Dear lutenists,
Esaia Reusner's famous compositions "Neue Lauten-Fruechte" (Berlin, 1676) and "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" (Berlin, 1676) are widely recognised as brilliant landmarks in baroque lute history. The printed version of "Neue Lauten-Fruechte" contains XIII suites on 30 pages. "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" is a collection of 100 protestant's songs converted into lute music on 21 printed pages. From both compositions only few originals survived until today. Earlier this year I became curious to take a look into the original prints owned by the Austrian National Library. Both Reusner works were ordered separately from the Department of Music of the Austria National Library. It was a big surprise to receive only one book. However, the one and only book (signature SA.77.C.1. Mus 19) contained both lute works. While "Neue Lauten-Fruechte" was fitted horizontally, "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" was fitted vertically in one and the same antique leather binding. The spine was decorated with embossed gold ornaments. Obviously, sizes (approx. 30.3 cm wide and 18.6 cm height) and quality of paper sheets for both works were comparable. All tabulature prints were positioned exactly in the center of each paper sheet and there were no signs of artificial cutting from previous binding. Moreover, every second sheet of the two-in-one book contains a copperplate print. In total, the book included 54 original copperplate engravings belonging to six different thematic groups. The first four copperplates show all four times of the day based on paintings by the 17^th century Dutch artist J.V. Velde. Allegoric pictures of all 12 months of the year based on motives by the French baroque artist G. Perrelle follow. Under the title "Regiunculae Amoenissimae" 12 copper engravings with landscape motives by the 17^th Dutch artist Jan van Goyen are presented next. Six illustrations by Perelle entitled "Diverses Paysages" are shown on following pages. Next, 12 "Diverses Veues et Perspectives nouvelles de Rome, Paris et des autres lieux" are presented based on motifs by the French painter and engraver I. Silvestre. Finally, 8 different "Divers Veues et Perspectives des Fontaines et Jardins de Fontaine-bel-eau" are included in the Vienna lute book. My instant thought was that some one person who owned both Reusner books combined them later on into a single book with "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" in the unusual vertical position. However, when the copperplate prints were inspected it became obvious that they are sequentially numbered and the numbering overlapps between the end of "Neue Lauten-Fruechte" and beginning of "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder". Both paper size and quality of the 54 copperplate prints are comparable to Reusner's tabulature prints and showed similar degree of paper aging. Based on information from other music libraries in Berlin, Leipzig, Kremsmuenster and Brussels it became obvious that each other original was covered by a different envelope or no envelope at all. No other book or collection of loose paper sheets with Reusner's tabulature prints contained copperplate engravings. The foreword by Reusner of "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" contains following message in German "Dieses Werklein wird sonsten in Berlin in der Rungischen Buchdruckery zu erfragen / und um einen billigen Preiss zu erkauffen seyn. Ubrigens empfehle mich allen Liebhabern zu geneigter Gunstgewogenheit" (English translation "This work could be requested from the Rungische book printing shop in Berlin for a small price. Moreover I recommend that all music lovers be favoured by an inclination to goodwill"). Apparently, this is a commercial advertisement to order and stimulate purchase of Reusner's compositions in printed versions from the printing manufacture Runge in Berlin. The book printing manufacture "Runge" was created in 1610 by Georg Runge under the privilege of prince-elector Georg Wilhelm. The printing manufacture was continued by his son Christoff Runge the younger from 1643 until 1681 under the privilege of prince-elector Friedrich Wilhelm. Both "Neue Lauten-Fruechte" and "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" were published by Reusner in 1676 and reproduced by the same printing manufacture. During baroque time it was not unusual to illustrate books of different categories with copperplate prints. Apparently, the Runge printing manufacture could offer this type of service too, either by doing the copperplate printing at Runge or by ordering them from a specialised provider. A printed original of lute tabulature must have represented a significant value as any printed book at this time, very different from today's high-tech reproduction technology. A single book with ornaments and decorations represented a valuable art work in itself. The addition of copper engravings with reproductions of paintings from very famous 17^th century artists must have instantly increased the virtual and real value of the two-in-one Reusner edition. Finally, for me it appears that who ever was the very first owner of the Vienna "Neue Lauten-Fruechte" and the "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" ordered both Reusner compositions at one and the same time from the Runge book printing manufacture in Berlin together with nicely fitting copperplate prints showing romantic motifs. By contrast to other surviving exemplars of Reusners compositions, the paper sheets of the Vienna original were leather-bound into a book, which is not always the case for other surviving exemplars, and in this special case both compositions were worked into a two-in-one Reusner edition. The Vienna original of "Neue Lauten-Fruechte" and "Hundert Geistliche Melodien Evangelischer Lieder" represents a unique and prestigious work of art of baroque lute composition, of 17^th century book illustration and book printing. The pdf-collection of the copperplate prints is on [1]http://www.scribd.com/doc/63339646 Best regards, Bernhard -- References 1. http://www.scribd.com/doc/63339646 To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
