Most lute makers today are solo craftsman who are involved in nearly every aspect of the manufacture of their instruments. Historically this was not the case. The lute makers in the northern Italian cities during the 16th and 17th centuries received semi-finished lute parts such as planed lute rib stock, barrels of neck blanks and soundboards - often with the roses already cut in them - from their compatriots in the Lech Valley in Bavaria. The specialization in the manufacture of lutes was shared among many artisians in separate workshops in the two countries. Only in the principle Italian shop did the master lute maker determine the configuration of each lute from the many parts available in his inventory.

Recently, Chad Neal, a young Columbus Ohio lute maker and I have begun a similar arrangement. I choose a rough top from my stock, plane and finish it to the dimensions that I think are appropriate and send it to Columbus. Chad carves the rose of my choice and ships the finished belly back to Toronto. Since rose carving is very time consuming this arrangement allows me to maintain my productivity at a time when I am starting to otherwise slow down. Chad has been making lutes since 2001 so I do not think of him as an apprentice but on the other hand I try to pass along aspects of my experience and judgement. Last November we were able to get together when Chad came to Toronto for several days of instruction and conversation.

It seems as through all of us can remember the moment we discovered the lute. Chad heard Hopkinson-Smith give a baroque lute recital of Bach violin sonatas and was hooked. Since he was a artist/craftsman first and a musician second he bought David van Edwards' CD Rom on baroque lute construction and started work. This was in 2001. By then Chad had many years of experience in the arts. As a student at the Columbus College of Art and Design he persisted, in his words, with his first passion of painting and drawing. Then, having developed an interest in metal working at CCAD he talked himself into a position with a third generation metal worker which proved invaluable. This led to a collaboration with a colleague to create metal sculptures for parks and restaurants in the Columbus area. Practicality often provides direction to young artists and fortunately Chad began working with wood. He now fabricates furniture for midwestern designers as a day job and pursues lute building, repairs and research as a passion. Chad cut the roses shown above for two of my lutes; a theorbo and a renaissance lute.

copyright michael schreiner 2009