The Lute Society: Home Page

Issue 133 of Lute News is now out - see its colour front cover and ezine. See a gallery of previous front covers on the publications page, under Lute News back issues.

The Lute in Lockdown - during our times of lockdown and social distancing, musicians are hosting online events and videos to reach their audience. We are maintaining a calendar of upcoming online events, and a set of resources for musicians and support. Feel free to send us links to online lute events, and please support musicians by buying tickets where you can. And why not improve your playing and support a professional player at the same time by treating yourself to an online lute lesson? There's a list of teachers who give lessons by Zoom or Skype at the head of our register of teachers.

Subscribe to our new Youtube Channel! at www.youtube.com/channel/UC7XUQxbXyeZUAh2r5lbj-6A. It's free of course. Many thanks to Peter Jones for setting it up of course. So far there are four very informative films about how to film yourself playing the lute and then edit and upload the film. More films of good quality will be added in due course, and we plan that this will be the forum for 'virtual meetings', with a selection of films launched together for your enjoyment.

A review and reflections of our Spring 2020 playing weekend at Benslow by Adam Dzwonnik

Beginners' lesson - 40 Courant L'Onesta (no. 63 from ‘114 Early to Intermediate Pieces for Renaissance Lute’), by Lynda Sayce.

Spring meetings all cancelled in common with meetings of societies in Italy, France, Germany, Scotland and Netherlands; our next meeting, deo volente, will take place on 12th September, see meetings for details.

New addition to our members compositions by David Protheroe, Varietie of Lute Quartets: Fantasie, Pavin, Galliard, Almaine, Coranto and Volte Superius (d lute), Contratenor altus (a lute), Tenor (G lute), Bassus (D lute) and Full score

New addition to our free downloads: 'Easter in Lockdown' - includes an anonymous setting of 'Befiehl du deine Wege' (Dm lute) plus an arrangement for voice and lute of ‘O sacred head surrounded’, both for Dm lute and old tuning, arranged by Wilfred Foxe. Download.

Our online shop is now mobile friendly. Now you can even buy our publications from a tablet or mobile phone.

Updated membership map - showing the current approximate location of Lute Society members who have chosen to share their postcodes - see membership-map

Lute Iconography Database (LuteIDB) - now updated to contain over 2200 images and additional search attributes. LuteIDB is a great resource for lute makers, players, art historians, researchers, and anyone who has an interest in the iconography of the lute. See the introduction to LuteIDB for background and details of how to use the search engine. The live version is at LuteIDB online.

Japanese language page on the website of Taro Takeuchi, who offers help for prospective Japanese members tarolute.crane.gr.jp/lutesociety.html

Recent additions to our free downloads and members compositions listings:

• 'Easter in Lockdown' - includes an anonymous setting of 'Befiehl du deine Wege' (Dm lute) plus an arrangement for voice and lute of ‘O sacred head surrounded’, both for Dm lute and old tuning, arranged by Wilfred Foxe. Download. - 2 pieces by Adrian Banchieri, for 3 equal lutes, these are very tuneful canzonas. Also 3 pieces for 4 lutes, including madrigals and motets by Andrea Gabrieli and Pierre Passereau. Arranged by Mike Ashley.
• 16th century Spanish music arranged for renaissance lute and treble instrument by Joaquim Bogunya Chesa
• Sonnets and Epigrams, for voice and lute, by David Protheroe, with piano score supplement.
• A song setting of Miserere, My Maker (Anon) from the Turpyn Book of Lute Songs, by Wilfred Foxe.
• The Dohna Lute Book - a digital facsimile reconstruction of a book of three German tabulatures by Mattheus Waissel: Lautenbuch 1592-12, Tabulatura Allerley [1592]-13 and Tabulatura Guter 1592-14.

The Lute Online Resources Portal is now live. Most websites mentioned in the last 15 years of Lute News now have links there, and some of the pages are reasonably complete. Others have only sample content - particularly the composers and sources pages - new material will be added to these each day. You are warmly invited to send in interesting links you think we have missed - let's build a Grand Universal Lute Portal!

Looking for a lute player, accompanist, duet partner, or beginner's 'buddy'? We can help you find a lute player in your area, or for your special event (wedding, banquet, advert etc). We are also starting up a lute buddying scheme to put new players in touch with lute buddies in their area.

For previous news items, see Old news

Recent pages on this website

• Lute Iconography Database - over 2200 images of lutes catalogued in a searchable online database.
• Some selected recordings from meetings are now available.
• Back issues of Lute News now available for purchase online. Now you can fill in any missing copies in your collection.
• New pieces on our members' compositions pages - recent updates by David Protheroe, Steven Watson, Laudon Schuett and others.

New Music Editions

See our catalogue for details and to purchase online:

• 158 early Cinquecento preludes and recercars - a bumper collection of early Italian lute music, all standards, beginner to advanced
• Compendium of 178 Polish dances - another bumper edition!
• Fun merchandise! Lute-playing mouse paperweight

Contact the secretary

The Secretary, Christopher Goodwin
Southside Cottage, Brook Hill, Albury
Guildford, England GU5 9DJ
Tel: (+44/0)1483 202159

or if your email bounces back from this, try

Donations

The Lute Society’s finances are ticking over nicely with the present membership fees and it is breaking even in a safe and steady manner. But we would like to be able to fund occasional additional activities without having to raise the general membership fees to a level which would put off some from joining. If you feel able to help in this way, it will be greatly appreciated.

There will be an opportunity for UK tax payers to gift aid their donation after they click the donate button.

General Fund Donation
Donating with this button will enable you to add an amount of your choice to our general fund.

Student Bursary Fund Donation
Donating with this button will enable you to add an amount of your choice to our Student Bursary Fund which will enable us to fund deserving students for places on short term music courses such as Benslow.