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Own Design Angeliques For my personal use, I developed two Angeliques (Bass and Treble) which possibly never existed like that. Their sound is so outstanding that they may be interesting for others as well. Angelique-playing is definitely different from playing any other lute, and requires something like a new start. But the effort is certainly worth it. Bass Angelique and Treble Angelique sound quite different from each other, making them ideal to be played together. Existing original Angeliques have a fingerboard/diapason ratio of 1 : 1.5. For a thinner stringing of the bass Angelique diapasons I changed it to 1 : 2 (like with Theorbos). Their tone colour makes them just as well suited for modern purposes. See the details below! |
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Own Design Angelique/Bass Angelique Body after "Martinus Selos". 16 strings. String lengths: 10 x 72 cm and 6 x 150 cm. Alternative tunings:
Fingerboard strings: e', d' ,c', b, a, g, f, e, d, c or
Fingerboard strings: a, g, f, e, d, c, B, A, G, F Body: 15 ribs. Price: € 4300.- |
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Own Design Treble Angelique String lengths: 55/110 cm. Tuning:
Fingerboard strings: a1, g1, f1, e1, d1, c1, b, a, g, f Neck and extended neck veneered with rosewood: Price: € 4350.- Details like shown on the pictures: Price: € 5050.- |
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Own Design theorbo, body after "Martinus Selos" String lengths: 72/150 cm. 15 ribs. The body of Martinus Selos is well suited to create a comparably small theorbo. Due to its comparably short length, the second string can be tuned to e' (instead of e). Price: € 4300.- |
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Tiorbino after "Johannes Hieber und Andreas Pfanzelt 1628" The original instrument is kept at the Musée d'art et histoire, Ville de Genève. For all that we know about Tiorbinos, this instrument is the best template existing.
String lengths: Price: € 2500.- See the article by Mathias Rösel |
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Own Design French Theorbo String lengths: 81/160 cm. 9 ribs. The instrument's tuning is like on the other theorbos. The differences are in the single rose, the carving underneath the first pegbox, and the different shape of its extended neck. With details as shown on the pictures: Price: € 4750.- |
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Guitar after "Josef Pages 1809" String length: 62 cm. 6 courses. Josef Pages was one of the guitar makers of the Spanish Cadiz School. As soon as in the late 18th century, these makers introduced fan-bracing, which was more common in the decades later, with guitars by Louis Panormo (built in the "Spanish Style"). The Pages guitars are of outstanding craftsmanship. I build my copies after one Josef Pages guitar from Ulrich Wedemeier's instruments collection. The pictures on top show that beautiful original guitar. The soundboards of my copies do not have the original inlay decoration, but instead have a carved wreath around the sound hole. The bridge including moustache is made like on the original. See the pictures below, showing the way to the first copy! Price: € 4500.- |
The original instrument The copy |
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Romantic Guitar after "Mougeot" This is a copy of one of my two original Mougeot guitars. Not much is known about its maker from the early 19th century, but his instruments are certainly worth being copied. Price: € 4600.- |
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Theorbo after "Matteo Sellas in Venezia 1647" This slightly altered version of the original instrument makes a very good and loud sounding theorbo, with a string length of 85 cm. There is an increasing demand for this size of theorbo. Price: € 4550.- |
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12c double-headed Lute (French Lute) after "Wolfgang Wolf", Füssen 16th century Converted into a 12-course instrument in the 17th century. Tuning: g', e', c'c', aa, ee, Bb, Aa, Gg, Ff, Ee, Dd, Cc. String lengths: 15 ribs, 2 pegboxes. With carved pegboxes: Price: € 4650.- With plain pegboxes: Price: € 4150.- Mathias Rösel from Bremen investigated the history of this instrument, resulting in an interesting article. |
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Renaissance Lute after "Wolfgang Wolf" This instrument is exhibited in Füssen/Germany in an altered version as a "French" double-headed Lute. Its original version must have been similar to the lute I'm offering now: A 6-8 course instrument with a string length of 60 cm. Its body's deep and slender shape creates an unusual and special kind of sound. With construction level as shown, but with 6-8 courses: Price: € 3250.- |
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Chitarrone Francese / Arciliuto as a Combination Instrument Many people wondered what kind of instrument the Chitarrone Francese might have been. It was supposed to be a kind of baroque guitar with additional diapasons. A guitar-like instrument with an extended neck has not survived, though. In 1976, Robert Spencer in his EARLY MUSIC article "The Chitarrone Francese" expressed his presumption
that it might have been an archlute-like instrument like Antiveduto Grammatica draughted it
with great accuracy (he lived from 1571-1626, his painting is at Galleria Sabauda, Turin).
The painting shows an instrument like Sellas and Raillich mainly built them. There are many reasons for the assumption that the painting shows at least one variation of a Chitarrone Francese. But maybe we will never know exactly. Driven by my curiosity, I built such an instrument. The result is very convincing. The Edinburgh luteplayer Rob MacKillop introduces this instrument in a video clip. For my version of this instrument, I modified the original design slightly. Tuning as Chitarrone Francese:
Fingerboard strings: e', bb, gg, d'd, Aa Tuning as Archlute:
Fingerboard strings: g', dd, aa, ff, cc, GG The string lengths of the instrument are 64 cm and 115 cm. More details on the Arciliuto page! Price: € 4550.- |
Painting by Antiveduto Grammatica My copy |
Miscellaneous
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New in my collection of Romantic Guitar originals: I bought another beautiful original Romantic guitar in England. The mark inside the guitar reads "PETIT JEAN L'AINE A PARIS". I estimate it must have been made in the 1820s. The instrument is in a comparably good condition. Probably in the early 20th century, the old moustache bridge was replaced by a simple new one, and the pegbox was brought into a "modern" shape to enable the use of tuning machines. It will not be very difficult to build back both changes. One can still see the shape of the earlier moustache on the table. Also the traces on the pegbox are obvious - the old pegholes are still visible, and it's clear what has to be added to restore its old shape using wooden pegs again. About the maker(s): Petit Jean was a "fabrique" run by three Petit Jeans. They came from Poussay near Mirecourt. Taking into account the large amount of guitars known today made by this fabrique, they must have worked with more helpers. They exported many guitars to Spain and even England. Presumably the eldest of the three brothers ran the business. He arranged all the licences and brevettes etc. Petit Jean L'Aine was one of the other two. Quite a few instruments survived with his name marked inside. Petit Jean guitars must be regarded as quality guitars from the period of 1810 to about 1850 (the latest). Though many of these guitars bear stamps claiming they have been built in Paris, they just pretended this to get more standing. Their workshop actually never left Mirecourt. |
The original instrument |
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A small guitar with a big sound - After I had completed my first copy of this Renaissance guitar in the nineties, I was impressed how much sound this guitar produces: It easily speaks and projects its loud sound - that's amazing, especially considering it being such a small instrument. The Belchior Dias guitar - exhibited at the Royal College of Music Museum in London (No. 171) - is the earliest surviving guitar known! The label of this guitar reads: No other guitar has the same deeply fluted, vaulted back-construction with double-curved bent ribs. Until recently the guitar was considered an almost complete original, but a dendrochronological examination proved the soundboard a replacement from the early 18th century (of course including the baroque moustache design). There would originally have been a parchment rose in the soundhole. In all its significant dimensions, it is much smaller than the surviving 5-course guitars of the early 17th century. Its small string length of 55.3 cm indicates an a-tuning (a´, e´, c´, G, D) - while the later and much bigger models have an e-tuning. This makes it a typical transition instrument - still what we nowadays call a Renaissance guitar, but already with 5 courses (instead of 4 like on many pictures of the Renaissance). This guitar is the only example which is suited for Renaissance guitar copies. Fortunately, it is an excellent one! The pictures show one of my simplified (i. e. vaulted but only lightly fluted ribs) copies of the Belchior Dias guitar. See the Historical Guitars page for details! |
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A "new" Pietro Raillich lute Years ago, I received an offer from Prague to buy an original Raillich lute. Even from the pictures attached, it was obvious that this was an interesting instrument. As I expected, the asking price was far above my means. I also thought that a museum would be the most suitable place for it anyway. So I wanted at least to gather all information I could about this lute before it was sold, in order to make copies. Seeing this lute left me full of exitement, because it was obvious that the lute and its case have not been altered since the 18th century. It is a comparably small instrument, quite different from what one would expect, judging from the other surviving Raillich instruments. The outline of the table reminds one a bit of the "Laux Maler" lute converted into a baroque lute which is now in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nurnberg, though it is smaller, and not quite the same. The two lables inside the body read: PIETRO RAILLICH AL SANTO IN PADOUA 1669 and JOHANNES ANTONI FICHTL IN WIENN 1720 On the second label, there is an addition in handwriting before "IN WIENN 1720", reading "zu gericht" (which means "trimmed"). The date of 1669 makes it the latest surviving instrument built by Railich. In my opinion this lute including the partial replacement of the table was brought into its present state in 1720 by J. A. Fichtl in Vienna. A sort of swan neck (stained black) replaced probably a bent neck. There are 12 pegs on the first pegbox and 8 pegs on the second, which means 7 courses (2x1 and 5x2) running to the first, and 4 courses to the second pegbox (4x2). In 1720 the "standardised" swan necks (with 13 courses, 8 courses at the first and 5 courses at the second pegbox) had not quite developed their final shape. This explains the slightly different shape with only 7 courses at the first, and only 4 courses at the second pegbox (8 courses at the first pegbox are required for most later music). So its state as of 1720 makes it a typical "transitional" baroque lute. The string length of the first seven courses is 66 cm, and 95.5 cm at the extended neck. The neck could be original Raillich (with a "typical" 10-course string length); it would have accomodated 10 courses, perhaps running to a slightly narrower original bridge. The bridge, probably made by Fichtl, has 9 double holes and a slot that can take either 1 or alternatively 2 single courses. Using the slot with one course in the middle gives the best alignment to the neck. So the lute in its final and current state could be played either as a 10 or an 11 course instrument. The table includes a strip of wood about 6 cm wide at the neck end adjoining the main part of the soundboard; the grains of these two pieces of wood do not match. The short strip slopes underneath the long part at the point of repair; this may mean that the shorter piece of wood is part of Railich's original. The rosette is not cut out of the table, but glued in, as with many repaired lutes. The body consists of 21 snakewood ribs, without lines between the ribs. The first ribs on either side are wider than the rest. The instrument case is probably contemporary with the 1720 restoration. It was built of thin wood (spruce?) and is locked with a typical key of that age. The part housing the instrument's body is made of ribs (similar in construction to a lute body). On the inside it is wrapped all over with marbled paper, which in the baroque and rococo periods was considered rather luxurious. My first copy In the meantime, I built a couple of copies as 11/13 courses Baroque-lutes, Angeliques, Arciliutos, and 10-course lutes. The pictures show my first copy as a 13-course Baroque-lute. |
The original instrument The copy |
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"Brevete du roi" - Another original René Lacôte Romantic Guitar During the first half of the nineteenth century, René Lacôte was the most successful luthier in France, and also highly esteemed in other European countries. His output was considerable, which did not affect the quality of his craftmanship. He also introduced several innovations - the best known are his early metal/wood pegs and his tuning machines inside the pegbox of his late years. It is said that the number of surviving original Lacôte guitars is going towards 200. I had the chance to buy one in England that none of the experts had heard of before. It was found in a loft in a village close to London some 40 years ago. The former owner just kept it with his other modern guitars, as it was not in a playable condition. Now I have got it in my place, waiting to be restored. The guitar is from Lacôte's late years. In 1839, Lacôte received a medal for one of his guitars (Médaille à l'exposition 1839), and he was given a patent by the king (Brevete du roi). The label inside the guitar mentions the medal and the patent (although the patent actually referred to another model). The instrument is probably from the 1840s. The king in question must have been the last king of France, Louis Philippe, a decendant of Louis XIII. It looks like the renovation is going to be very much (nervwrecking!) work - the bottom has to be taken off, as well as the neck, which has been repaired poorly in the past. The (now broken off) pegbox will have to be restored or replaced. The internal tuning-machines are also missing. Here are some pictures of this beautiful instrument in its present condition. |
The original instrument |
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Only scarcely noticed: Magno Stegher in Venetia 1598 Once, a much bigger share of bass lutes than these days must have been played, considering the large number of instruments one finds among the surviving lutes. In most cases, these bass lutes were transformed into baroque lutes later. One good example for these instruments is the "Magno Stegher in Venetia 1598". It was only scarcely noticed so far because it is not being exhibited. This instrument was built 1598 by the Allgäu lutemaker Stegher as a typical bass lute of that age. The body was built of 27 ebony ribs with ivory spacers. The veneer on neck and pegbox was made of the same materials. It´s quite likely that it originally had 10 courses. On top of the "Magno Stegher" mark there was one of "Magno Dieffopruchar" - who either did some repair work on this lute, or somebody thought it might sell more expensively with that name. It was brought into its present shape as a 11-course baroque lute with a string length of 72 cm in the second half of the 17th century. This may have been done by Thomas Edlinger. Converting the instrument from a 10-course bass lute into a 11-course baroque lute would require adding a treble rider and replacing the old bridge with a new one with 11 courses. It is quite likely, though, that the original neck was shorter, as bass lutes usually had less frets. Repairs were made in 1772 in Antzenberg and, later, in Hornberg, Baden (?). Names cannot be identified. In 1934, the lute was repaired in the "Peter Harlan workshop" in Markneukirchen (Vogtland). Later the instrument was destroyed by stringing it with Cello-thickness strings (!) - still existing at the museum. The pegbox was torn from the neck, the table ripped off the body, and the body itself broken close to the block. The single parts are being stored at the Berlin Musikinstrumentenmuseum, but not part of the exhibition. For anybody looking for a bass lute, the "Magno Stegher in Venetia 1598" is a very good model to be copied. I have built a few copies, and always liked the results very much. More about copies on the Renaissance Lute page! |
The original instrument |