Lute Quartets
Dear All, I have recently acquired a copy of some lute quartets published by Ian Gaskell of Oriel Music. He does not normally publish lute music, although many years ago he published a rather nice modern edition of Dowland's second book of ayres. The contents of _Music for Lute Quartet_ (OLL 605) are: 1) Als ick u vinde and O Vilanella from Adriaenssen's _Pratum Musicum_; 2) Terzi's Canzona a4; 3) All seven Vallet quartets. The music is presented in four part-books, and each of these has a score in staff notation of the songs from Adriaenssen. All the tablature is copied neatly by hand, and is very readable. The Adriaenssen pieces would require lutes in c, g', f', and c', to match the pitch of the voices in the 4-part score. Seeing as modern lutenists are more likely to have lutes a tone higher than that, an extra score is provided a tone higher. It's all very practical. The cost, including postage etc., is about $25 for America. You can contact the publisher by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Best wishes, Stewart McCoy. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Dowland, Johnson
Dear All, two different things: 1) How/where could I find a passingmeasures pavan by Johnson? [is it an Englishization of passamezzo?] 2) The beautiful song Time stands still by Dowland has a 2nd strophe, starting When fortune, love and time attend on Her with my fortunes, love, and time, I honour will alone, .. Somehow I don't get an idea of the right text distribution on the notes. Could someone please align the syllables for me? (beginning of the first strophe:) Time stands still with gazing on her face, stand still and gaze, for minutes, hours and years, to her give place: Thank you! Bernd To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Dowland, Johnson
Here is how I do the 2nd verse in the Dowland (actual pitches) ... B A G G A D BA GA When fortune, love, and time attend on D BG A B C BA G A B A GAAG her with my fortunes, love, and time, I honour will alone, .. I hope the note spacing comes through ok in the email. Fonts can be tricky with this sort of thing. Chris Schaub --- Bernd Haegemann [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear All, two different things: 1) How/where could I find a passingmeasures pavan by Johnson? [is it an Englishization of passamezzo?] 2) The beautiful song Time stands still by Dowland has a 2nd strophe, starting When fortune, love and time attend on Her with my fortunes, love, and time, I honour will alone, .. Somehow I don't get an idea of the right text distribution on the notes. Could someone please align the syllables for me? (beginning of the first strophe:) Time stands still with gazing on her face, stand still and gaze, for minutes, hours and years, to her give place: Thank you! Bernd To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
stripy yew in lute backs
Martin Shepherd [EMAIL PROTECTED] said: Nearly all of the old yew lutes are multi-rib instruments where the use of heart/sap yew gives a wonderfully stripey appearance A stave of Yew intended for producing a bow would include both sap and heartwood. When cart loads of these were made available to luthiers it was kinda natural to use the product in just that way - and, it is hard for me to think of any other use but lute ribs for that material. -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Built-in action? Double frets
We take it more or less for granted that the reason so many ivory or ebony lutes have survived is because of their price, rarity and decorative qualities, rather than because they were common in the past. I wonder whether yew comes into the same category (though it is undoubtedly a better material for the job than ivory or ebony). From reading DAS History of the lute I get the impression that Yew was very common, if not the most common for lutes. In the inventory Magno Diafaberker it lists... 140 lutes of yew and maple, 100 ordinary lutes, 110 lutes of yew and other, 10 lutes of alternating sandalwood and ivory, 4 lutes of ivory, on and on. Also, it lists by far, much more yew rib material than any other. 8800 yew ribs to be exact. In the inventory of Fugger, it shows that he collected more lutes made of ebony, ivory, and other exotic woods, rather than the common lutes made of yew. Michael Thames www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com - Original Message - From: Martin Shepherd [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Lute Net lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 2:52 AM Subject: Re: Built-in action? Double frets Dear Chad and All, The question of what effect different woods have on lute tone is one which I am often asked but I don't have any easy answers. But I just wanted to say something about yew. Some modern makers are convinced that lutemakers started to use yew because it was simply the ideal material, even though it was often difficult to get. There is no doubt it is an excellent material for lute backs, but I wonder whether its main importance was decorative. Nearly all of the old yew lutes are multi-rib instruments where the use of heart/sap yew gives a wonderfully stripey appearance - the lutes look almost as though they have twice as many ribs as they actually have. I just wonder whether this wood was prized because it was rare and beautiful, rather than because it was better acoustically than anything else? I can't find the source at the moment, but there is a letter from a lutemaker complaining that he could only get enough yew to make three or four lutes a year - so what did he make the other 996 lutes out of? We take it more or less for granted that the reason so many ivory or ebony lutes have survived is because of their price, rarity and decorative qualities, rather than because they were common in the past. I wonder whether yew comes into the same category (though it is undoubtedly a better material for the job than ivory or ebony). Best wishes, Martin Chad McAnally wrote: Michael, Fleta was a really interesting chap. Years ago I had chance to play a colleague's Fleta, it almost played itself to was so co-operative!!! In lutes, I've read that 1.) the harder the wood the ribs are made of, the louder the lute, and 