Arne Keller    Sun, 09 Jan 2000 14:50:35 +0100
-----------

Dear List,

All right, you got me started - apologies for length of post.

My name is Arne Keller, 44 years and living in Denmark.
I was taught piano as a child, but never did like it. Played guitar as a
teen-ager- well, who didn't?
Exchange-student in N.Y. cow-country in '72-3. Hung out with a colleague of
List memeber Sal Salvaggio - small world, isn't it though!
During my stay I was lucky enough to get hold of Myrna Sislen's "Renaissance
Lute Music for the Guitar. An Anthology of Constant Delight".
Possibly the book would be considered un-HIP today, but it was a
revelation for me, converting my into a lute-addict, although I had 
never even seen, let alone heard, a lute by then.

Back in the old country I had a too large lute made for me, probably
causing some permanent wrist-problems. These were alleviated by my own, 
smaller kit-lutes, and later my 6-course Klaus Toft Jacobsen, and 8-course
Larry K. Brown. 

>From '77 I participated in the famous "Engelsholm" Renaissance music courses,
learning right hand technique from Kristian Gerwig - and generally a lot of
Renaissance music and philosophy from the many interesting teachers throughout
the years.

I have had to curb my ambitions about developing really professional playing
skills, as my wrist problems invariably revive with over-practicing. Still, I
have been able to do less demanding gigs and events evenly spread out over the
years - theatre, dancing-performances, church-events, castles, Round Towers -
you name it, I've probably been there!

I have been arranging concerts (like the '91 "Shakespeare's Musicke"-events
with "the Camerata of London" at the Castle Chapel, Elsinore. A truly great
time -  and guess who got to pump the organ!)

A job at the Music Historical Museum in Copenhagen landed me some consecutive
jobs with transcribing 16th c. vocal music, the most rewarding work I have
ever been fortunate enough to have.

A trip to the yearly folk-festival of Toender landed me a wife and family, and
we all moved to this old house in the fields by the southern tip of the largest
lake on the island of Funen.
Our parish church has perfect acoustics for lute playing, I have long term
plans of recording there. 
I really ought to, since there is a possibility that Dowland may have
played there. At least he seemed to be on friendly terms with the then
owner of the castle and church, Breide Rantzau.
Ranzau helped Dowland out with a loan, shortly before his final
departure for England.

Generally, I don't like putting the lute "under the microscope", but prefer
to view it in a greater perspective, as an emblem, perhaps, of (primarily
Renaissance) thought and culture.

A dream is one day to be able to produce intabulations of 16th c. motets and
other vocal works. They did it then, why not now?

I am fascinated by Alain Veylit's "StringWalker", and its possibilities, but I
need to work a lot on it yet.

So many projects, so little time...well, thanks, friends, that took care of
most of a sunday for me!

Chordially,

Arne.