The Can of Norms: Expanding the Modern Lute Plucking Technique

Talitha	Witmer

Name: Talitha Cumi Witmer Main Subject: Lute/Theorbo Research Supervisor: Bart van Oort Title of Research: The Can of Norms: Expanding the Modern Lute Plucking Technique Research Question: Can “Thumb-out,” a historical lute technique in common use following the late Renaissance period, become favored by lutenists today? Summary of Results: After its revival in the 20th century, much has been discovered about the lute and its technique. One issue that is recently placed on the agenda of lutenists is the plucking technique applied on lutes. It is a known fact that Thumb-out was the technique applied most commonly for lute playing. Yet, very few lutenists adopt this Thumb-out technique today. Modern lute tutors tend to advise to avoid Thumb-out. If not, they advise to pluck around the rossete, and position their thumb close to the index finger. In paintings and treatises, however, we see Thumb-out hand with thumb positioned away from the index while the hand is placed around the bridge, and Thumb-out hand placed around the rosette, the former more often. I delved into this technique for 3 years and have come to understand that this “forgotten Thumb-out” is as matter of fact a technique that can be very beneficial for lute players, opening new, colorful, historical and healthy possibilities. Biography: The American-Korean lutenist, Talitha Cumi Witmer, started her musical studies at age 4 with church choir and piano. When she was 9 she heard a lute on a CD and immediately fell in love with its sound. Her dream to study the lute was then realized at the age of 13, when she began her formal studies on the instrument in Tokyo. Since 2011 she studies the lute under Joachim Held, and the theorbo under Mike Fentross since 2012. She performs both as a continuo player and a soloist, in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands, and Portugal.

Research Question: What strings are historically applicable on the 6^th course of early Italian single-stringed theorbos?

Description:

Today, lutenists often play theorbos with following elements.

1) Necks that are 70cm – 80cm long.

2) Pluck around the rosette.

3) Use a right hand technique known as “thumb-in.”

4) Perform upon instruments with nylon strings,

5) Single-strung.

However, specialists often suggest that in order to be historical, lutenists should play their theorbos as follows.

1) Neck that are gigantic as 85-100cm

2) Pluck around the bridge

4) Perform upon instruments with gut strings

5) Double strung

In addition to these suggestions, another issue recently brought to light among lutenists is the right-hand technique applied on the theorbo. It is a known fact that Thumb-out was the technique applied most commonly for theorbo playing. Yet, very few theorbists adopt this Thumb-out technique today. If they do, they pluck around the rosette. In paintings and treatises we see both Thumb-out hand positioned around the bridge and Thumb-out hand positioned around the rosette, the former more often. No wonder - it is impossible to pluck at the bridge on a modern theorbo and yet make a sonorous sound, because the string tension is simply too high for it.

I believe that in the early baroque era strings tensions on theorbos might have been lower than today, because of the following reasons. The answer can only be speculation, yet I hope through this research it will be more than groundless opinion. Firstly, unlike today, renaissance lutes and early theorbos and did not have frets in the higher register, though it was an often used register. With low string tension it becomes easier to play high registers without frets. Secondly, treatises and paintings suggest that plucking around the bridge was a common practice, which with low string tension this becomes possible. In addition, low tension reduces stress on Left-hand playing, which enables playing gigantic theorbos. String-holes on surviving instruments are small, which of course suggest thin strings. Logically, when a theorbo is strung with gut-strings in modern tension, strings would have to be very thick that the sound they produce would not be sonorous anymore. Further more the thick strings will touch the frets and cause buzzing noise when plucked.

In order to substantiate my ideas, I will collect every prints of surviving theorbos and paintings chart them into double or single-strung, with or without higher frets, and size of string-holes. I plan to seek assistance from the renowned musicologists, Andreas Schlegel and Klaus Martius. Also, I will experiment with gut strings and silk strings from several string makers to find out what strings would make sense both historically and technically.

Chosen format of documentation: Research paper and presentation

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