7 to 10 course lutes

9 & 10 course lutes

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7 & 8 course lutes

1)     10-course lute after Magno Dieffopruchar, venice 1610   (Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum C45. SAM 41).

Based on an instrument currently preserved as an archlute, the body of which is ideal for a 9- or 10-course lute with a shorter string length, while retaining a full sound.

17 or 31 ribs of figured sycamore, plum, yew* or pear. Ebony or African blackwood fingerboard with fingerboard points. Ebony half edging. The neck can be either veneer with ebony or solid figured fruitwood.


String length: 62.5 cm (8 tied frets) to 69 cm (10 tied frets).

17 rib version with solid neck and pegbox: €5170  

31 rib version with (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €6280


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2)     10-course lute after Sixtus Rauwolf, Augsburg c. 1590 (Jakob Lindberg private collection)

An lute with a full-round 15 rib body, originally conceived as a 7 or 8 course instrument, that produces a particularly rich and resonant  sound.

15 ribs of figured maple, Ash, plum, yew or pear. Ebony or African blackwood fingerboard with fingerboard points. Ebony half edging. The neck can be either veneer with ebony or solid figured fruitwood.


String length: 63.5 cm (8 tied frets) , 67 cm (9 tied frets), 71 cm (10 frets)

With solid neck and pegbox: €5120

With (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €5395


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3)     10-course lute after Magno Dieffopruchar, Venice 1612 (Bologna, Museo Civico Medievale).

A large, full bodied instrument representative of the Venetian School of lute making that allows for a relatively short string length for its size.


String length: 64.5 cm (8 tied frets) 67 cm (9 tied frets) to 71cm (10 tied frets).

25 ribs of figured sycamore, plum, yew* or pear with (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €6280


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4)     10-course lute after Hans Frei (Warwick County Museum Nr. 162).

11 ribs of figured sycamore, plum, yew* or pear. Ebony or African blackwood fingerboard with fingerboard points. Ebony half edging. The neck can be either veneer with ebony or solid figured fruitwood.


String length: 65 cm (8 tied frets) , 68 cm (9 tied frets) and 72cm (10 tied frets).

With solid neck and pegbox: €5070

With (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €5345.


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These three models may also be made as 9-course lutes with a reduction in price of €95


*Due to the scarcity and high cost of yew wood suitable for lute ribs, instruments made with this timber will have a €230 increase over the prices quoted above.

The seven-course lute was first mentioned by the German composer and theorist Sebastian Virdung in his " Musica getuscht und angezogen" in 1511, while some pieces of the late XV Century "Pesaro" and a single one (for viola da mano) of the "Bologna" manuscript call for seven courses. It is also worth mentioning that in 1556 one of Bálint Bakfark's apprentices intended to buy one of these lutes. How anecdotal this fact really is will probably nevrer la e   k nown with certainty.gn


The first printed book in which some of its pieces were to be played on a 7-course instrument was Hans Gerle's "Musica Teusch", published as early as 1532. Further evidence of its use can be found in a handful of early XVI century paintings depicting a 7-course instrument. Despite all this, most evidence tells us that the use of the 7th course did not become common until the last quarter of the century, when numerous instruments of this type were built, judging by the numerous surviving examples that have survived.


Seven-course lutes are very versatile instruments. They cover most of the XVI century repertoire while allowing some XVII century repertoire to be played successfully on them with little compromise. In my opinion, it is the best all-around instrument for anyone interested in Renaissance lute music, especially beginners and conservatory students. The extra course (compared to a 6-course lute) does not cause too much harmonic interference when playing proper 6-course repertoire, and still allows you to play most English and French later music on it. It is also a great companion to the voice, as most English lute songs (including those from John Dowland) and French "Air the cour" can be played on this instrument with little or no change to the original tablature. It is also a great means to learn the basics of continuo playing, as the additional course provides some further opportunities for efficient accompaniment.


Despite its popularity today, the eight course lute seems to have represented only a minute step in the frenetic development of the lute at the turn of the century. The only tablature books calling specifically for it are Matthias Reymann's "Noctes musicae" (1598), Simone Molinaro's first book of tablature (1599), and Giovanni Antonio Terzi's 2nd book of tablature (1599).


