Within the collections of the Warwickshire Museum, is an exceedingly rare 16th century lute. Not only is this instrument of incredibly high quality, but it was made by one of the lute equivalents of Stradavarius, the German-born luthier Hans Frei (c.1505-1565). Frei, alongside his equally famous contemporary Laux Maler (c.1485-1552), lived and worked in Bologna, Italy, and created some of the most exquisite lutes to have survived in modern times.
Compared to the popularity and importance of this instrument in the 16th and 17th centuries, original surviving lutes are rare. Indeed, although 1,100 finished instruments were listed in an inventory made after Maler’s death, only five fragments of his instruments have survived into the 21st century. Despite the fact that Frei probably made as many lutes as Maler, less than ten examples of his instruments have survived. Apart from the outstanding Warwick instrument, the other best examples of Frei’s lutes are in the Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna, with others surviving in Museums in Bologna and Stockholm respectively.
The Queen of instruments
In Elizabethan England the lute was believed to have been the Queen of instruments, only second in importance to the voice. Britain at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century went through a golden age of lute music and produced some of the finest lutenists and composers in Europe during this period, such as the legendary John Dowland (1563-1626).
The Warwick instrument, which is dated c.1550, is made of a variety of woods; the neck and ribs of the instrument are composed of sycamore; walnut is used for the fingerboard; and spruce for the soundboard. Inside the belly of the lute is an original label, with the luthier’s name in Gothic characters. Although the instrument was probably originally intended to be strung with six courses (five double strings and one single string) the neck of the lute was later adapted to become a larger 11 course baroque lute (nine double strings and two single strings).
These changes were probably made in the early 18th century as later contemporary music demanded a greater number of strings, and the use of different tuning. The ornate decoration on the fretboard and neck, consisting of a fine Renaissance style foliate arabesques in ivory and ebony, was probably added during this later period. These additions suggest that the instrument was played and admired for a considerable time after its initial construction in the mid 1500s.
Obscure provenance
The provenance of the Warwick lute is obscure. It was originally purchased in 1947 by Eric Halfpenny (1906-1979, and a founding member of the Galpin Society) from a private collector who had only recently bought the instrument at auction. Halfpenny’s friendship with the Warwickshire Museum started in 1954, when he was involved in organising a temporary exhibition of musical instruments there. A picture published in the 1950s shows that Halfpenny would often play the instrument, and it was described that “the tone is very sweet, though quite small, with a rather reedy quality in the lower register. The notes hold out for a long time, with the richness in overtones and comparative weakness of the fundamental note produce to a marked degree the very intimate and sympathetic tone which is the lute’s essential character.”
After becoming an honorary advisor for musical instruments, Halfpenny eventually sold several pieces of his own collection to the museum.The Hans Frei Lute was purchased by the Warwickshire Museum in 1964, with assistance from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and the instrument was displayed as part of the In sweet musick is such art. An exhibition of English music of the period 1580-1620 organised in that very year.
Further Reading
M. Prynne, “An unrecorded Lute by Hans Frei.” The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 2 (March 1949), pp. 47-51.
Comments
Is it still played? Do you think it should be?
I know very little about these things, but I can imagine it must be hard to decide between the risk of damaging or wearing down such a beautiful thing, and the shame that it can’t be heard to sing! After all, that was its true purpose…
A most interesting question.
There are some historic lutes that can still be played, although slightly down tuned to reduce the tension on the neck. Jacob Lindberg, a famous contemporary Lutenist, regularly performs and records on an instrument from c.1590.
The National Museum of Scotland have this c.1600 which is also played, seen in this video.
These instruments are of course very fragile, due to their age and materials used, but, an interesting question of context in museum collections. I hope they find a safe home for it in the new museum displays!
I simply ADORE this magnificent lute which is without doubt one of the best models for French (styled) music of the 17th century. Whether it is by Frei the elder or the younger is still an open question. The belly might not be by Frei, but by an (early?) 17th century (possibly French) Luthier – the fleurs de lys ornaments in the rose could suggest that the latter builder might have worked for the French court. The belly has unusual thicknesses (up to c. 3mm) and rather high bars which produces a rather delicate and long tone (the description in the Galpin Society journal also confirms this). The belly was probably rebarred when the lute was turned into a baroque lute. How did the lute come to England?- French lutenists of the 17th c. often visited England, perhaps one of them brought it with him. As a lutenist who specializes on French lute music, I would of course LOVE to have a copy of this lute (P. Thomson, who restored it, probably being the most competent person to copy it) with OLD belly wood which renders warmth to the tone. But such dreams are almost impossible to realise – either the wood is not available or the price is too high etc.. Anyway, truly a superb model – much better than the Freis in Vienna which are copied more often.
Addition to my comment: I think it unlikely that this lute was converted into an 11-course instrument in the early 18th c.: the reconstructed original string length of c. 68,5 cm seems too short for a late 17th/early 18th c. lute – string lengths around 70cm were favoured around this time (which is confirmed by several instruments, written and iconographical sources). It seems much more likely to me that the lute was initially a 6- or 7-course, was provided with a new belly c.1600 (possible conversion into a 9- or 10-course), and some 40 or 50 years later rebarred and turned into an 11-course.
Best, C. Dohrmann
Dear Christoph,
Many thanks for your fascinating insights, I’m glad there are others who are equally as excited by this rare instrument. It is wonderful speculating how this lute might have arrived on this Isle. The timeframes involved, especially being purchased so close to WW2, makes the lack of provenance rather scary. Your analysis of the various modifications illustrates beautifully how several successive owners might have been involved in continued love and care of this precious object.
I look forward to seeing it re displayed in the updated museum!
Many thanks once again,
Adam
I notice that the bridge has been renewed and set in a different position in recent times. This reduction in scale length and position will surely spoil the tone.
The new bridge is a reconstruction of the ORIGINAL bridge position (traces were apparently visible). The bridge that was on the lute before was placed by Mr Halfpenny’s lute builder and had little in common with original lute bridges. A restauration report by the restorer P. Thomson, who is a VERY competent lute builder, was announced on the webpage by the English Lute Society: It would be good to make this report available online here.
Add a comment about this page