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MEDIEVAL LUTES

No original medieval lutes have survived. However many fine paintings, frescoes and woodcuts exist which show the detailed appearance, and educated guesses can be made about the internal structure. I will discuss the detailed evidence in the light of your requirements before deciding on a final design. The much copied Arnault of Zwolle drawings, of 1450, seem to be based on a misunderstanding and they result in a very ugly lute which is quite unlike the majority of lutes shown in pictures of the period. I would not normally base designs on this.

1. 58cm, 4 course medieval lute based on iconographical sources circa 1350 - 1400. 9 ribs of figured sycamore which flow in a smooth curve between body and neck. Two circular roses of gothic design; one large, the other small. Boxwood fingerboard and pegs. Designed to be played with a plectrum.

Price: £3200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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1a. 67cm, 5 course medieval lute based on iconographical sources circa 1426. 9 ribs of figured ash which flow in a smooth curve between body and neck. Two circular roses of gothic design; the large one based on the rose shown in the Flemish painting in Burgos Cathedral. Boxwood fingerboard and pegs. Designed to be played with a plectrum.

Price: £3300 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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2. 58 cm, 5 course medieval lute based on iconographical sources circa 1480, especially the paintings of Gerard David. 9 ribs of figured sycamore with a smooth curve between body and neck. Two gothic roses: a very elaborate circular sunken rose of pine and parchment as well as a lancet-window shaped rose just below the fingerboard. This was the transitional period between plectrum and finger style techniques and this lute is suitable for both.

Price: £3700 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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RENAISSANCE OCTAVE LUTE

3. 30 cm, 4 course octave lute, or perhaps mandore, after Wendelin Eberle c.1600 (Vienna C41) 13 ribs, the original is in shaded yew. For tuning to g“.

Price: £1500 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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RENAISSANCE TREBLE LUTES

4. 44.2 cm, 6 - 7 course treble lute after Wendelin Eberle c.1600 (Vienna C39) 19 ribs, the original is in shaded yew and is a matched pair with the octave lute. For tuning to c'.

Price: £2500 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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5. 47.5 cm, 6 - 8 course treble lute after the ivory lute by Mateu Hofmans 1605 (Brussels M 1556) 15 ribs, with triple lines between, ebony heart on the soundboard, lattice work inlay on neck and pegbox. For tuning to b'.

6. 53 cm, 6 - 8 course treble lute, my own design with the body based on the Raphael Mest lute in Sweden. 23 ribs with striped neck and pegbox. For tuning to a'

Price: £3400 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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RENAISSANCE LUTES IN G

7. 58 - 60cm, 6-8 course lute in G after Giovanni Hieber c.1580 (Brussels No.1561) 13 ribs. This is one of the few really authentic unaltered 16th century 7 course lutes in existence. The original is in very plain sycamore with no edging to the soundboard and no separate fingerboard, I usually make a more decorated version.

Price: £3400 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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8. 58 - 60cm, 6-8 course lute in G after VVendelio Venere 1592 (Bologna Academia Filarmonica) 25 ribs: the original is in heartwood yew with maple strips between. Neck and pegbox striped with three different woods, ebony heart in the soundboard and a very pretty rose.

Price: £4000 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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9. 60cm, 6-8 course lute in G after Georg Gerle c.1550 (Vienna A35) 11 ribs: the original is a 6 course lute in ivory with ebony strips between. Neck is inlaid with broad stripes and is deeper than a semicircle in cross section, typical of early renaissance 6 course lutes. Pegbox with inlaid ebony edging.

Price: £3400 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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9a. 62cm, 6-7 courses; after Moises Tiefembruker c.1570 (Munich Stadtmuseum) 11 ribs: the original is in figured poplar and is an interesting small form of the famous Laux Maler long tear-drop shape.

Price: £3400 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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10. 64cm, 6 course lute in G after Magno Dieffopruchar c.1550 (collection of J & A Beare) 9 ribs: the original is in ivory with ebony strips between. Neck and pegbox inlaid with ebony stripes.

NB. Lutes 7, 8 & 9 can be built as 10 course instruments with a string length of 63.5cm to enable the basses to sound out well, in line with Dowland's remark that around 1600 the necks of lutes were lengthened to give 10 frets on the neck. This is my recommended solution to the 10 course lute in G, which probably never existed but now seems to be much in demand! 10 course lutes were most likely to have been in F.

Price, extra: £400 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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RENAISSANCE LUTES IN F

11. 67.5cm, 10 course lute in F after Christofolo Cocho c.1650 (Copenhagen 96A) The original has 11 ivory ribs with triple lines between and an extremely elaborate inlay on neck and pegbox. This is possibly the only lute originally built as a ten course instrument to have survived mostly unaltered.

Price & original inlay: £5000 With simpler decoration: £3700 (click on the prices to convert them to your own currency)

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12. 67cm, 7-10 course lute in F after the splendid Magno Dieffopruchar 1609 (Florence No.144) 37 ribs; the original is in shaded yew with ebony strips between. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony with ivory stripes, ivory and ebony heart on the soundboard, inlaid lines of ivory on the fingerboard.

Price: £4500 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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13. 67cm, 7-10 course lute in F after VVendelio Venere 1582 (Vienna C36) 13 ribs; the original has heartwood yew ribs with light coloured maple or sycamore strips between. The neck and pegbox can be veneered in ebony or striped with different woods.

Price: £3600 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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14. 67cm, 6-8 course lute in F after Laux Maler c. 1530 (Prague No.654) using the bridge in the high position this makes a nice lute in F for those who prefer the long teardrop shape. 9 ribs; the original is in figured ash. Neck and pegbox can be veneered in ebony or stripes, or left plain to match the back.

Price: £3400 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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RENAISSANCE BASS LUTES

Most of the Laux Maler lutes which have survived probably started life as bass lutes with a lower bridge position and a string length of 71 or 74cm and were tuned to D or E (see FoMRHI Bulletin 11)

15. 71cm, 6-8 courses; reconstruction based on Laux Maler c.1530 (Prague No.654) 9 ribs; the original is in figured ash. Neck and pegbox plain to match the back, or veneered in ebony or striped. For tuning in E.

Price: £3500 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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16. 74cm, 6-8 courses; reconstruction based on a different Laux Maler (Prague No.655) 11 ribs, with a deeper than semicircular body. Neck and pegbox plain to match the back, or veneered in ebony or striped. For tuning in D.

17. 70cm, 7-10 courses; an extended version of the Magno Dieffopruchar (Florence 144) 37 ribs, Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony with ivory stripes, ivory and ebony heart on the soundboard, inlaid lines of ivory on the fingerboard. For tuning in E.

Price: £4500 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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18. 75cm, 7-10 courses; after Michielle Harton 1599 (Bologna No.1808) 33 ribs; the original is in shaded yew. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony with stripes of ivory. Ivory and ebony heart in the soundboard. For tuning in D or E.

18.a 76cm, 6-7 courses; my own design based around an Edlinger body. Although the Edlinger is a baroque lute it is very much a renaissance outline, but with a discreetly flattened back making such a large lute more comfortable to hold. It works very well as the bass in fourth apart duets. For tuning in D or E.

Price: £3500 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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19. 78cm, 7-10 courses; after another Michielle Harton 1599 (Nürnberg No. MI 56) 35 ribs; the original is in shaded yew. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony, ebony and ivory heart in soundboard. For tuning in D.

20. 94cm, 7-10 courses; after yet another Michielle Harton 1602 (Nürnberg No. MI 44) A huge bass lute with 35 ribs; the original is in heartwood yew with maple strips between. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony, ebony and ivory heart in the soundboard. For tuning in C or, as Piccinini remarks, these large bass lutes can be tuned with re-entrant chitarrone tuning in G or A.

Price: £5300 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency)

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Copyright 2022 by David Van Edwards