This book is aimed at beginner lute and guitar players interested in playing Renaissance lute music on either instrument. Lute and guitar tablature are included, along with notes on technique, biographies of lute composers from the 16th century, and general advice on buying, stringing and tuning a lute. The book starts with single-line melodies, before progressing to two-part and full repertoire pieces. Selections include works by great Renaissance composers such as John Dowland, Francesco da Milano, Alonso Mudarra, Francesco Spinacino and others, with music from England, Scotland, Italy, France and Germany. A useful chord chart is also included. Every piece in the book has been recorded fordownload by Rob MacKillop--in itself, an album worth owning. Access to the online audio is included.

The most comprehensive, authoritative work on understanding and building authentic lutes, by a world renown luthier and scholar. Historical section covers the development of the lute from the 15th through the 18th century with over 100 photographs of ancient lutes and 50 diagrams; practicum section covers the construction of the lute in minute detail with over 600 step-by-step photographs and a dozen diagrams. Includes a list of historic makers, catalog of extant historic lutes, bibliography and index, plus complete reduced images of seven lute plans.

"A wealth of information and insight" Hopkinson Smith Today more and more instrumentalists wish to perform baroque music in an expressive manner reflecting stylistic practices of that era. The purpose of the present handbook is to help lute and theorbo players discover the most important tools for achieving this goal. We will never know precisely how baroque music was played, but can come closer to understanding the priorities of the time. A key to performing music of the baroque era is rhetorical expression. While striving to play in a stylistic manner we must keep in mind the purpose of rhetorical performance: to communicate passions and elevate the lives of our listeners. It is with this in mind that Performing Baroque Music on the Lute & Theorbo has been written. Author: Peter Croton, early music performer, and teacher at the world-renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis as well as at the Conservatories of Basel and Bern. Cover art and design: Johanna Croton