11-course lute music

Updated 10.2.2012. / © Arto Wikla 12.1.2010

After quite a few years of playing different types of lutes, archlutes and therbos in the "old tuning", in December 2009 I started to play also the 11 course baroque lute in d-minor tuning. My new(old) instrument is made by Lars Jönsson 1993. Here are my first (visual) impressions.

This really is a learning project to me -- the d-minor lute is a very different animal compared to my "vieil accord" experience. But it is also very interesting to be a beginner again... ;-)

And after having used my ordinary digital cameras for videoclips - with their bad/awfull sound recording qualities - now I luckily at last have a little better recorder (unluckily only soundwise), the Zoom O3. But it also hears much more... You know, what I mean...

  1. Very first tests: [The Zoom Q3 seems to need much more light than my "normal" digital cameras... And my playing technique produces lots of noise from the gut strings...]

  2. Second set of tests: [More light and a little different touch to try to reduce the noise...]

  3. Learning continues...

  4. Anonymous pieces from ms. Berlin 40068

  5. Europe, rebellious movements, peace, joy

  6. A French drama: 1: "Open the door, please!" 2: "Ah, I feel inclined to surrender..." 3: ... 4: ... ;-)
    1. Ouvrez-moy la porte, petite Nannon (ms. Saizanay, p.16). This is an anonymous 17th century lute arrangement of a Frech folk song(?). I play three a little different versions, because petite Nannon needs lots of talking to open the door...;-) Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo. (22.2.2010)
    2. Gaultier(?): Sarabande La Mignone (Saizenay p.1). This piece is in ms. Saizenay p.1 and Saizenay II p.3. I play here the first version. The second version gives the name "La Mignone and there is also a poem: Ah! que je sens de penchant à me rendre / Si mon Berger savait par où me prendre / Hélas! comment pourrais-je me défendre / Contre un amant si fidèle et si tendre. In English this is something like: Ah, I feel inclined to surrender / If my Shepherd knew where to take me / Alas! how could I defend myself / Against a lover so true and so tender. Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo. (22.2.2010)
    3. Ennemond ("vieux") Gaultier: Sarabande (Livre p.40). This piece was printed in "Livre de tablature ... de Mr. Gaultier Sr. de Neve et de Mr. Gaultier son cousin" (c. 1672), pages 40-41. Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo. (22.2.2010)
    4. Ennemond ("vieux") Gaultier: Canaries (Livre p.18). This piece was printed in "Livre de tablature ... de Mr. Gaultier Sr. de Neve et de Mr. Gaultier son cousin" (c. 1672), pages 18-19. Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo. (25.2.2010)

  7. Mouton

  8. Gaultiers, Courantes with names, ms. Barbe, ...

  9. "Mr. Beck" in Scottish ms. Balcarres (17th century)

  10. Pieces by Nicolas Bouvier in "Tabulature de luth de differents autheurs sur les accords nouveaux" by Pierre Ballard in 1638. In year 1638 pieces in the "baroque d-minor tuning" were first time printed - as far as we know now. Two Pierres were involved: P. Ballard and P. Gaultier. In their books of "accords nouveaux" only minority of pieces are in this tuning, which soon became the "standard tuning": f'-d'-a-f-d-A-G-F-E-D-C. (In these two books they use only 10 courses, so no low C.)

  11. Pergolesi: Que ne suis je la fougère. This is my own arrangement of Pergolesi's famous song arrangement. Here is my simple arrangement for 11-course baroque lute (pdf). Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo. (30.4.2010)

  12. Pieces in d-minor by the famous "Anonymous" in the ms. Kalmar KLM 21.072, written around(?) year 1700.

  13. Well, as the number suggests, there must be a problem (;-): One bar -- bass bar? -- is loose under the top of the 11-courser. Rattling. So there is an obligatory pause in my playing 11-course lute music... Searching for remedy... (18.5.2010) ...
    ... At last in 21.6.2010 the lute has been fixed! A new start... ;-)

