, and has participated in a reconstruction of
the baptism of Emperor Charles V with Capilla Flamenca in Ghent’s St. Bravo
Cathedral. In Spoleto, Italy, Ciaramella has collaborated with musicologist
Gioia Filocamo to perform music from the manuscript Panciatichi 27, much of
which has not been heard for centuries. In March 2004, the group
participated in a fully staged production of the first Hebrew play A Comedy
of Betrothal by Leone de Sommi (c.1550), at The Cleveland Art Museum under
the direction of Anna Levenstein. Ciaramella was finalist in the 2003
Flanders Festival International Young Artist’s Presentation. As first
runner-up in the Early Music America competition, Ciaramella will record its
début CD on the Naxos label following this concert.

Ciaramella 
Contact: Rotem Gilbert
90 Centre St., Mountain View, CA 94041
650-625-0635
ciaramella.org

LSA Lute Festival 2004 update: Renaissance Dance!

[KennethBeLute]

Yet another feature has been added to the LSA Lute Festival in Cleveland 
(June 27 - July 2, 2004):

The New York Historical Dance Company, consisting of Dorothy Olsson (New 
York) and Kaspar Mainz (from the Leipzig vicinity) will join in the Lute Festival 
to perform early dance:

A special afternoon workshop on Renaissance dance and evening performance in 
the all-faculty concert "Pastime in Good Company" will take place on Wednesday 
June 30th at the Cleveland Museum of Art (Gartner Auditorium).   Accompanied 
by the Venere Lute Quartet, they will be dancing choreographies from the Negri 
and Caroso dance treatises in authentic costume.In addition, on Tuesday 
afternoon the day before, they will conduct a family-oriented workshop on early 
dance in conjunction with the museum's education department.

A reminder to all:
Early registration makes you eligible for the $25 discount on tuition and 
gives you a greater choice of teachers for your two included private lessons!

www.lutesocietyofamerica.org


Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

LSA Lute Festival 2004 in Cleveland announcement

[KennethBeLute]

Better to pre-register for the Lute Fest sooner than later! Private lessons (two 
half-hour lessons included in the tuition) teachers are chosen and assigned first 
come/first serve based on the order in which pre-registrations are received.

For online registration:  www.lutesocietyofamerica.org

If you have any questions, feel free to write to me at:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


Regards,
Kenneth Be
Director, LSA Lute Festival 2004 (June 27-July 2, 2004)

Re: Birthdays

[KennethBeLute]

Without naming any particular names, it should be noted that a number of well-known 
lute players have turned 50 this year.

Kenneth

Re: Fingerpicks

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 2/27/04 6:41:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> By the way Jessie has published a fascinating book _Composers at Work: The
> Craft of Musical Composition, 1450-1600_ (OUP, 1997). It includes some
> remarks about how the lute was sometimes used as a means for composing. 
> That is, Palestrina may have composed "at the lute," and he even previewed
> the mass for a patron by playing it on the lute.  She also tracked down
> some pieces if lute music that may be compositional sketches.  There is not
> too much material like that because it is thought composers first wrote a
> piece oin a wax slate, and then when the composition was complete, ink it
> into a manuscript (or intabulate it?).
> 

At the LSA LuteFest in Cleveland this coming June, the Venere Lute Quartet 
will perform a program of their arrangements of Palestrina for lutes.

Kenneth Be

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Re: why paintings but no lutes

[KennethBeLute]

As a professional conservator of paintings(and also an enthusiastic follower of the 
lute!) I suppose I should address this thread topic.   Paintings, of course, are much 
more to the beholder than mere physical objects.  From past ages, even from our own 
age, they carry a artistic vision:  an illusionistic representation of color, space, 
and form in the formal sense, but specifically, a representation of appearances, 
whether a place real (landscape, interior) or otherworldly (renditions of mythological 
scenes or hell or paradise, for examples), or else images of people (portraits).  As 
painted images they may change meaning or value to a culture over time, but generally 
paintings have remained valuable over time, whether as status symbols or objects of 
great and historical beauty (in museums nowadays).  

Lutes, on the other hand, fell out of general use to the musical world by the later 
18thC., if not even earlier.

