DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

LUTE LUTHER 787
the oldest instrumental compositions we possess,
were written (Mahillon's Catalogue, 1880, p.
246). Many instruction-books were written ior
the lute, with examples in tablature ; the oldest
known to exist in this country is tlie Lauttenhuch
of "Wolf Heckel (Strasburg, 1562), preserved
in the Library of the Koyal College of Music.
The next in order of date are The Science of
Luting, licensed to John Allden in 1565 ; A
Brief and easy instruction to learne the tableture,
to condift and dispose the hand into the Lute
[by Adrien Le Koy]. Englished by J. Alford,
Londoner, 1868 ; an Englisli translation by
r. K. (London, 1574), of the famous Tutor of
Adrien Le Eoy, which had appeared in Paris in
1551 ; Thomas Dallis's MS. Lute-Book, 1583,
in the library of Trinity College, Dublin ; and
"William Ballet's MS. Lute-Books (1594) in the
same library. There is another in the British
Museum by Thomas Robinson, written in the
form of a dialogue (London, 1603). We must
not omit the treatise by Thomas Mace (London,
1676), to which we liave so frequently referred.
Praetorius, in his Organogruphia, was careful
to describe the then (1619) familiar lute. He
gives (p. 61) a graduated family of lutes with
their quints or chanterelles, which show how
much variety in size and scale was permitted.
They are— (1) Klein Ootav (a) ; (2) Klein
Discant (b) ; (3) Discant (c) ; (4) Recht Chorist
Oder Alt (d) ; (5) Tenor (c) ; (6) Bass (/) ; (7)
Gross Octav Bass (g).
^^PH^I^
0) (c) (d) (e) (/)-* (?)
Thus it will be seen that the lute generally
known and described here, the ' French ' lute
of Mace, is the Alto lute. Vincentio Galilei,
the fatlier of the astronomer, was the author of
a dialogue on the lute (Venice, 1583). Other
noteworthy continental publications were by
Judenkiinig, A^ienna, 1523 ; Gerle, Nuremberg,
1545 ; Hans Neusiedler, Nuremberg, 1556 ;
Melchior Neusiedler, 1574; Ochsenkhuns, Hei-
delberg, 1558 ; Kargel, Strasburg, 1586 ;
Besardus, Cologne, 1603 ; Campion, Paris,
1710 ; and Baron, Nuremberg (already quoted
from), 1727.
Much valualile information collected about
lute makers and the literature of the lute is
communicated by Carl Ergel in his admirable
catalogue of the Victoria and Albert Museum
referrerl to. The finest lutes were made in Italy
and Bologna, Venice, Padua, and Rome were
especially famous for them. There would appear
to have been a fusion of German and Italian
skill in northern Italy when the Bolognese lutes
were reputed to excel over all others. Evelyn
in his Diary (May 21, 1645) remarks their high
price, and that they were chiefly made by Germans.
One of the earliest of these was Lucas
(or Laux, as he inscribed his name on his
instruments) Maler, who was living in Bologna
about 1500-20. There is one of his make at
Soutli Kensington, represented in the drawing,
a remarkable specimen, notwithstanding tliat
the head is modernised, to correspond witii tliat
of the modern guitar, tlie strings are single,
and the belly later adorned with painting.
According to Tliomas Mace, ' pittifull old,
batter'd, crack'd ' things of Laux Maler would
fetch a hundred pounds each, which, considering
the altered value of monej^, rivals the prices
paid nowadays for fine Cremona violins. He
(p. 48) quotes the King (Charles I.) as having
bought one for £100 through tlie famous lutenist
Gaultier ; but the correspondence of Huygens
(Musique et Musicicns, etc., ed. Jonckbloet and
Land, 1882) relates that the lute belonged to
Jehan Ballard, who would not part with it.
After his death Charles I. bought it of the relations
for £100, and gave it to Gaultier. [Among
the last occurrences of the lute in the orchestra
are in Bach's 'Passion according to St. John,'
' in the bass air, Betrachte, nieine Seele ' ; and
in Handel's 'Deidamia,' 1741. A collection of
lute compositions by Spanish masters of the
16th century was edited by G. Morphy, and
published by Breitkopf & Hartel in 1902.
On the history of the lute in France see Rivista
Musu-'ale, v. 637, vi. 1.] A. J. H.
LUTENIST, a lute player. In the 16th
and 17th centuries lutenists, or, as they were
sometimes called, 'lewters' or 'luters,' invariably
formed part of the musical retinue of kings
and princes, and one at least was commonly
attached to the houseliolds of nobles and landed
gentry. On August 8, 1715, a lutenist's place
was created in the Chapel Royal of St. James's,
and John Shore was a]q)ointed to it, who held
it until his death in 1752, when it was given
to John Inimyns, who filled it until his death
in 1 764. The office afterwards became a sinecure,
and was eventually annexed to the Mastership of
the Children as a means of increasing thestipend.
It continued until the death of William Hawes
ill 1846, when it was abolished. w. H. H.
LUTHER, Martix, born at Eisleben, on St.
Martin's Eve, Nov. 10, 1483. For the main
facts of the life of the gi'eat Reformer, the reader
must consult some other work, as our space
compels us to confine ourselves to his relation
to music, and especially to the hymns and
services of the Church. It was after his dejiarture
from the Wartburg, March 22, 1522,
that he began to occupy himself with projects
for the reform of the services of the Church,
among which his alterations in the musical
parts of the Mass led to such great results.
There is ample evidence that German hymns
were sung during the service before Luther's
alterations ; but if not the actual founder, there
is no doubt that he was the establislier of
congregational singing. Tlie musical part of
the Mass had gi'own to an inordinate length ;