Introduction

Approximately 150 exciting Years (1500-1650) provide the prosperity of the Lute. In this period our "Instrumentum Regina" affords an important subscription of the western Music and Culture.

Certainly, in the last third of the 17th Century there were the greats Baroque Lute Player. But this time is different because there was the 30years warfare and therefor it´s another content.

We found the Lute amon the touring minstrels and the taverns just as the royal society and the sacred Rooms of monasteries and churches. For the modern Lute Player it´s necessary to let the History still alive and inform us about the period, whose cultural potential interacts till today. If we still listen, the sound and the musical form help us to remember and give us a responce of the old days. The Lute-Player with his string music let us have a dream of a better time with this wonderful Music.

From the Nature of Lutemusic in the 16th Century

If we take a closer view to the european Lutemusic from the 16th Century we can´t miss that the spain Vihuela-Compositions play a essentail role.

In fact Spain with his "Moorish Problems" has more or less possibilities to adapt the influence of Renaissance age, other if we take a look of the Art and Culture Development in Italy, for example Florence or Venice. Anyway we found a few of Lutenists in Spain. Perhaps the Edict of Emperor Karl V from 1525-1526 has fault that every nonchristian culturell influence, like language, music etc was forbidden. 1492 the Moors were expelled in a major campaign but all developments need their time, so the Vihuela came first in the 16th Century in the musical appearance of Spain and the influence growth fast. The Vihuela was used for vocal backing and dance music.

In a short period of nearly 40 Years (1535-1575) in the "Musica sera trat" a short group of excellent Composers anteceded, which left us a famous music of Vihulea.

We name the following Composers and their works:

The basis of these compositions are the church mode and the cantus firmus, with his polyphone voice leading and imitation. Intabulation, means the polyphone vocal work, for example clerical music, madrigals and motets, the fantasia, first time from Luis Milan named, cancion the song and diferencias, the variation were arranged, composed and performed. The submittals of this works we will find at Jasquin, Moarlis, Willaerd, Gabrieli, Orlando and others. All of the spanish Vihuela Composers and their works divert by the Mythos.

We will find at the beginning of Milan´s works a very interesting wood engraving with the playing Orpheus (see also in the Instrument Menu the vihuela from Markus Dietrich along the lines from Milan), at Narvaez the delfin, a early christian symbol, including the soul leader or a hint of the subconscious, at Mudarra the mercurius, Valderrabano shows us Platon, the sirens, Orpheus and Apollo, Fuenllana, Orpheus, the tragic vocalist, Pisador, also Orpheus, we called him Orfeo. Daca called the 7 muses and Apollo and Cabazon also Orpheus.

The myth is everytime a synonym that the devine is manifest in the world. Everyone who joins the myth, joins the source and find his roots in the transcendence. So all results of the creative has a true sense. With the rising renunciation of the myth his antagonist, the logos wins and certain his order of the things, a problem of the late renaissance and the following epochs which shows us the lost of the hallow (Mircea Eliade).

Today we begin to destroy the logos, for example our register and thereof the confusion of the terms and their meaing. If we take a look, earlier the Viruts and Ethos and their deep faith, means a pure heart will at the first place, so you can use this base for a creative work.

In the modern language this mean, that under the more often usage of the right hemisphere and the dominance of the Parasympatics - related with the usage of a active Imagination - out of a holy room creative achieved. You can think about the great achievments of the mnemotechnics. The result is art and not only ability. Therefor the myth is true and the logos real.

However let us go back to our Vihuela-Players. They were basically inside very spirtually oriented, tough i have my doubts with Pisador and Daca. However theses masters have to admit with theirs compactness and efficiency, that the Lutemusic in the years about 1500-1600 developed very fantastic. Through the main form of the lutemusic, the Fantasia, the awareness of the people in this years has a great influence. The Ricercar, the prestage, may be translate with "search" and "research" (sic) and it´s not amazing that these development of the science in these one hundred years had a sensational rise. Actually in no other era there were more Fantasias for an Insturment then in Renaissance for the lute. Also in painting in these century the 3D-view was developed. Inspired by imagination and the starting imagination it would be possible by people to start these big boost. But the people didn´t notice, that they left the source of transcendence. We can see this development by the family of "Galilei", where art and science was so nearby that they were the developer of a new time epoch and prepare for the baroque epoch, an epoch with a rising fear and strict regulations of a musical form, the fugue (escape). But let us go back to the Lutemusic of the renaissance. In the early renaissance we will find the obligation of the myth again. We find in the historical development of the arabian Lute Al-Qud a classic analogy of the myth Lucifer, Gabriel, Mond, Silberklang, Melancholia, Stein, Saturn a.s.o. Later we hear about the myth of Kastor and Pollux, two terms with beauty and strength, words they played a big role in the early secret society of the "Bünde and Bauhütten". (Die Säulen Jakin und Boas)

Also the pythagoreans Moncorstudies plays an exceptionell role. The myth of melancholia bring us to Hypokrates and Galen through the whole antique until the spanish-arabic philosophs Averroes (1126-1198) the great commentator of the Aristoteles, which had a strong influence of the following centuries. The melancholia is in a context with the lute music. Based of the "Vier-Säfte-Lehre eines Galen" or the "Vier-Temperamente-Lehre", the melancholia is named as "Mönchskrankheit", for these type of human, which sued the lost of the sky and which refuses to accept the imperfection and the desire of the blessed climes.

