|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is the view from our room in the Pension
Avalon Tara on Havelska across the roof tops of the Old Town
toward Saint Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle. Thomas Edlinger's
workshop is out of sight below and to the left of St. Vitus.
Over the last several years I have examined lutes by Edlinger
in New York, Vermillion South Dakota, Leipzig and Prague. There
are a number of features that make these lutes intriguing. Edlinger
utilized bowls, bellies and roses from older lutes as well as
building entirely new lutes. This was common practice in the
18th century. Many of the bowls can be identified as the
work of major 17th century makers and therefore the inventory
of older lutes is usefully expanded. Edlinger was a master at
constructing lutes that were comfortable to play. All of the
fingerboards and necks of the instruments I examined were thoughtfully
and carefully, though quickly, made. His designs for the chantrelle
and bass riders are attractive and functional. Naturally, I
incorporate these designs in the construction of my models of
his instruments. The difficulty with modeling baroque lutes
directly from his examples is that they are all large; with
fretted string lengths of 77 – 80 centimeters. I use NMM
10213 in Vermillion (National Music Museum) as a model for both
a large baroque lute and a small theorbo. The museum's companion
to this instrument, NMM 10214, has an 80 centimeter fretted
string length and is constructed with a 21 rib shaded yew bowl.
I use this lute as the inspiration for a smaller baroque lute
constructed on an appropriately sized multi-rib bowl.
|
|
| |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|