The top course is a single string, all other courses are double strung. Heres a great serious yet classically beautiful coffeetable gift book for any friend. Erasmus lapicida is one of many shadowy figures found in renaissance musical history. Few musical instruments have had such a history of both favor and neglect as the lute. It was well established as an instrument of the court and was studied by many prosperous citizens.
The renaissance lute typically had a body constructed of nine to thirteen ribs, mostly made of maple, and a single carved rosette with an intricate geometric designmost of the examples show a knot or star pattern. It was published in the 19th century by one of the most acclaimed historians of the century. For over 500 years the lute was the most important musical instrument in european culture. The latter is an instrument that lends itself to solo playing as well as accompaniment, whereas the baroque lute is above all a soloist instrument. The late renaissance 15801620 is a particularly interesting time for the lute. A history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance book. The other books are very complicated and eisenstein, quite possibly, gives fewer concessions to the readership than anybody else. The lute part vii he did not compose for lute nor was he known to perform on it, but ottaviano petrucci 1466 1539 was nonetheless a vital figure in the history of the instrument, and profoundly influenced the course of musical development in the 16th century, and indeed music history in general. The ud resembles the european lute in body, has four pairs of strings, and is played with a quill plectrum that is held between the first and second. Genuinely easy pieces in books of lessons are relatively few, and all too often. Smith, douglas alton 2002, a history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance, the lute society of america, isbn 0971x. Complete solo galliards for renaissance lute or guitar, peacock press.
Music examples, illustrations, bibliography, index. Tablature is an ancient system of music notation for stringed instruments that is still in use today. The death of queen elizabeth i, and the end of the elizabethan era renaissance ukulele. A history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance by. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. Considerations of both a technical and an aesthetic nature differentiate the practice of the baroque from that of the renaissance lute. This article is concerned mainly with general developments and their impact in the fields of science, rhetoric, literature, and music. Lute can refer generally to any string instrument having the strings running in a plane parallel to the sound table in the hornbostelsachs system, more specifically to any plucked can refer generally to any string instrument having the strings running in a plane parallel to the sound table in the hornbostelsachs system, more specifically to. This has a string length of 67cm due to the 9 frets on the fingerboard. It became the symbol of the magic and power of music. The image of the lute is well engrained in our minds from depictions in medieval and renaissance art.
Mideast music specializes in handcrafted historic and ethnic instruments. It also includes the events leading up to and influencing the renaissance, as well as the impact the renaissance had on the world. For most of this time, the lute was a sixcourse instrument with a single top string, second and third courses strung in unison, and the lowest three courses strung in octaves. It is a mine of information concerning the history of the instrument, lute makers, composers, players, technique and performance practices of. There was no standard form of the instrument, however. He is also the author of a major treatise on the baroque lute called method for the baroque lute, published in italy by ut orpheus in 2008.
Brown, who modeled them after an extant renaissance lute by giovanni hieber of venice, c. The two lutes pictured here were made in 2000 by the american luthier lawrence k. The lute is a plucked bowllute chordophone of renaissance 16 th century europe. List of books and articles about renaissance music. In italy the first known tablature was printed in 1507. In its long history the lute experienced not one, but a series of golden ages, and elizabethan and jacobean england certainly enjoyed one of these. Renaissance lute grinnell college musical instrument. Alla venetiana early 16th century venetian lute music licensed to youtube by harmonia mundi on behalf of harmonia mundi. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The lute was the instrument of kings and queens, playing the sublime music of great composers. The below video and the article which accompanies it are really for people who have just become interested in the lute and would like some help with the most basic questions concerning the different types of lute and their historical development. Printed sources music printing in general, and lute tablature printing in particular, came late to england.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read damianos lute. Matthew weinman lutenist composer producer multiinstrumentalist renaissance lute vihuela cittern theorbo baroque guitar. Examples of renaissance art, special topics via the metropolitan museum of arts timeline of art history, and artists in 14th, 15th, and 16th century northern europe, spain and italy via the web gallery of art. Renaissance lute performing concert artist matthew weinman. It first achieved popularity during the renaissance. Rooley, anthony january 1983, new light on john dowlands songs of darkness, early music, 11 1 salfield, ben, ed. While the lute was thought to have seen its demise in 1814, this instrument of antiquity has seen a revival since the mid 20th century in progrock, folk, and contemporary classical. Best books on the renaissance best history books and biographies about the renaissance. Jacob burckhardt, the civilization of the renaissance in italy penguin classics third printing edition, penguin books hamondsworth, 2000.
The book focuses on the lutes history, but also contains chapters on the lute in concert, lute song. Ottaviano petrucci and the first printed lute books walter. A history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance by douglas alton smith. This remains a very influential work on the italian renaissance and especially the origins of the renaissance. The lute society of america lute rental program a beginners guide to the renaissance lute a helpful source of information about your rental lute to answer your questions and get you started until you meet with your teacher warner iversen, dma cand michael m. The student of the lute needed to be sufficiently affluent to afford the instrument, music, strings and tuition. The lute was heard in the theatre in the incidental music of shakespeares plays. In a history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance, douglas alton smith traces the development of the lute from its mythical prehistory in classical greece to its glorious flowering in europes golden age of polyphony. The lute was the most important and versatile instrument in europe throughout the middle ages and renaissance before yielding its place to keyboard instruments in the 17th century.
