Lucas and duet partner Geneviève Gilardeau can be heard on both You Tube and Vimeo at:

http;//youtube.com/watch?v=uzy8RmBkjpg/

http;//vimeo.com 6583252/ . Lucas is playing a model of my anonymous E.25 with a 'Jauck' style extension on these videos.

June 2010. To view the page of detailed photos of the Railich theorbo that I built for Michael Manderen. Click here

April 2010. I have uploaded my story on the prototype of the Railich theorbo that serves as the model for my Michael Manderen's theorbo. Visit my Projects page or Click here

April 2010. Guitarist/lutenist Terry McKenna (below) and I had a great time presenting our lecture-demostration before a large audience at A&M's open house last weekend. http;//www.amwoodinc.com/

photo: Diane Staats

March 2010. I have finished an example of a Railich theorbo (top photo) for musician/college administrator Michael Manderen. Besides his duties as the Director of Admissions of the Oberlin Conservatory Michael has an additional career as a lutenist/gambist. http://www.oberlin.edu/staff/mmandere/ The original theorbo ( No.1569, MIM Brussels) is severely damaged but it is relatively unaltered. I examined the instrument in 2007 suspecting that it could be a suitable model for a medium size theorbo. I'll soon have a story about this instrument on my Projects page as well as additional photos of Michael's lute -- see April's listing.

Exotic wood supplier A&M Wood Specialty has invited me and lutenist/guitarist Terry McKenna to present a lecture-demonstration on the lute and early guitar at their April open house. Andy Poynter established A&M about the time that I quit my day job and became a full-time lute maker. I was lucky to have a local source for specialty wood early in my career. Terry McKenna is an early customer of mine too. He is a member of The Toronto Consort and resident guitarist/lutenist at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Ontario).

December 2009. I've expanded the story about my anonymous Italian Baroque guitar. Go to my Guitar page or Click here

November 2009. Photos of the baroque lute that I finished in October are now on my Baroque Lute page with an expanded story. Click here

November 2009. I've finished an example of my anonymous Italian baroque guitar for Québec guitarist, David Jacques.

www.davidjacques.com

October 2009. One of the enjoyable benefits of making instruments is the long-time friendships that develop. In the late 70’s David Lindsay was studying classical guitar in Halifax and like many players at the time he became curious about the lute. I built him a 10 course lute followed a year later by a baroque lute. The lutes must have had an effect. David dropped his performance degree program and moved to the West Coast where he enrolled in musicology at the University of British Columbia. But music for David was to be a passion, not a profession and many lute-less years intervened while David studied and practiced law. Then while Sue and I were holidaying in the US and stuck in traffic on I-81 my cell rang: “Hi, this is David Lindsay,” the voice said. “It's been a long time, do you remember me? Will you build me a lute? I want to start playing again.” I then built David a ten course multi-rib Tieffenbrucker and now I have just finished his 13 course. It seems as though the passion for lute never leaves. There are photos of this lute on my Baroque Lute page, E. 25. Click here

October 2009. Chad Neal, the Columbus Ohio lute maker who I featured on my projects page recently, has started a blog.

http://www.neallutes.com

September 2009. Last December I repaired a 1823 Lacôte (above) that was made of Cuban Mahogany. I decided then that eventually I would build a copy of it. The first step would be to find the right wood. So last week Sue and I drove to Ithaca NY to visit Blue Moon Exotic Wood. Blue Moon is one of the few sources of Cuban Mahogany, Swietenia mahogoni. The wood is grown on a family owned plantation in Palau. Toby, the proprietor, is the fourth generation of his family in the business. He has a wonderful selection of straight grain quarter-sawn Cuban mahogany from random lengths and widths to flitch cut logs. Toby proudly explained that his great-grand father started the plantation on the advice of a Dutch botanist from seedlings obtained from Spanish missionaries from Cuba. Toby continues the tradition and practices sustainable harvesting. The seeds for the new seedlings come from the original trees.

http://www.bluemoonexoticwood.com

August 2009. Below is a photo of the label from the German theorbo, HUCP3266 attributed to Thomas Ebb Hoss, that is in the Harvard University Collection of Musical Instruments. I examined this wonderful instrument last year but remained troubled by the obscurity of the maker. I sent the photograph of the label to Klaus Martius, curator at the German National Museum. Klaus' response was unequivocal. It made for a stunning conclusion to my description of this lute. Click on the photo of the label or visit my Projects page to read this story.

 

 

The following is a list of my recent museum visits with the principal instruments studied. These visits provide the information, insight and enthusiasm that give shape to my project ideas.

June 2008. Harvard University Collection of Musical Instruments, Cambridge. German theorbo.

March 2008. Royal College of Music, London. Guitar by Tesler. Musée de la musique, Paris. Lutes by Venere or attributed to Venere and theorbo by Aman.

2007. Musée de la musique, Paris. Lute by Maler and a theorbo by Sellas. Guitar by Voboam. Musical Instrument Museum, Brussels. Theorbo by Railich and lute by Jauck.

2006. Royal College of Music, London. Guitars by Voboam and Dias. Fenton House, London. Lutes by Döring and Unverdorben/Buchstetter.

2005. Museum of the University of Leipzig. Lute by Edlinger, guitar by Panormo. German National Museum, Nuremberg. Lutes by Schelle.