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After many years of playing the classical guitar (badly) and yearning for a lute, I recently bought a very beautiful instrument which was made by Jacob Van de Geest in 1969. It's a 10 course lute and it seems, rather unusual. I've been scouring the web for information about this kind of lute and it seems that it's a 'double headed' instrument, and I think (in all ignorance) that it may be based on a transitional instrument between Renaissance and Baroque periods. I say this because the top two courses are single strings.
Does anyone know if this is correct, and if so, which tuning should be used?
Any information on double headed lutes and Van de Geest would be most welcome.
Does anyone know if this is correct, and if so, which tuning should be used?
Any information on double headed lutes and Van de Geest would be most welcome.
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Re: My Van de Geest lute
Sat, January 19, 2008 - 11:16 AMThe double chantarelle strings are normal for a Baroque instrument and the rider pegs are common. Is it an actual second neck or rider? Usually though this doesn't occur until you get to thirteen courses, so your assumption about a transitional instrument is probably correct. Van de Geest seems to have done a lot of exploratory things though when he started and my Baroque has some unusual features as well.
You might want to check out the music of Michelagnolo Galilei and his “Il Primo Libro D’Intavolatura Di Liuto (1620) as it is written for a ten course instrument.
Weiss helped with the invention of the later swan neck.