This instrument is credited by some with the versatility that I attribute to the 7-course lute. However, I believe that the extra course does not open up many repertoire possibilities, while it makes others less suitable. For example, while I believe that early French and Italian 6-course music (Da Milano, Spinacino, Leroy, etc.) can be played satisfactorily on a 7-course lute, I believe that the additional two courses of this type of lute create too much unwanted harmonic disturbance (due to sympatric vibrations) that somewhat muddle the polyphonic structure that is the fundamental characteristic of this music. Nevertheless, I recommend it to players who want to focus mainly on the last decades of the XVI century and the beginning of the next, although in these cases a 9- or 10-course lute might be a more appropriate choice.

1) "Virdung". Original design of an early 16th Century 7-course lute based on various sources of iconography.


7-course lutes were first mentioned by Sebastian Virdung in 1511 (see below). Although the standard number of courses in the first half of the XVI century was undoubtedly six, some pieces in the late XV century "Pesaro" and "Bologna" manuscripts call for seven courses. A handful of pieces in Hans Gerle's "Musica Teusch" (published in 1532) also use the seventh course. The main obstacle to the general standardisation of the seventh course was probably inadequacies in string technology that were only overcome towards the end of the century when these instruments became popular. This instrument was designed with the sound, structure and aesthetics of an early XVI century lute in mind and therefore corresponds to my model "Da Milano" with an additional course. This instrument fills a gap for musicians who wish to arrange polyphonic vocal music to be performed with a singer or vocal ensemble. This additional course offers great flexibility for the intabulation of counterpoint in different modes while preserving the distinctive sound of the early XVI century lute.


9 or 11 ribs. 60 to 62 cm string length. €4270


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2)     7-course after Jacob Hes Venice, 1586 (Paris, Musée de la musique D.AD.40381)

An original 7 course  model with a short string length suitable for A tuning.

String length: 55.4 cm.

15 ribs with solid neck and pegbox: €4600

15 ribs with veneered neck and pegbox: €4830


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3)      7-course after Vvendelio Venere, Padua 1592  (Bologna, Academia Filarmonica).

A suitable model for those who prefer a smaller string length.  The back of this lute has 25 ribs and its original neck and pegbox is highly ornamented with stripes of contrasting timbers. Ebony or African blackwood fingerboard with fingerboard points. Ebony soundboard half edging.


String length: 58.4 cm.

11 rib version with solid neck and pegbox: €4550

11 rib version with (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €4780

25 rib version (as the original) with with ebony veneered neck and pegbox: €5565

25 rib version (as the original) with decorated neck and pegbox: €5800



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4)     7-course lute after Sixtus Rauwolf, Augsburg c. 1590 (Jakob Lindberg private collection)

An lute with a full-round 15 rib body, originally conceived as a 7 or 8 course instrument, that produces a particularly rich and resonant  sound.

15 ribs of figured maple, Ash, plum, yew or pear. Ebony or African blackwood fingerboard with fingerboard points. Ebony half edging. The neck can be either veneer with ebony or solid figured fruitwood.


String length: 64.5 (8 tied frets) to 68.5 cm (9 tied frets)

With solid neck and pegbox: €4650

With (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €4880


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5)     7-course lute after Hans Frei (Warwick County Museum Nr. 162).

A version of this magnificent somewhat larger instrument offered as a 7 or 8 course with a minimum string length of 66.5 cm for 8 tied frets on the fingerboard.

11 ribs of figured maple, Ash, plum, yew or pear. Ebony or African blackwood fingerboard with fingerboard points. Ebony half edging. The neck can be either veneer with ebony or solid figured fruitwood.


String length: 66.5 to 70 cm (9 tied frets)

With solid neck and pegbox: €4650

With (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €4880


These four models may be ordered as 8-course lutes for an extra price of €95.


*Due to the scarcity and high cost of yew wood suitable for lute ribs, instruments made with this timber will have a €230 increase over the prices quoted above.


A recent example of a 10-course lute after Hans Frei (Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum C34).

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A recent example of No. 4.  Magno Dieffopruchar (Bologna, Museo Civico Medievale)

The "Dowland" model


Original design inspired by the work of Venetian, Paduan and Augsburg makers from the late XVI and early XVII centuries, with special attention to the surviving instruments of Sixtus Rauwolf.