The Lute come against these attitude. Her sadder silvery sound incites the archetypal memory of the "golden epoch", that was under the rule of Saturn and give us the desire of the origin. We can be mindful of the melanchonial-poetic work of "Walter von der Vogelweide" "Ich saß auf einem Stein...", "wobei der Stein gleich dem Saturn = dem goldenen Zeitalter = dem Temparament der schwarzen Galle = der Melancholie etc." stands for.

Here we will finde the roots of the Vihuela and Lutecompositon over about 80 years. In this context we want to enter into the title "Il Divino". These attribute talks about the "Appeal from God" (Theurgie), with the composition, the way of playing and the interpretation through a Luteplayer.

There are only a few Luteplayer, which got these state. For example:

Luis Milan (1502 - 1561)

Francesco Canova de Milano (1497 – 1543)

Laurencino de Roma ( ca. 1550)

Valentin Bakfark (Greff Bakfare) ( 1507 – 1576)

From my Point of view there a few more, like

Albert de Rippe ((ca. 1510)-Premier Livre de Tabulatur de Leut (Paris 1552))

and perhaps also John Dowland (1563 – 1626)

but although Dowland brought in his own subjectivity into the gerneal public.

We know about Luis Milan, that he was a poet and he could improvise excellent with his Vihuela, what surely shows his style of composition and made him very famous at the spanish royal household. Surely all masters of Vihuela had lutes, they hide in certain cases. (see above)

If we take a look to Franceso, his music has the pure conception of music with the prevention of the logos. A typical example is the Ricercar No. 57 calle "La Compagna". The craving theme quint little sixth quint is a base theme of him, which he used in a big number of fantasias and Ricercare. The technical very interesting accomplishment of his big range of imitations let the interpreter feels the rising fear in the composition. From bar 49 he begins again with the theme, only with double tempo indication and he sequenced then the short rhythm imitation, which let this feel of fear arise. Some decade later we will find under the strong of inclusion of the dissonance this painfully appeal at Michaelangelo Galilei. At the end of his Toccata No. VIII are dissonant intervals, like a may-day, may-day.

Laurencio de Roma (ca. 1550) used a profound polyphone style of composition with a high level. The "Varietie of Lute-Lessons (1610) from John Dowlands son, Robert Downland has two wonderful fantasias Laurencinos which complies this level.

Other works we will find at: Jean Babtiste Besarde: Thesaurus harmonicus (1603)

Valentin Bakfark (Greff Bakfare) (ca. 1530 -1576) is one of the mysterious european Luteplayers. He got the the Title „Il Divino“ 1559 from Herzog Albrecht von Brandenburg, because he healed him with his lutemusic. Perhaps we should talk about the benefical possibility of healing by lutemusic.

It´s nearly unpossible to talk about all of the nearly 100 Luteplayers, which have a influence of the renaissance. But i want to name the following composers and their work:

In the first third of the 16th Century we will find some very outstanding Lute composers, Vincento Capirola (1474-1548), Marco dall‘ Aquila (ca. 1480-1537) and Francesco Canova de Milano (1497-1543). Capirola’s style of composing is very interestiing and spectacular, his instructions for the playing technique of renassiance lute (thumb under) are perfect until today and shall used by the big lute players of lutemusic like Paul O’Dette and Hopkinson Smith. Aquila’s fantasias are great polyphone works and his Ricercare and Traditoras sounds charming and should be played often.

Let me bring up Pietro Paulo Borrono and Giovanni Maria da Crema. Last one signalizes a perfect contrapuntist. His Ricercare has a high level of music. Borrono has wrote excellent lute compositions. Wrongly he stands in the shade of Francesco.

Alberto Ripa (Albert de Rippe ca. 1510) has an exceptional position. He changed his nationality and went to france. His compositions are deep and pithy, coined by a deep religiosity and contrapunted masterpiece, never reached by his scholar Guillaume Morlaye.

From the second half of the 16th century I will mention Giulio Cesare Barbetta (ca. 1540-1603) and Simon Gintzler (ca. 1550). Gintzler reached a clever connection by italian and german lute style elements. His 6 Ricercare are a must do of every lute player.

Valentin Bakfark (Greff Bakfare) (ca. 1507 -1576) has also an exceptionell position of the european lute masters and I am sorry that I have no more space to appreciate him so much. Then there was another one called Adrian Denss and his Florilegium (1594). The depth of his big fantasias leaves behind marvel and reverence.

The most significant german luteplayer was Melichor Newsindler (1531 -1590/91). He stems from a brillant family of luteplayers. He developed new ways and his compositions testify for an excellent expertise and depth.

Finally I want to say sorry for all the lute players I didn´t name. I give them my deeper felt respect and would like to express my gratitude.

(c) Copyright August 2009 by Sigurd Schmidt

Villa Buena Vista - St. Miguel - Tenerife