Music of the Renaissance:

Introduction to the Lute

and Interpretation on the Classical Guitar

Your Instructor: Brandon Acker

Suitable For: All Levels

A tonebase Workbook
“ Th i s ma gi c a l sof t si lve r y sou n d i s w h a t t h e lu te i s a ll a b ou t . ”

Contents

03
Lesson Summary: Part 1
07
Scores vs. Tabs

03
History of the Lute
07
Vibrato and Right-Hand Technique

04
Lute Technique and Tuning
08
Exercises 1 and 2

05
Lute Strings and Tablature
09

Repertoire Study: “Ricercar No. 84” by

05
Music for Lute
Francesco da Milano

06
Lesson Summary: Part II
10

Repertoire Study: “Frog Galliard” by

06 Initial Barriers John Dowland

11 Focus Areas and Practice Log

Lesson Description

The lute was perhaps the most popular instrument of the Renaissance. Being very versatile, the
lute was the go-to instrument to accompany singers in addition to having an immense body of
solo literature. Brandon Acker discusses the role and evolution of the lute and how historical
context can positively influence interpretation on a modern instrument.

What You’ll Learn:

• How the lute has developed throughout history

• Basic lute technique

• How to perform music written for the lute on a modern classical guitar

02
Lesson Summary: Part 1

This is a two-part series on the lute and how to adapt music written for the lute to the

contemporary classical guitar. In Part 1, we will explore the lute itself and its music. In Part 2 we will

use that information to interpret lute music on the classical guitar.

History of the Lute

The lute played a very important role in the culture and society of Europe during the Renaissance

(1400-1600). Since the lute could play polyphonically (multiple melodies at the same time), the

lute was ideal for solo playing or as an accompaniment to vocal music.

The lute is a descendant of the oud (pictured below), an instrument that arrived in the Iberian

peninsula around the 8th century. The oud is teardrop-shaped with a round back, long neck, and

friction pegs. The oud is plucked with a plectrum, a quill, or an eagle’s feather. There are no frets

on the oud, allowing musicians to play between the twelve tones of the Western chromatic scale.

Europeans maintained the basic shape of the oud and added frets made of gut. It took until the

1500s for six pairs of strings to become commonplace in lutes. In the late 1600s, musicians began

using their fingers instead of a plectrum, allowing them to play polyphony. Through the 16th and

17th centuries, luthiers added more bass strings to increase the low range of the instrument, and

as many as 10 or 12 courses could sometimes be seen.

03
Lute Technique and Tuning

The left-hand of the lute functions almost the same as it does on the classical guitar. However,
musicians held the lute almost horizontally and wrapped their right arm around the bottom of the
lute (pictured below left). The pinky was placed on the bottom string and the plucking movement
came from the arm. Notes were plucked downward with the thumb and upward with the index
finger. By moving in this way, the thumb creates a strong sound, and the index finger creates a
weak sound. This playing position is called “thumb under”.

Lutenists varied their technique as they added more bass strings. The result is “thumb out”
position, where the pinky remains in place but the thumb is anchored on the top string (pictured
above right). Lutes were mostly tuned in fourths, with one major third. Although most lutes were
in the key of G or A, in the Renaissance there was no absolute pitch. Tuning depended on the size
of the lute. One lute treatise recommended tuning the highest string as high as it could go before
breaking and tuning the entire instrument from that. The note on top was often called G even if
the sounding pitch would be called something else today.

04
Lute Strings and Tablature

Every string on the lute is doubled, except for the first string, also called the chanterelle (“singing
string”). For the bass strings, however, one of the strings is doubled an octave higher to reinforce
the sound. The lute uses tablature, the same system that many guitarists today can read.
Effectively, tab functions as coordinates for where to put your finger. Lute notation has six lines,
with numbers or letters that tell us what frets to play.

Lutes can seem small and lightweight compared to classical guitars. Sonically, the lute is softer
and more intimate. The soundhole is also called the “rose”, and is usually a very intricate pattern
that serves only an aesthetic purpose.

Music for Lute

The lute was used in a variety of different settings, from solo music to vocal accompaniment.
John Dowland (1563-1626) was among the most prominent composers for the lute. Below are
some samples of Dowland’s music. He often rewrote his songs for solo lute, adding many
embellishments. Fantasias and ricercars are two other very common forms for lute music.

“Now, O now, I needs must part” for voice and lute

“The Frog Galliard”, the same melody for solo lute

“Flow my tears” for voice and lute

“Lachrimae pavane”, the same melody for solo lute

“Ricercar No. 84” by Francesco da Milano

05
Lesson Summary: Part 2

This is a two-part series on the lute and how to adapt music written for the lute to the
contemporary classical guitar. In Part 1, we explored the lute itself and its music. In Part 2 we will
use that information to interpret lute music on the classical guitar.

Initial Barriers

Music for the lute was highly improvisatory, and this is often the biggest barrier for classical
guitarists interested in learning Renaissance music. The classical guitar didn’t exist until hundreds
of years after the golden age of the lute, so how can we adapt lute music for modern instruments?
Every artist takes a slightly different approach.

Lutes have much more tense strings than modern classical guitars. Install some lower tension
strings for your classical guitar and you’ll get closer to the feel of a lute. You can try strings which
are a mixture of nylon and gut to get a sound with a bit more character. Gut strings, while
expensive, are the best option for playing early music.