  14. Pierre Gaultier: Courante (Roma 1638, p. 97). This Courante was published in "Les Ouvres de Pierre Gaultier Orleanois", Roma 1638. In the year 1638 pieces in the "baroque d-minor tuning" were first time printed - as far as we know now. Two Pierres were involved: P. Ballard and P. Gaultier. In their books of "accords nouveaux" only minority of pieces are in this tuning, which soon became the "standard tuning": f'-d'-a-f-d-A-G-F-E-D-C. (In these two books they use only 10 courses, so no low C.) Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo. (29.6.2010)

  15. Pieces in Austrian style

  16. Francois Dufault, ... Dufaut, ..., Du Faut, ... du Faut, ..., Dufaux, ..., Du Faux, ...

  17. Das Wittgenstein Lauten-Buch (the Wittgenstein ms. contains music mainly from period 1680-1720):

  18. Pieces from ms. RM 4142 (olim Ms. Mf. 2010), Warszawa, Biblioteka Uniwersytecka:

  19. Good composers in ms. Milleran:

  20. A couple of arrangements:

  21. Lute music played in Hannover and Hamburg c. 1710. Young Lord Danby's lutebook has interesting history and lots of good music. Tim Crawford has made great analysis of the man and the music, see his article Lord Danby's Lute Book.

  22. Anonymous pieces in A-KR-L78 – Kremsmünster, Benediktiner-Stift Kremsmünster, Regenterei oder Musikarchiv: ms. L78:

  23. Jacques Gallot in ms. Barbe: Very clever composer – not too many notes, effective 7th chords here and there, quite modern actually...

  24. Jacques Gallot in ms. D-Lem ms. II.6.14: Very clever composer – not too many notes, effective 7th chords here and there, quite modern...
  1. Courante la bourgeoise de Gallot le Vieux. Courante by Jacques Gallot, D-Lem ms. II.6.14, f. 58v-59r. (Leipzig, Städtische Bibliotheken, Musikbibliothek). Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo (12.7.2011)

  2. Pieces in A-KR-L77 – Kremsmünster, Benediktiner-Stift Kremsmünster, Regenterei oder Musikarchiv: ms. L77:

  3. More lute music played in Hannover and Hamburg c. 1710. Young Lord Danby's lutebook has interesting history and lots of good music. Tim Crawford has made great analysis of the man and the music, see his article Lord Danby's Lute Book. (My Lord Danby's Lute Book, Library: Rochester, NY, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, Sibley Music Library).

  4. Caquet des femmes, Sarabande Merville. This Sarabande with quite a non-PC title, composed by Merville, comes from ms. Barbe (F-PnVmb-7, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Département de la musique: Res.Vmb.ms.7), p.17. Video in YouTube, video in Vimeo (26.9.2011)

  5. Pieces by Germain(?) Pinel in ms. F-PnVmb-7 "Barbe" (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Département de la musique) and ms. D-SWl_641 "Schwerin" (Schwerin, Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Musikaliensammlung).

  6. Testing new lute! Today, 28.10.2011, I got a new 11-course baroqu lute, model J.C. Hoffmann. The lute is made by Lauri Niskanen, and it was finished just the day before yesterday.

  7. Pieces in b-minor from ms. Kremsmunster L85 (Benediktiner-Stift Kremsmunster, Regenterei oder Musikarchiv):

  8. Pieces in D-major by Denis Gaultier published in his printed book "Livre de Tablature" in 1672:

  9. Pieces in D-major from ms. Kremsmunster L82a (Benediktiner-Stift Kremsmunster, Regenterei oder Musikarchiv)

  10. Pieces in f#-minor and A-major from US-NYpMYO (New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, Music Division)

  11. ...

  12. ...

See also my pages French theorbo music / Archlute music / 10-course lute music / Chitarrone music / Chitarrino music.
There are also some other arrangements, intabulations, etc. in my Contributions page.

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