TRE LIUTI

Works by virtuosic Italian lute composers, 1507 – 1718 performed on three different instruments.

Six course lute by Andrew Rutherford, New York, 2012, USA (1 – 12)
Ten course lute by Cezar Mateus, Princeton, 2014 (13 – 21)
Fourteen course archlute by Klaus Toft Jacobsen, London, 1981 (22 – 26)

The repertoire of this recording spans the lifespan of printed tablature for instruments in the “viel ton” or G tuning, beginning with the classic, six-course lute and ending with the long-necked archlute of fourteen-courses. The repertory survived in the hands of amateurs and professionals even as instruments changed form and tastes followed suit, and some of these connections can be heard between the earliest and latest works on the album. From the early works of Spinacino, Dalza and Capriola we hear the twin influences of the French and Italian schools, and the particularly Italian penchant for complex divisions over a graceful vocal melody. We also first encounter the ubiquitous, improvisational style of the ricercare, most marked in Dalza’s brief Tastar de’ corde.