But in physical terms, the odds are always against a thinly-constructed glued wooden 
fragile object like a lute, under immense string tension its whole life.  When its 
fall from fashion is added in as a factor, then it is miraculous that we have as many 
lutes in museums as there are today!

Paintings, however, have been more or less well cared for over time.  Although earlier 
methods of cleaning and restoration have certainly left their irreversible damage on 
countless works of art, paintings have generally fared quite well, even in comparison 
to many other forms of art (furniture, drawings, buildings, textiles, for ex).  Their 
materials are also much more durable than a lute's:  mineral pigments embedded in 
dried (oxidized) vegetable oils usually beneath a protective varnish coating, over an 
inert ground material which coats a supporting layer of canvas, wood panel, glass, or 
metal.  Often, the supports have themselves been reinforced by additional material 
such as lining canvases or, in the case of wood panels, glued on or dove-tail inserted 
batons or cradle structures.

In addition, the relatively simple flat format of paintings, often protected within a 
frame, their ease of transport (in the case of flooding or fires) - and again, their 
higher value - compared to all the vulnerable constructional aspects of a lute, makes 
it quite obvious why lutes are so rare and paintings are so abundant.

Hope this helps!

Kenneth 
(Cleveland Museum of Art)

Re: Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, 20 June - 3 July 2004 (and LSA!)

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 2/27/04 11:55:09 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> Note that the Lute Society of America seminar (27 June - 3 July) will=20
> overlap with the second week of BPI and is less than an hour away at Case=20
> Western Reserve University in Cleveland. An enterprising lutenist with two=
> =20
> weeks to spend away from home this summer could attend the first week of=20
> BPI and then continue on to the LSA seminar!

Please note, too, that an enterprising _singer_ with two weeks to spend away 
from home this summer could attend the first week of BPI and then continue on 
to the LSA seminar (Ellen Hargis is the vocal coach teach a class on lute song 
with Jacob Heringman and a class on interpreting ballads).

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

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Re: Do pegs get smooth and begin slipping?

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 2/17/2004 11:20:42 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
writes:

> ah, I've had a complicated career. I'm not only a physicist, but I also 
> used to teach petrology. The PhD is actually in Geophysics and I did much of 
> my research work in what is basically mineralogy (Fe-Ti 
> oxides)...

And, as for me, I did my Master's thesis on thermal histories of sedimentary basins 
with regard to using a technique called Argon-40/argon-39 stepwise heating 
geochronological dating (of detrital potassium felspars).  Now, I work as a paintings 
conservator in an art museum - but my first passion is the lute!

Kenneth

Re: lute photography

[KennethBeLute]

Hi Martin:

I just wandered to my mailbox here for the first time in a while and found your 
message.  You've probably seen me in action alot with my little Pentax Optio330 (about 
2 yrs old now) with 3.34 megapixel capacity, using Flashcard media for storage (lots 
of my photos are on the LSA seminar webpages).  I also have a remote for it which I 
bought separately.  It is apparently very similar to the Canon powershot and digital 
Elph cameras.  Anyway, I use mine all the time without the flash - indoors, too, and 
for lots of lute photography.

A tripod can be helpful, but also somewhere between tripod and a steady hand, you can 
also consider using a monopod.

I'm about as attached to my digital camera as I am to my lutes!

Kenneth

Re: Regia Pietas

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 1/13/04 4:14:51 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> Does anyone have experience with the Nicolas Vallet's Psalms =
> published in Regia Pietas?
> I've got the facsimile edition, but as I've never had any experience =
> with this particular repertoire, I was wondering if any of you have done =
> a "transcription" of some of the pieces, that a "normal" singer would =
> manage to understand.


Ariel:

Some of these Vallet psalm settings appear in Sacred for the Music, an 
edition done by Catherine Liddell and published by Lyre Music Editions in 2000.


Kenneth 

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Re: Virtue/lute

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 1/8/04 7:28:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> And the only position I feel 
> comfortable in is sitting upright on a hard chair playing my lute, with a 
> hot-water bottle behind me. Somehow the combination of the hard chair and 
> the 
> position required to play the instrument relieve the pain, and course the 
> music 
> does the rest.