The lute of the medieval troubadours, renaissance humanists and baroque courts is woven into the musical history of the middle ages, as well as the collective consciousness of today. Ottaviano petrucci and the first printed lute books. Top 10 books on the origins of the italian renaissance. Lute can refer generally to any string instrument having the strings running in a plane parallel to the sound table in the hornbostelsachs system, more specifically to any plucked.
The lute society is planning to reissue donna currys longoutofprint book of easy lute songs, probably next year. It contains much information that is unique to it, and deals with subjects that can be found in no other source. Renaissance history kids, european history kids, books. The fantasias of dowland are some of the greatest lute music of the renaissance.
A page in italian lute tablature from the beautifully decorated capirola lute book, written in venice 15151520 by vitale, a pupil of lutenist. Unlike other sources ive encountered, they understand and service the instruments they sell and control and participate in the manufacture process. From the fall of rome to the rise of the renaissance second revised edition vol. With the rise of polyphony during the renaissance, a sixth course was added to the lute. The ancestor of the lute was a north african and arabic instrument called the ud, or oud.
Thus an 8course renaissance lute usually has 15 strings, and a course baroque lute has 24. Leonardos swans by karen essex, the botticelli secret by marina fiorato, sacred hearts by sarah dunant. Search the history of over 411 billion web pages on the internet. This period of history was a rebirth of humanism, a movement. The baroque guitar replaced the renaissance lute as the most common instrument found in the home. The lute in its historical reality by mimmo peruffo. Modern printed books about the lute, bibliographies. First, the book provides a quick overview of the history of the guitar and. A history of the evolution of the guitar in four and a half minutes, from its first appearance in the late 15th century to the present day, featuring guitar music from 1551 to 1970 played by ian pittaway, rolf lislevand, robert trent, robert johnson, lester junior barnard, jimi hendrix and martin carthy. With the appearance of the great songbook collections, especially the monumental glogauer liederbuch 1470, and the establishment of emperor maximilians hofkapelle 1496, german music moved from the shadows.
Feb 27, 2016 ragossnig, konrad renaissancelusik fur laute music for lute musique pour luth iii. Early 16th century venetian lute music, paul odette. Frequently asked questions, hints, tips and technical advice, alphabetical by topic. The authors hope that the handbook of guitar and lute composers will serve as a practical guide for both amateurs and professionals, encouraging further study of the history of these instruments and expanding the repertoire heard on todays concert stage. He can be traced to austria as late as 1544, but was certainly known outside the germanic realm, as some of his compositions were published by petrucci in venice as early as 1503. Renaissance music for guitar is a book that will appeal to many types of guitarists. Lute lute music lute music history and criticism lute history music musical instruments strings. Arthur robb, art robb, luthier, lutes, guitars, repairs. Austrogerman music occupied only a peripheral position in the history of music until the second half of the 15th century. This is the classic lute from early renaissance italy up through the late 16th century. A history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance by douglas alton smith and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. You will want to carefully consider the tradeoffs between how many courses. A history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance douglas alton smith on. Popular renaissance history books showing 150 of 339 the tigress of forli.
The best books on the renaissance five books expert. See more ideas about lute, history and renaissance music. The seven course lute was slow to appear in england. Tablature, history and development of tablature for guitar. The renaissance lute comes in a variety of sizes, typically from six to ten courses. The lines of a staff represent the strings of instruments such as the lute, vihuela and the guitar. What is generally referred to today as the renaissance lute repertoire spans the period beginning with the tablatures petrucci printed in venice in 1507, and ending around the third decade of the 17th century. Ian pittaway baroque, broadside ballads, early music, greensleeves, lute, lute manuscripts and books, merry wives of windsor, morris dance, passamezzo antico, playford john, renaissance, romanesca, shakespeare william, sumer is icumen in 6th july 2015 24th december 2019 baroque, broadside ballads, early music, greensleeves, lute, morris dance. A history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance by douglas alton smith, published by the lute society of america 2002. There arent really that many readable books on the renaissance for the general reader.
I only know of two who have released recordings of any of the attaingnant lute pieces. This is a trio of books for the vihuela, a spanish 6 course instrument shaped like a large guitar compared to the small 4 course guitar but tuned identically to the lute in a country where the lute didnt catch on. Renaissance music in a nutshellrenaissance music in a nutshell modern society continues to venerate works of the renaissance masters including michelangelo, raphael, shakespeare, and leonardo da vincimasters of art, literature, science, and philosophy. The courses are tuned in unison for high and intermediate pitches, but for lower pitches one of the two strings is tuned an octave higher the course where this split starts changed over the history of the lute. The instrument now called the baroque lute is essentially a form of lute known to have been widely used during the baroque era. A history of the lute from antiquity to the renaissance.
Although covering the lutes history only up to the end of the renaissance period, the books scope is. In the renaissance era, the lute was the most popular instrument in the western world. His renaissance links are divided into two sections, 15thcentury renaissance art and 16thcentury renaissance art. Despite the importance of attaingnants lute books to the history of our instrument, the music from these prints has been almost entirely ignored by lutenist recording artists. Jardines book is just about the only one on this list you could give to an informed member of the public. It is a product of an era that was serious about guitar playing and musical.