2.) towards the end of the 16th century makers started to use Yew for the ribs, simply because large amounts of it had been freed up from military uses. It seems that the use of woods like ebony increased as well. Were these makers looking for more forward projection in their instruments Or was it just a matter of having new exotic materials to experiment with? ( or both? ) Imagine the advertisements: New for 1587 Ebony and Snakewood 7 course models!!! Chad Original Message - From: Michael Thamesmailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: lutemailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu ; Chad McAnallymailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 6:15 PM Subject: Re: Built-in action? Double frets I've built both harps and guitars and it seems less important what the back and sides are made of versus how they are made;( within reasonI wouldn't make guitar sides of delrin or concrete!) I.e. that they are of the right thickness to resonate and still be strong enough to support to the soundboard seems the real key. Chad Chad, I second that emotion. Each wood contributes to the tone in one way or another. But who can really say one is better than the other. Maple makes great guitars and lutes, as does ebony or rosewood. Lacote, thought so little of the effect of the back and sides that he just used pine, with a veneer over it. Fleta, actually made his own plywood from rosewood and spruce, for the back, and sides, and used this on what he called his international models, to prevent cracking of the back. Michael Thames www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.comhttp://www.thamesclassicalguitars.com/ - Original Message - From: Chad McAnally [EMAIL PROTECTED]mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: lute lute@cs.dartmouth.edumailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2005 10:50 PM Subject: Re: Built-in action? Double frets Hi Tony, -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: Built-in action? Double frets
Your certainly welcome, Alain, Chad - Original Message - From: Alain Veylitmailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Chad McAnallymailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 10:25 AM Subject: Re: Built-in action? Double frets Thank you, Chad, Alain Chad McAnally wrote: Alain, There are several ways of tuning a sitar; this page is far more concise than I could be. http://www.silverbushmusic.com/sitartuning.htmlhttp://www.silverbushmusic.com/sitartuning.htmlhttp://www.silverbushmusic.com/sitartuning.html For further information on the general North Indian classical tradition check out http://www.buckinghammusic.com/tall.hthttp://www.buckinghammusic.com/tall.hthttp://www.buckinghammusic.com/tall.hthttp://www.buckinghammusic.com/tall.ht It has a picture of my friend Shubhendraji who taught me much about the nature of music and life. Enjoy, Chad - Original Message - From: Alain Veylitmailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Chad McAnallymailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: lutemailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edumailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 2:37 AM Subject: Re: Built-in action? Double frets How's a sitar tuned? Alain Chad McAnally wrote: Hi Tony, It's strange, I sent this to the list a few days ago and it suddenly popped up. Maybe my server is acting up again. I'm not sure how old the idea of adding that extra gourd to the sitar neck is but it probably came from much older Indian instruments such as the Rudra Vina which has two resonators. My old Hemen sitar really did benefit from that upper gourd, particularly in the Bass and in the overall presence of tone, and it does make the instrument easier to balance. As to lutes and guitars, as Michael Thames put it earlier I've always told guitarist's that the neck can make or break an instrument. I would definitely trust his experience on that matter. The barring is also critically important, given that it not only contributes to the function of the soundboard but greatly to it's stability. I've built both harps and guitars and it seems less important what the back and sides are made of versus how they are made;( ...within reasonI wouldn't make guitar sides of delrin or concrete!) I.e. that they are of the right thickness to resonate and still be strong enough to support to the soundboard seems the real key. Chad - Original Message - From: Tony Chalkleymailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: lutemailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edumailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edumailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edumailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2005 4:51 PM Subject: Re: Built-in action? Double frets So maybe as the fret and string have better purchase, the neck will send that energy to the body? I'm tempted to think that one end would cancel out the other but on the other hand, the bridge would vibrate up and down (relative to the bridge) while the neck would forward and back (relative to the bridge). Dear Sean and Chad, I didn't take in the original message well enough to reply - I was taught (in other words, I have no personal opinion on the matter), that the material and build of a guitar neck is far more important than those of the back and ribs of the instrument, in terms of tone production. This would support what you are saying. As far as the upper gourd on a sitar is concerned, I have recently read that it is a relatively recent affair and of little value - the upside of this is that I have decided not to try and add one to mine - I couldn't sork out how to do it easily. Yours, Tony To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.htmlhttp://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.htmlhttp://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.htmlhttp://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.htmlhttp://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.htmlhttp://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.htmlhttp://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.htmlhttp://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- -- --