Tuning

Tune your third-string G down a half-step to F-sharp. This mimics the intervals of lute strings
and allows you to use the same shapes as the lute virtuosos of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Try to embrace the elements of lute technique that may feel foreign. When you come to a
strange fingering or technique, spend time with it and try to make it comfortable. Some classical
guitarists will use a capo on the third fret, raising the key of the guitar to G. However, we can still
play music written for the lute on a guitar without using a capo. It will sound a minor third lower
than it would on a G lute, but the tune will remain the same. We know from historical sources that
Renaissance songs were regularly performed in different keys. Using a capo also chokes the
resonance of the instrument.

06
Score vs. Tabs

Tab was the dominant style of notation for guitars and lutes for hundreds of years. It’s a clever and
straightforward approach to stringed instruments. If you haven’t done so, try to learn a piece of
music from a lute tab. This also allows you to play from facsimiles of original manuscripts. Looking
at original manuscripts gives you a closer connection to the original symbols and indications of
the composer.

There are three kinds of tablature: German, French, and Italian. German tablature is the most
difficult to read. French tablature was most used in Britain by composers like John Dowland. Da
Milano used Italian tab, as did other Spanish composers.

Vibrato and Right-Hand Technique

To the best of modern knowledge, early lutenists used vibrato as an ornament, occasionally giving
it its own symbol in notated music. Vibrato was only used sparingly, most often on high,
sustained notes.

The strings on a classical guitar are much farther from the body than on a lute. As a result, playing
“thumb-in” isn’t practical. It’s most common to play “thumb-out” on the classical guitar.

Many of the fast scales in Dowland’s music are best played alternating p and i in the right hand.
Try the two simple exercises on the next page to improve your ability to play fast scales with this
approach. Don’t change the alternation pattern (pipi) even as the number of repetitions changes.

07
Exercise 1

Exercise 2

08
Lutenists even developed their own tremolo using only p and i. Fingerings were often written on
the score: a single dot means to use the i finger, two dots means the m finger, and a line means p.
The ring finger is not used very often outside of chords.

There is little evidence to suggest that Renaissance lute players used apoyando. Rest stroke in the
thumb, however, was used often.

Repertoire Study: Ricercar No. 84 by Francesco da Milano

Always define any uncertain terms on a page of music before you start practicing the piece. A
ricercar is an improvisatory and highly contrapuntal piece, meaning “to search out” the key of a
given piece. A ricercar is polyphonic, meaning it resembles a quartet of singers.

All the voices should be equal in volume. Sing each line and listen for imitation. Avoid the classical
music practice of accentuating the higher notes (in fact, play the highest voice a bit softer since
high notes naturally sound louder). Emphasize entrances without overshadowing the other voices.

The right-hand fingerings incorporate a lot of p and i fingerings, which may feel strange, but are
more lute-like.

Ornamentation was an essential part of lute music. Mordents, trills, and slides are common
ornaments. See Brandon’s video “On Baroque Ornamentation” for more. There are a few
differences, however, between Baroque ornaments and Renaissance ornaments. (Renaissance
trills, for example, started with the main note, then an upper note, and then a pull-off). Mordents
and trills are abundant in this music, and you can use them whenever you think it is tasteful.

Division playing is a different kind of ornamentation, where notes are added to the melody while
preserving the contour.

09
Repertoire Study: Frog Galliard by John Dowland

A galliard is a lively Renaissance dance in six. Keep in mind the proper right-hand fingering,
balanced polyphony, and abundant ornamentation. Learn the text to the original song, “Now, O
now, I needs must part”, and sing each voice. This brings a whole new life to the music!

Measure 17 is a notated improvisation on the melody using division playing. Often you will find
bass notes in lute tab that are too low for the classical guitar. Usually, it’s sufficient to transpose
these up an octave, but in measure 4 of “Frog Galliard”, there is a low B can be replaced by an
ornament on the higher B.

Finally, primary and secondary readings are always valuable tools in trying to understand the
performance practices of the Renaissance.

• “A Performer's Guide to Renaissance Music” by Jeffery Kite-Powell

• “The End of Early Music” by Bruce Haynes

• “A Tutor For Renaissance Lute” by Diana Poulton

• “A Method for the Renaissance Lute” by Peter Croton

• “A Varietie of Lute Lessons” by Robert Dowland

10
Focus Areas
• Reading lute tablature
• Using lute-inspired technique

Practice Log

Below are your assignments from this lesson. Use the blank spaces to fill in other things you want
to work on. Try to spend a few minutes on each item every day for two weeks!

M T W T F S S M T W T F S S

Listen to and select a

Renaissance lute piece to learn

Exercise #1 (pg 8)

Exercise #2 (pg 8)

Read a primary source about

Renaissance music

11
Reflection
Use the questions below as a chance to reflect on how far you’ve come with your progress on the
guitar, and what you want to focus on next!

1. Take a moment to identify three things that are going well and three things that still need
some work in your playing.

2. Now think about ways you can reinforce those good habits, and make improvements on the
things that still need work. How can you incorporate these items into your daily practice?

3. With that in mind, what do you want to work on next? Which pieces or techniques do you
think will best help you achieve your goals?

12
Notes

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