I recall from a past LSA seminar seeing Jacob Lindberg using a specially 
designed wedge-shaped cushion which slopes forward at a low angle with a little 
gap cut out for the spot at the bottom of the spine.  He said that it solved his 
back pain and gave him a comfortable posture.  Recently, here in the U.S. I 
have seen these for the first time being sold in the Walgreens store chains (I 
think they cost around $20 or so).


Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

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Re: FW: Girl with the Pearl Earing

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 1/8/04 4:55:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> The one that
> Vermeer has painted is a flat rose like those you find in Stradivarius and
> Koch guitars.   It is also golded, something I have seen  on harpsichords,
> zyther, cimbalum, harp, spinett, but never on a guitar (which doesn't mean
> it doesn't exist).

I have seen a beautiful gilded rose on a lute by Michael Lowe owned by 
Anthony Rooley.  It is pictured on the cover of his lutesongs of Dowland CD called 
The English Orpheus.

There is always the possibility that Vermeer directly copied a rose from a 
keyboard and took the artistic freedom to "insert" it to the guitar.  The magic 
of such realistic looking paintings is that they can cunningly fool you into 
taking everything for granted, almost like photos (such as all this discussion 
about the woman's right hand position on the guitar).As we all know, even 
photos can deceive!  Sometimes, in fact, artists intentionally "deceive" or 
play tricks with the viewer by such slight adjustments to reality.

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

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re: Girl with a Pearl Earring

[KennethBeLute]

My apologies to the list for sending out yet another message just now full of 
"=20"s
(I can't seem to figure out how this AOL mail works correctly with 
[EMAIL PROTECTED])


Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Re: Girl with the Pearl Earing

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 1/7/04 10:09:06 AM Eastern Standard Time,=20
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> Certainly the rosette looks rather odd - but this may be=A0 something to d=
o
> with the state of the painting.=A0 I seem to recall that many of his paint=
ings
> survive in a poor state or have been badly restored because they were all
> sold off on his death.=A0 I must go and have another look at the original.
>=20

This painting, The Guitar Player, in the Iveagh Bequest in Kenwood House, in=
=20
Hampstead Heath, is the finest preserved Vermeer in existence.=A0 For one th=
ing,=20
it is not even lined (that is, it does not have a typical later-added canvas=
=20
adhered to the back of the original one) and the detail and paint textures a=
re=20
perfectly preserved on this painting.=A0 The original wooden strainer to whi=
ch=20
the painting is attached is, in fact, even the one the artist used.=A0 For t=
hese=20
reasons, the painting is very fragile and therefore not even lent out to=20
exhibitions.

I have seen The Music Lesson (Buckingham Palace) up close and, although=20
lined, it is also in superb condition.=A0=20

The guitar in the painting, by the way, was probably after one from the=20
Voboam firm in Paris.=A0=20

Interestingly, the woman has her right hand in a position as if plucking a=20
cittern with a plectrum, so it is possible that Vermeer simply borrowed the=20=
hand=20
position from that or else posed the model in that way.=A0 Certainly, he had=
=20
done such depictions earlier (such as in The Letter, in the Rijksmuseum,=20
Amsterdam).

Two of the most damaged Vermeers are:

The Lute Player, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Girl Interrupted at her Music Lesson, The Frick Collection, New York.
(both are badly abraded from overcleaning)


Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

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Re: Girl with the Pearl Earing

[KennethBeLute]

I saw the film in early December where I work at the Cleveland Museum of Art. 
 Our film program director somehow managed to negotiate a screening prior to 
its public release. 

Simply stated, the movie is visually and cinematographically one of the most 
stunning I have ever seen.  The subtle, natural lighting, the compositions, 
the authentic settings and costumes and the very fine acting do great justice to 
the quiet, delicate art of Johannes Vermeer.  Several of the outdoor scenes 
are filmed in Delft.  For a lutenist, the movie gives a great impression of 
Holland in the 17th Century.

Alas, there is little actual 17th C. music, except for a scene where one of 
Vermeer's patron's plays on a genuine harpsichord (Lachrimae tune - perhaps 
Sweelinck?).  There is no lute or cittern music (too bad, considering especially 
that the cittern is the most frequently depicted instrument by the artist).  
However, in one scene there is a renaissance lute propped on a chair which 
quickly caught my eye.

This being said, however, I found the rather minimal synthesized contemporary 
music which sounds throughout the film at choice moments to be VERY 
appropriate and fine!  At all other times, the film uses no score and instead relies 
on 
the everyday types of sounds that would be heard in a crowded household in 
Delft in those years (children, domestic noises, dogs barking, bird calls).

I recommend this movie very highly to all to see soon!

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

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Re: Ukulele and chitarrino?

[KennethBeLute]

I attended James Tyler's class on the early guitar at the Lute Society of America 
summer seminar of 1993 in Rochester, New York, in which he made a point of telling us 
that the little chitarrino (renaissance four course guitar) was spread to many corners 
of the world through Jesuit missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries and, although 
long extinct in its original form, survives in various "living fossil" types:  the 
ukulele in Hawaii, the charango in South America, and similar forms and sizes in other 
locations (such as the Canary Islands and in Mexico), often with re-entrant tuning, 
and sometimes using tablature notations.  Can anybody else name these current day 
types in their respective countries?

Kenneth

Re: OT, but maybe interesting

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 12/31/03 6:41 am, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< So, if you are ever in Yemen, and invited to a
wedding, make sure you go because you may hear some
very interesting music being played on the 'oud. >>

Thanks for the tip, Titan.  I will have to remember this next time I'm in 
Yemen and invited to a wedding!  (In the meantime, though, I have to settle for a 
New Year's Eve party here in Ohio)

With best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year from me to all of you on this 
list,

Kenneth 

Re: Lewd, not lute music

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 12/25/03 7:52:53 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> Our job is to make music that moves the audience, because we
> are musicians, not museum curators.
> Yours,
> Jim
> 

Hey, Jim!

Some of us try to be both museum curators AND musicians!

Best wishes this Christmas,
Kenneth
[Cleveland Museum of Art]

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Re: Vivaldi Lute Concerto

[KennethBeLute]

In a message dated 12/20/03 12:53:25 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

> Anyway, the mandora (or gallichone) of the period is a lute-like tenor 
> instrument tuned
> to the intervals of the modern guitar, and versions were popular in both 
> D and E (along
> with much larger versions in A). Obviously, modern classical guitarists 
> play these pieces
> all the time ("Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto!!?!?!"  ) so the E tuning is 
> certainly plausible.  It
> turns out that a D tuning is also possible for these works and presents 
> some rather
> amazingly attractive ideomatic solutions, particularly in the D-major 
> concerto and the
> larger-scale D-minor concerto w/ Viola d'Amore (RV540).

I am not an expert in this area, but I CAN say that recently I saw and heard 
a beautiful gallichon (in E?) built by Paolo Busato and owned by Davide 
Rebuffa and can well imagine this instrument performing the Vivaldi concerti.  It 
also had a robust tone which seemed effective for a continuo instrument.

Was the gallichon sometimes referred to as a "leuto" in the 18th C?

Kenneth Be
Cleveland, Ohio

--

Re: interesting picture (ad vihuela discussion)

[KennethBeLute]

Hi Thomas:

The picture you found illustrates Poussin's genius in taking a contemporary 
instrument (5c guitar) and re-casting or morphing it into a form which pays 
homage to the lira family (like the lirone and lira da braccio), and thereby 
connecting it with the Renaissance era's association of the instrument  to the the 
Arcadia of Classical times.  This conforms to Poussin's art in general taking 
inspiration and conformity to the order and display of Classical decoration, 
sculpture, and overall order and compositional proportion.  The painting 
itself, of course, is directly inspired by Titian's great series of pictures for 
the studiolo of the Duke Alfonso of Ferrara (now distributed between WashDC, 
London, and Madrid).

We have to be very careful not to take painted, drawn, and printed depictions 
of musical instruments and the way they are played too literally, for, they 
are not photographs.  Even photos, as we know, can distort the truth.  Artists 
from the times of the lute often took freedoms liberally such as portraying a 
person (or angel) to best advantage, even if the instruments are held or 
played inaccurately.  As for the depictions of the instruments themselves, the 
implied symbolism in an artist's rendering of the instrument is sometimes the 
principal point being communicated rather than an exact record of an existing 
instrument.  

Best regards,
Kenneth 

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