This model represents an attempt to design a lute model ideally suited to the music of the sublime John Dowland and his English and continental contemporary lute composers. John Dowland lived in a time of constant musical change. This was reflected in the instruments he used and composed for throughout his life. He began his career with a 6-course lute, while some of his later pieces call for 9 courses. The idea of using a single lute for a repertoire that spans such a long career may be tempting, but should be discarded if a player is serious about performing his entire oeuvre appropriately. Nevertheless, we should be aware that most of his works, including his sublime songs, can be successfully performed on a 7-course instrument. This is the instrument I would recommend if someone wishes to cover most of the repertoire without too many compromises, as such a lute would only discard the 5 known pieces that explicitly require 9 courses.

On the other hand, I believe that the lute Dowland used in the last years of his career must have been a very different instrument than the one he had used before. This hypothetical instrument would have had 9 courses and 10 tied frets on the neck, rather than the usual 8. John Dowland travelled throughout Europe (France, Germany, Italy, and Denmark) and was certainly very aware of the continental music scene and the development of the lute in those countries. His knowledge of the European musical scene is also reflected in the two books written by his son Robert, in which he meticulously describes foreign musical and organological trends.


One remark Dowland makes in his 1610 “Varietie of Lute-Lessons” is especially relevant to the morphology of the lute he must have used later in his life:

“for my selfe was borne but thirty yeeres after Hans Gerles booke was printed, and all the Lutes which I can remember used eight frets ... some few yeeres after, by the French Nation, the neckes of the Lutes were lengthned, and thereby increased two frets more, so as all those Lutes, which are most received and disired, are of tenne frets.”


A lute with ten tied frets instead of the eight that used to be common has drastic effects on string length and thus on pitch and general resonance, especially in the low basses. If we take a lute with a string length of 60 cm and add a longer neck that allows for 10 tied frets, we end up with a string length of about 65 cm. As a result, the instrument will have to be tuned at least one tone lower than an instrument with 8 frets (in modern terms, going from a chanterelle  in G to F or even E). In combination with the two additional frets that increase the total number to 9, this instrument will have very different qualities than the shorter instrument with fewer frets.


To meet the instrumental requirements for the interpretation of the complete music of John Dowland, I offer 3 different versions of the same model, which I named "Dowland" in honour of one of my favourite lute composers:




7 courses. String length: 59.5 to 62.5 cm.

With solid neck and pegbox: €4550

With (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €4780


8 courses. String length: 60 to 62.5 cm.

With solid neck and pegbox: €4640

With (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €4870


9 courses. String length: 65 cm.

With solid neck and pegbox: €4800

With (ebony) veneered neck and pegbox: €5050


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Click on the thumbnails for a lager picture.

The lute went from 6 to 10 courses in a very short period of less than 40 years. This expansion only took place in the bass register, where more double octave courses were gradually added. Although the extension of the range was modest - only one whole tone from 7c to 10c - the overall resonance of the instrument increased considerably due to the sympathetic vibrations of the additional courses.

 

Contrary to the popularity that the 10-course lute currently seems to enjoy, we do not have many surviving instruments of this type, although we do have examples in iconographic sources to add to our partial knowledge of this type of lute. The reason for the scarcity of surviving originals is probably that most of them were converted into 11-course lutes. This conversion was quite simple: the addition of a treble rider frees up a peg, and by leaving the 2nd course single (as is usual with the D minor tuning), another peg is freed up, giving an additional course.

 

In contrast to the historical evidence, many contemporary players seem to choose string lengths that are too short in the hope that this will make their playing easier. This seems to be a misconception that is also propagated by teachers in complete disregard of the historical evidence. I believe that a person with average hands should at least be able to manage a string length of 64 cm for this type of repertoire. It is a matter of applying the right techniques and practising intelligently to effortlessly master the few passages that require some finger stretches.

 

We must bear in mind that shortening the scale has an effect on the sound of the instrument and its resonance, especially in the lower registers. For this reason, and following historical evidence, I would recommend a minimum of 9 tied frets on the neck. This results in a string length of 64 to 66 cm for the models listed below: